Um… Is it naptime yet? Because my Christmas “to-do” list has doubled since I started following the fabulous Crazy Christmas Crafters Event! And yes, my four year old still naps. {score} Because I’m livin’ it up while I still can and the dude is a bear without it!
Did I forget to introduce myself? Oops! My name is Ashleigh, and I blog with my sister over at bee in our bonnet. We share our projects in an effort to preserve our memories for our families and also to join in the idea-sharing community! And speaking of memories, I remember loving our lollipop Christmas tree that my mom made when I was a kid. I don’t know where it is now, but I have attempted to recreate the concept with this little “sucker tree.” I do enjoy a good “presentation.”
These days, desserts on a stick are all the rage! I just can’t get over the cuteness of cake pops.
And if you’ve been to my blog, you know I adore sugar cookies. So this could hold peppermint sugar cookies on a stick (tutorial on my blog soon), dipped marshmallows on a stick, or just simple lollipops.
{ Sucker Tree }
I started with some wood that was labeled as stair rails. It measures a little over 1 1/4″ by 1 1/4″. The cost for all of this was about $5. You could use 2 by 2 boards and it would be about half the price, but this wood seemed straighter, so I went with it.
I cut the top piece to be a perfect cube, then each level after that, I added an inch. So it was 1/2 inch bigger on each side. I cut 12 layers but you could make it as short or tall as you want.
Next I marked the center of each piece and drilled a hole that was just big enough to fit the dowel I bought. I used a drill press for this because if you do it with a regular drill, it won’t line up like you want and each level won’t swivel right. I may or may not know this from personal experience. After you drill, you want to sand it smooth. The wood I bought was pretty nice, but I ran a sander over it anyway.
The bottom piece needs to be cut into three pieces. By nailing the two small pieces to the piece above it, the tree can be stable when it stands up.
You can cut the dowel to whatever length you want. I chose to leave it about 3 inches taller that the tree so I could attach a star!
This tree could be really pretty with a wood stain, but I chose to spray paint it “green apple” (rustoleum spray paint) because that’s what I had on hand. You would paint it before you put it together, but I was just checking to see if I wanted to add more layers, so I put it together to check it out.
Then you will need to use that drill press again to make holes for the sticks. I drilled about 1/4″ from the end but I chose to drill all the way through the wood. You could stop about 3/4 the way through if you wanted the pops to stand taller. After I assembled it all, I used the wood glue to secure the dowel to the bottom layer of the tree. The other levels of the tree remain adjustable. You could glue the top layer as well, but mine fit pretty snug and I wasn’t worried about them sliding off.
I ended up drilling 2 holes on each side of the bottom two layers.
This made it look more full on the pieces of wood that were longer.
I played around a little with the tree topper. I love a big bow on top! It makes it look like a big present!
I think this would look so festive on a holiday treat table! Or it would make a really special homemade gift. It takes a little dedication, but it folds up nice and flat so you can store it easily and use it year after year.
The one my mom made as a child was made out of 1″ by 1″ trim so it had a different look, but this still makes me really nostalgic to remember her. I hope some of you give it a try and make it a staple in your christmas decor and and traditions.
Thank-you to Jamielyn for having us! (p.s., your blog title is one of my faves!) All of your friends and readers are welcome at bee in our bonnet anytime they are up for some treats, projects and fun!
Jamielyn Nye is the founder and managing editor of iheartnaptime.net. She is married to her best friend and together they have two beautiful children just under two years apart. Her days are filled with lots of snuggles, crafts, e-mails, avoiding the ever-growing pile of laundry, play dough, sneaking bites of chocolate and wondering, “Is it nap time yet?!” I Heart Nap Time is a creative site sharing DIY home projects on a budget, crafts, sewing tutorials, easy recipes, tips and techniques.
Lisa
this is amazing!!! I am so doing this!! maybe somehow make it into an advent type calendar…oh and definitely a gift…too cool thanks!
Lisa recently posted..Toddler Organized!!
Kelsey Bang
ah this tree is sooo cute! I LOVE it! I want to make it asap! Thanks for sharing!
Kelsey Bang recently posted..Snowman Ornament Tutorial and Giveaway!
Sandy
Oh did this bring back memories! I had one of these for years and always had a goodtime decorating it! Thanks for the tutorial on how to make one! I would love to have one again! :) Sandy
sue
I love it! I wish I was this crafty, I need this:)
sue recently posted..Mini Cupcakes
Donna
I have not seen anything like this before. It is a super cute and a wonderful way to display all those pops! Terrific post and tutorial. Thank you for sharing!
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Marin D
My mom has something just like this. I am not sure where she got it or if my dad made it for her. But it is bigger and has longer branches to put more pops on. My mom used to make suckers every year and we’d put them in that.