Button Tree Tutorial

When I started this project, I had all the supplies in place and a plan to make this…

This is the Mariana tree from Ballard Designs. 

it is covered in Mother of Pearl buttons which are very expensive.  So, started looking for an alternative and this is what I came up with.

A bunch of colorful buttons from Michaels, heirloom white spray paint from Rust-Oleum, Styrofoam cones, Valspar’s pearl spray paint, work gloves and Styrofoam adhesive spray.  I am sure the adhesive spray is good for some applications, but this was not one of them.  I quickly abandoned that and got out my glue gun.  I then told my husband I wanted a new glue gun for Christmas.  I am not sure if it is a blister or a bruise, but my “trigger” finger is killing me!

The first step was to put glue on the cone and place the buttons on it.  I went through section by section for the first layer.  Then I went back and put the glue on the button and filled in where there was space or a messy spot that needed to covered.  I found turning it upside down for the first part was the easiest way to hold it.

Somewhere along the way, someone told me a trick about getting rid of those annoying glue gun strings.  Simply run a hair dryer over the spots and most of them will melt away.  Some need a little pulling and scraping.  I am very luck because my 8 year old daughter finds those really annoying and pulls them off for me with amazing patience.

Here it is covered in buttons.  The plan was to spray paint it with the Heirloom white and then lightly coat it with the pearl paint to give the look of mother of pearl buttons. 

Some day I will actually try that. But, for this project the buttons were so colorful and fun I could not bring myself to paint it!

Our basement family room is decorated in purple, orange, pink, green and brown.  I know, sounds completely crazy.  This room is a completely different side of my decorating personality. But I decided this would work perfectly in that room.

The crazy branch thing behind it I found at an estate sale a while back (the same one where I found all the sheet music I still have done nothing with.). I thought it work well in this room and for Christmas I have just hung some of my vintage ornaments all in bright pink.

The little “people” are ornaments my husband brought back from Russia a few years ago.  I thought they were too unique to get lost in the tree, so I put them here where they could really be seen.

I couldn’t stop myself from gluing buttons, so I went ahead and put some on a clear glass ornament I picked up at Michael’s and hung it from an old milk bottle.

In the next day or so I will be doing a post on my whole basement.  You will be able to learn about how I cured my Multiple Decorating Personality Disorder! 

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