Easy Holiday DIY: Evergreen Paper Cone Christmas Trees

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Are you team real Christmas tree or faux? Until we moved to Germany and I branched out to try a faux sparse Christmas tree last year while we were traveling (you can see all my tips for decorating a sparse tree HERE!), I have entirely been on team real Christmas tree. I love the process of visiting a tree farm, finding the perfect tree, cutting it down, hauling it home, and having its smell fill the house. Before we moved, we even created a wooden tree collar DIY (check it out HERE!) to use for years to come. Unfortunately though, the process of hauling a live tree up (or down!) the stairs to our current fourth floor apartment, dropping needles along the way, has led us to stay with our faux tree again this year. While I love our little tree and the way it works perfectly with our sloped ceilings, I have to say, I do miss the smells and excursions associated with real trees from years past. So, after passing a bundle of evergreen branches outside my grocery store, it got me thinking… Why not create my own small Christmas trees? Whether you are like me and want to bring in some fresh smelling evergreen branches to pair with your faux beauty, or if you have leftover branches cut off from the bottom of your real tree to help it fit better within your tree stand, let’s dive into how to make your own evergreen paper cone Christmas trees for the easiest holiday DIY that will brighten your space without requiring a daring, messy adventure hauling it away in the new year! 

How To Make Evergreen Paper Cone Christmas Trees

Materials 

• Cardstock paper, cardboard or premade paper cones
• Tape 
• Hot glue sticks & gun 
• Evergreen branches 
• Gold / brass wire 
• Pliers 
• Scissors

Steps

Making Paper Cones 

1 – The first step to creating your evergreen paper cone Christmas trees is to decide how and what you will use to make the paper cones. While the cones will be hidden, I recommend using a cardstock or cardboard (or premade paper cones) that will be strong enough to hold the evergreen branches. You could also use two layers of printer paper should you not have the other items on hand. I used a mix of cardstock paper and packaging materials from Amazon deliveries to keep costs low and use mostly what I already had at home. Keep in mind that the size of your materials will influence the final size of your trees, however keep reading for a few tips to make larger trees with smaller materials. 

2 – Once you have determined your base, begin by making your paper cones. To do this, simply roll your cardstock or thin cardboard into a funnel shape as if you were making a trumpet for a child. Tape down the seam to keep it in shape. 

3 – After your paper cone / trumpet seam is taped, use a pair of scissors to even out the base to ensure the cone can stand in a sturdy fashion. 

4 – When your cone is finished, if you are pleased with the size and its sturdiness, feel free to set it aside while making your next cone. 

If you would like a series of larger cones, but only have small materials, stacking the cones or attaching your cone top to a larger round base (that does not come fully to a point – I did this with my largest cardboard cone) can help to achieve a tall cone result without using a huge piece of cardboard. Be sure to thoroughly tape the seams to achieve a steady base. It certainly does not have to look perfect (mine looks kinda crazy!) but as it will be totally covered, the paper cone base should be prioritized for sturdiness rather than appearances.

5 – Continue with the steps above until you have completed each of your paper cones. 

Decorating With Evergreens

6 – Following the creation of all your paper cones, cut your whole evergreen branches into small pieces. Starting at the bottom, add a line of hot glue to your paper cone and then glue a single branched stem of your evergreen to the paper cone, allowing it to just barely touch the ground / table. 

7 –  Next, continue gluing individual pieces around the base, until your entire first layer is finished. 

8 – After your first layer is finished, repeat this process for a second layer, being sure to cover any bare spots and overlap the stem ends from the first layer. 

9 – Repeat this layering process until you reach the top. Stand back to see if there are any bare spots that need to be covered or if the cone is poking through at all. The cone should not be visible, however using a white paper (as opposed to the brown of cardboard) will require thicker layering to be used. 

10 – Once you have finished layering each cone, your evergreen paper cone Christmas trees are finished! Feel free to leave them plain for a natural look (like the first image below) or decorate them with lights, ornaments, glitter or little gold star / squiggle toppers as I did. 

Heather Boyd Wire has a great video tutorial HERE for creating wire stars should you want to make your own. 

Final Thoughts

While our Christmas tree is not up just yet (we start this weekend!!), I have LOVED the way these little evergreen paper cone Christmas trees have turned out and the fresh Christmas scent that they have brought to our living room. This project was truly such an easy holiday DIY and while they won’t last until next year, they will be extremely easy to dispose of once the holiday season has passed. Using many items I already had on hand, this festive decor came together for me for less than $7 (to purchase the evergreens, however if using foraged materials or off the base of your tree, these paper cone trees could be made entirely free!) in under an hour and are totally customizable to both your size needs and styling preferences. Also a great holiday craft to enjoy with kids, these evergreen paper cone Christmas trees really are such fun! So, have you ever tried a paper cone Christmas tree DIY like this or would you?! Be sure to save this post for your holiday decor and share with a Christmas loving friend!

Happy crafting!

Chloe

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