Halloween Tree

One of my colleagues at Memory Bound is teaching a class this fall using the new metal tree and tags by Carolee's Creations. Amanda has transformed the wooden tags that come with the tree into a beautiful set, perfect for your holiday display. If you're in the area, you need to stop by and see all of Amanda's amazing projects and sign up for her classes!

I've been on the lookout lately for a tree which could be used for year-round seasonal decorations and when I saw this metal tree, I realized it would be perfect. I decided to reserve the wooden tags for another holiday and make a new set for Halloween.



I used several different chipboard coasters for my tags. I covered them with acrylic paint, then distressed them using Tim Holtz Walnut Stain ink. I used a set of Martha Stewart black stickers to add a little bit of "scary" to my tags. I also covered some of the tags with the new My Mind's Eye "Haunted" paper which works great with my tan and black color scheme. I added a bit of black tulle to most of the tags to create a cohesive look.

One dilemma I faced was how to hang the tags onto the metal tree. Because I will be switching the tags for various seasons, I wanted something easy to use -- tying the tags to the tree with ribbon seemed like way too much work! I experimented with Christmas ornament hooks but didn't care for the way they looked. Then Amanda suggested using Clip-It-Up hooks and spray painting them to match the tree. What a great idea!

I clipped the hooks to a wooden dowel and gave them a couple of coats of ivory paint. Rotating the dowel made it easy to spray all sides of each clip. The painted clips look GREAT!

Here is the completed tree. I have approximately 25 tags of assorted sizes hanging on the tree. In addition to the tags, I hung a set of Tim Holtz keys as well as a six metal charms by The Girls' Paperie. The tree will hold a lot of treasures!

This project was quite fun to put together! I'm already planning my fall-themed set of tags which will go up in November.