Family Tree Tutorial

So, I made a lot of these Personalized Family Trees over Christmas and thought I should now pass the details on so you can make them too. This is going to be a LONG tutorial…but I want to make sure I include every step. Don’t get overwhelmed with all the steps…it just looks like a lot, but it really is a fun and easy project and makes a GREAT gift!

First you start with a blank canvas. I used a 16 x 20 size. But I also did some that were smaller. Paint your entire canvas with the background color of your choice. I used Apple Barrel paint in “sandstone”. It is a good neutral color that should work with a lot of colors.

Next, you can cut out your tree trunk. I used my mom’s Cricut machine (thanks mom!) and the “Bloom” Cartridge. I recently got a SILHOUETTE!!!!! (sorry if you heard me screaming with excitement on that) and they have plenty of tree trunk shapes to chose from. If you don’t have either of these machines…dont be discouraged. just print out a tree trunk shape from images you can find on google, trace it on your paper and cut it out.

Now gather all different patterned paper in the color scheme you prefer and start punching out your “leaves” with a oval punch (3/4 x 1.5). You can actually use any shape hole punch. They have some that look like real leaves, but I happened to have this oval shape already and I made it work.

Now you need a banner for your family name and established date. Print out the family name and establish date on a strip of paper. I ended up trimming my strip of paper down to a 2 x 12 size after I printed it.

Cut a slightly curved triangle notch out of each end of the strip of paper so it will look a little more fancy…or like a banner.

Print out all the family names in your favorite font. I used a fancier font for this one, but some of them had a more fun font…just depends on the style and personality of the recipient.

Punch all the names out with the same oval hole punch. I printed a test page on regular paper first, just to make sure my names were the right size for the punch.

Don’t forget my favorite part! The little heart with initials that will go on the tree trunk. I used a little heart punch I had, but you can easily cut it out too.

Lay everything in place and make sure you like how it looks. At this point you should be able to tell if you need more or less leaves…or if you want different colors. I change my mind a MILLION times at this stage.

Once you have it how you like it, clear all the pieces off the canvas. Coat the entire canvas with a layer of Mod Podge (I prefer the Matte finish for this project). Quickly start putting your pieces in place so the Mod Podge does not dry up on you. Some of the papers will curl up a little and want to release from the canvas. Just keep pushing them down. You will have to apply some MP directly to some of the pieces that are layering. Like the heart on the tree trunk…did I mention that the heart is my favorite part?

It will look a little sloppy and you will start to panic…don’t worry it will all dry clear and will look 100% better. Let it dry for a few hours and keep checking it for pieces that are pulling up. Then apply a THIN top coat of MP to the entire canvas, even the sides of the canvas!

ALL FINISHED! WHEW!

Here are some more color and style options…

And what happens to everything I make? It gets wrapped in a clear bag with a big bow!

Hope you enjoy! And please let me know if you make one, I would love to see a picture.