DIY: How to Flock a Live Christmas Tree

Flocking a live Christmas tree is easy, fun, and adds a charming affect of a fresh glimmering snow fall to the tree. The flocking can add tiny reflective facets that dance and reflect lighting to enhance the enchantment and when done properly makes the tree appear as though you plucked it straight from the forest after a light winter's dusting. There are two methods that you can use to flock a live Christmas tree, both of which are simple to do and don't require much artistic talent to accomplish a realistic look.

Store Bought Flocking

You can go to the store and purchase a few cans of flocking from a supermarket or hardware store. It seems that this stuff is harder to come by each year and one of the drawbacks is that sometimes this stuff can give off some pretty awful fumes. It does however make the job a little easier as you simply shake the can and spray. Here are the steps to follow when flocking a tree with a canned product.

What You Need

* Tree in stand and properly clipped and trimmed

* Flat open area in the outdoors to do the job

* Dust or particulate mask

* Eye protection

* Can of flocking - I like Santa Snow Machine from Target

* Step stool or ladder

* Christmas Carrols - they keep you in the holiday season and remind you why you are standing in the middle of your back yard spray painting a tree while your fingers go numb

* Hot chocolate or mulled spice wine to warm up afterwards (here is a great recipe for mulled spice wine - http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2307051/recipe_mulled_spice_wine_for_the_holiday.html?cat=22)

How to

* Place the tree in a stand and allow the limbs to spread for 24 hours.

* Move the tree to a flat level place outside and away from anything that might catch some of the overspray. Try to avoid doing this on a windy day.
* Depending on how tall your tree is, you may need a step stool or even a ladder so that you can start from the top and work your way down and around the tree.

* Begin at the top of the tree and only spray the flocking down onto the top of the outer part of each branch. You are trying to achieve a "natural" effect so think of snow falling from the sky down to the top of your branches.

* Evenly coat the tree and gradually work your way down and around the tree until you get to the bottom.

* Don't apply too much flocking on the first coat. To avoid a fake or cheap look to the flock job, you may want to apply a second coat after the first coat dries.

* Allow the flocking to dry completely and then carefully move indoors to decorate.

Make Your Own Flocking

This is the "old fashioned" way of flocking a live Christmas tree and while it takes more time to do, you can do it indoors as there are no nasty fumes and you don't spend $10.00 a can for the spray on flocking. It looks just as good when done properly but you need to spend quite a bit more time to do it this way.

What You Need

* 2 cups unscented flaked soap

* 1 cup starch

* Glitter

* Paint brush

* Eye protection

* Step stool or ladder

* Ground cloth
* Tree in stand and properly clipped and trimmed

* Flat open area to do the job

* Christmas Carrols - they keep you in the holiday season and remind you why you are standing in your living room painting a tree with a brush

* Hot chocolate or mulled spice wine to help keep in the spirit

Making the Flocking

Combine 2 cups of unscented flaked soap with 1 cup of starch. Slowly mix in a tablespoon of water at a time until you have a thick consistency. You can also add white glue to give you a more "durable" paste.

How to

* Place the tree in a stand and allow the limbs to spread for 24 hours.

* Move the tree to a flat level surface on a large piece of plastic or drop cloth to catch any drops or spills and protect the flooring.

* Depending on how tall your tree is, you may need a step stool or even a ladder so that you can start from the top and work your way down and around the tree.

* Begin at the top of the tree and with a medium sized paint brush, brush the tops of the outside of each branch with the flocking. Try to envision a light snow falling onto the tree naturally. It might help to look at a few pictures of natural snow fall onto evergreen trees to get the idea of the affect you are after.

* Evenly coat the tree and gradually work your way down and around the tree until you get to the bottom.

* Don't apply too much flocking on the first coat. To avoid a fake or cheap look to the flock job, you may want to apply a second coat after the first coat dries.

* Before the final coat dries, sprinkle the flocking with silver or opaque white glitter to give it a glistening, crystaline appearance.

* Allow the flocking to dry completely and then decorate.

Whether you buy a few cans and spray it on or you mix up a batch in the kitchen and brush it on, you can flock a tree in a short time and have a beautiful, natural looking tree to last the whole holiday season. It's a unique look to a tree and an experience that you should try at least one holiday season.