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December 2, 2011

I Spy Tree (a.k.a. Junk Tree)

 

Everybody has a junk drawer, right?  Well, this project puts all those little bits of junk to great use!
Yes, this has been a fun little addition to our holiday decor :)  This I-Spy "junk tree" was inspired by my friend's blog post here.   This is a fun project for the kids to help with too!
Here's how I made it...

Grab one of these foam cones at the craft store...they come in a few different sizes, so you can choose.
 Gather up some junk :)  Everything on my tree was found in my house.  Below are some of the things we gathered, but we ended up with even more than this.
We raided the junk drawer, the toolbox, the toy box, the office supplies, the change drawer...

And then we hot glued the stuff we found onto the foam cone, as tight as we could get it.  Little round beads and buttons really helped to fill in the tiny gaps...
Believe it or not, I even had that star for the top in the junk tub!  It was originally a piece of plastic used to keep a balloon from floating away - way to go me for keeping it! ;)
Some of my other favorite things: a mismatched earring, a clothespin, an old key, a dreidel (ha), hair clips, a T token, jingle bells...okay, I am loving it all...

Isn't it amazing how horrible it looks??
But then, when you spray paint it - - - voila!  It looks AWESOME!!
Plus, the texture of the foam cone looks really cool when it's spray painted too. 
My kids are having a blast playing "I-Spy" and looking for different treasures, and it looks pretty darling with the other Christmas items on the mantel ...


So go collect some junk!  You'll have a bit of Christmas decor completely unique and all you!

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34 comments:

  1. Crafty MischiefDecember 3, 2011 at 12:20 AM

    Oh my gosh-I love your junk tree! I found you through Delicate Construction. Thanks for sharing! My kids will love this!

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  2. Natasha Mairs - Serenity YouDecember 3, 2011 at 7:28 AM

    OMG!!! really lovin this!!!! PINNING!!!!!

    Would love it if you could share this on my link party serenity saturday over at www.serenityyou.blogspot.com

    Natasha xxx

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  3. Laura Everyday EditsDecember 3, 2011 at 8:36 AM

    This is hilarious and awesome. Yes, the gold spray paint makes it an entirely amazing conversation piece! I love this! laura

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  4. AnonymousDecember 3, 2011 at 11:52 PM

    What a unique idea! My girls would love it!

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  5. JanaDecember 4, 2011 at 1:11 AM

    I love this. So fun.

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  6. HoneySageDecember 4, 2011 at 11:36 AM

    My daughter saw this and squealed "Steampunk!" She is heading to the garage as I type. Thanks for sharing this cute project!

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  7. Lolly LinensDecember 4, 2011 at 11:51 AM

    I love this idea!
    Thank you for sharing.

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  8. Mike and ShaylaDecember 5, 2011 at 12:46 AM

    What a fun project! Thanks for sharing.

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  9. Jamie @ DIY Home Sweet HomeDecember 5, 2011 at 10:09 AM

    I love this!! What an amazing idea.

    Jamie
    http://diyhshp.blogspot.com/

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  10. Felecia CofieldDecember 5, 2011 at 12:06 PM

    I love the crafty tree! I can't even call it junk! That's what I call creative!

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  11. A To Zebra CelebrationsDecember 6, 2011 at 4:36 AM

    genius!!! how super fun! we are making this one :):)

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  12. CeliaDecember 6, 2011 at 6:04 PM

    super cute and crafty idea!

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  13. Sassy Sites!December 7, 2011 at 9:27 AM

    CUTE!!! I've never thought of doing this! I would love for you to link this up to our Christmas Crafts for Kids party today too! I LOVE it!

    XOXO!
    marni

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  14. skippysaysDecember 7, 2011 at 3:54 PM

    What a fun idea!
    www.saysskippy.blogspot.com

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  15. karahDecember 7, 2011 at 9:23 PM

    Cute idea! Great way to get rid of stuff you don't need and make a festive little holiday decor. Nice job!
    Karah @ thespacebetweenblog

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  16. marissa | Rae Gun RamblingsDecember 8, 2011 at 1:43 AM

    I love love love this! I'm so going to do this I'd love you to add it to what we wore and made party over at http://raegunwear.blogspot.com

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  17. abeachcottageDecember 8, 2011 at 10:24 AM

    Wow, that looks really cute! Very unique idea and love how it turned out :)

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  18. Renee @ Rustic CraftsDecember 9, 2011 at 6:15 PM

    This is a very cool tree! I would love to have you share this project at my Shabby Shares link party over at Rustic Crafts ~ http://rustic-crafts.com/?p=3603

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  19. KeiDecember 10, 2011 at 10:00 AM

    That is totally my kind of craft :D I love using up stuff from the junk drawer (last time, I made a necklace lol). Your junk tree is awesome! :)

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  20. Michelle JohnnieDecember 11, 2011 at 1:30 PM

    Such a Cool idea! My kids would love to do this. I am featuring it at somedaycrafts.blogspot.com. Grab my "featured" button.

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  21. Running with a Glue GunDecember 11, 2011 at 3:06 PM

    I love this idea!!! I can't wait to make my own :)

    http://runningwithagluegun.blogspot.com/

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  22. Maria-Isabel @ Agape Love DesignsDecember 11, 2011 at 4:25 PM

    Oh wow, what a fun idea! :) My kids would LOVE this! And we definitely have plenty of "junk" on hand from our junk drawer! haha what a great way to de-clutter and decorate at the same time! lol
    Thanks for the great idea.

    Going to pin this for sure! :)
    ~Maria-Isabel

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  23. LorieDecember 11, 2011 at 4:50 PM

    Love this!! Going to put it on my facebook page! :)

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  24. Iuliana@Hip2ThriftDecember 11, 2011 at 10:09 PM

    So cool! I featured this project here: http://procraftinationstation.blogspot.com/2011/12/i-spy-junk-tree.html

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  25. RachelDecember 12, 2011 at 5:57 PM

    What a cool idea! I love the entertainment factor, the thriftiness, and it just looks cool!
    Rachel

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  26. Karen @MSEnthusiastDecember 13, 2011 at 6:35 AM

    I love how this follows the "I SPY" theme. My students always loved the books and the show. A= for you.:0)

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  27. MichelleDecember 13, 2011 at 7:40 AM

    What a brilliant and unique idea! Spray painting it makes it look awesome. And what a conversation piece. So Clever!!! I think I need to go look in my junk drawers!!

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  28. UnknownDecember 13, 2011 at 8:46 AM

    Such a adorable idea! Love it!:)

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  29. UnknownDecember 27, 2013 at 3:26 PM

    Totally speechless! What a simple things around you can turn into a masterpiece! Superlike it and absolutely love it :)

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  30. UnknownSeptember 20, 2014 at 10:52 PM

    I make a little tree for my sisters tree collection every year. I was wondering where I was going to do for a tree this year as I have used up so many ideas. This is perfect and cheap too. Thanks for the idea..

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  31. Rochelle @ eSheep DesignsDecember 22, 2015 at 9:34 AM

    What a glam way to upcycle junk! It's truly inspired... and makes me think of what else I can do with the same idea in a non-Christmas theme! :-)

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  32. UnknownJuly 8, 2017 at 7:10 PM

    just curious what size tree did you use?

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  33. UnknownAugust 27, 2017 at 12:46 AM

    My husband and I made one of these for our 3 year-old grandson. A definite hit!

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