I loved artist Jennifer French's trademark sense of the dark and whimsical when I toured her Gothic Bungalow a couple of years ago, and I was no less impressed with her non-traditional holiday decorating when I visited her again recently. She created simple and charming ornament trees from twigs she found in her backyard and shared how she made them.

What You Need

Materials
Tree Branches
Empty Paint Can
Quick Drying Concrete or Plaster
Twine or Wire
Pipe Cleaners
Fake Leaves or Other Decorative Elements
Spray Paint

Tools
Glue Gun

Instructions

1. Fill an old empty paint can halfway with quick drying concrete (or plaster), sink a large 'trunk' branch into the middle of it.

2. When the cement or plaster is dry, attach branches with twine or wire. Then, add small pipe cleaner 'branches' to hold ornaments.

3. Add fake leaves with a glue gun (Mine are from a deconstructed plastic garland from Michael's). In addition to leaves, try using fake birds, berries, or other decorative elements.

4. Spray paint over everything

5. I wrapped the base like a tree skirt, but you could also set the whole thing into a large pot to hide the paint can

Jennifer's handmade ornaments and artwork are on sale in her Etsy Shop

Images: Sarah Rainwater