No Mess

With the holidays right around the corner, you are probably starting to think about how you are going to decorate for this holiday season. We wanted to provide an easy project you can do to create a tree decoration, minus the mess of an actual tree. This project can probably be done with things you already own, but if not, the pieces are inexpensive and easy to purchase.
What you’ll need:
• Tomato Cage (we used a 33” one)
• A decorative pot
• Lights (we used 3 – 100 strand lights)
• Green plastic coated wire ties

A tomato cage naturally has a tree-like form when it is turned over. Find a pot that is wide enough so the top of the tomato cage can fit. If you take an existing pot that you may have used for summer flowers, you could keep the soil in the pot and rest the tomato cage on top of the soil. For this project we just left the pot empty.
1) The first step is to use the green twist ties to secure the top of the tree.
2) Now it’s time to string the lights. The best way to do this is to start at the bottom and then put one vertical strand in the spacesbetween the metal supports (see the picture to the right). In a larger tomato cage, you might want to do two strands for each gap. This is a vital step as it keeps the tree form as you wrap the lights around the cage.
3) Next, start to wrap the lights, attaching them to the metal supports periodically with the green ties. At this point it’s a personal preference on how far to space the lights as you wrap. We spaced the wires about an inch apart. You can also add garlands and ornaments to dress it up even more.

Completed Light Tree

We have this tree in our office and really enjoy the simple and elegant decoration it gives, and especially enjoy not having to clean up the needles of a real tree!