MFT Creative Challenge

Hi everyone,

The MFT Design Team Creative Challenge is a monthly feature, where we are challenged to explore our creative side using a specific theme, product, or technique. This month, we were challenged to Holiday Home Decor using our MFT Stamps and Die-namics.  Be sure to check out the MFT Blog for a list of all participating designers who have a project to share with you today. 






I have been wanting to make and decorate one of these magazine/book trees for a few months now, so when this challenge came up it was the perfect time to do it.

This Christmas tree is created using an old catalogue or magazine. You can also make them out of books, but I am wary of ruining old books as I  had a friend who showed me an altered book she started some years back and I screamed when I saw it cause the book she used was one I had been searching for years for and still searching for now. The only way to get it is to pay hundreds of dollars which I am not willing to do. If you do want to use a book I suggest either a mills & boon or even buy something new.

To create the tree you need to take your magazine/catalog/book and first of all break the spine of the book. This was something I didn’t do when I made mine and it is much easier of you do that first.




Next take the top right hand corner of the first page of your magazine/catalog/book and bring it down to the spine. Crease with a bone folder. (Sorry for the shine on the pages, this one is a glossy magazine and all I had at hand so I could show you how to do it)



Now bring that folded edge that we created in the step above and again fold it over to the spine. Use a bone folder for best results. You will have a piece hanging down from the bottom of your book.



Now fold that piece that was hanging down to the front of the piece you just folded. All you have to do now is to repeat these three steps until you have folded the whole book. Then when you stand it up you can shape it into a tree.



For my tree I decided to spray it with gold paint (my DH sprayed it, I don’t think he trusted me with a spray can LOL). He sprayed two coats and once that was dry I then sprayed it with adhesive and added glitter over the whole tree. I have seen these just left plain too and they also look beautiful.
Once it was dry it was time to decorate my tree. I used the holly and berries from the Die-namics Jumbo Christmas Stocking around the bottom of the tree (this was my DH’s idea)

Around the centre of the tree I added the flowers using the Die-namics Poinsettia die. I also added distress stickle to each of the flowers. I added 7 flowers to my tree.



On the top of my tree I used the Die-namics Jumbo Snowflake to create my star. I die cut the snowflake 6 times, I attached two together so it was double side and then with the remaining snowflakes I cut sections off so the snowflake because smaller and layered them onto the base snowflake. Finally I added a Paver Red Button and to each side of the snowflake.

The Poinsettia and Holly use Paver Red & Jelly Bean Green card. Here are the Die-namics I used to create my Christmas Tree.

Be sure to check out the MFT Stamps Blog for a list of all participating designers who have put their MFT stamps and/or Die-namics dies to work to create something to share with you today.

Paper: Paver Red; Jelly Bean Green – MFT Stamps;  White Glitter Card

Die-namics: Poinsettia; Jumbo Christmas Stocking; Jumbo Snowflake

Other: Gold Paint; Distress Stickles; Paver Red Button; Hemp Cord