5 ways to make an elegant Christmas tree toy from a plastic bottle

If you have small children, then you are familiar with the uncompromising task of urgently bringing a craft on a certain topic to kindergarten. A seasonal option is Christmas tree decorations made from anything. As a rule, towards evening the whole family begins to look around the apartment in search of objects on which they can direct their creative energy without unnecessary nerves. Leave bright shreds and grandma's Czech jewelry alone - we'll tell you how to make Christmas tree decorations from plastic bottles.

Choosing a base

To prevent the creative process from getting out of control (you probably know parents who bring one and a half meter snowmen made of plastic cups to a craft exhibition), immediately decide on the scale. If the toy is not intended for a huge city Christmas tree, then it should be compact - no more than 15 cm.

Fortunately, plastic bottles come in different sizes:

• "One and a half" is the largest object that can be used for our purposes.
• Bottles with a volume of 0.5 or 0.33 l are the best choice.
• A very elegant option is bottles from “Actimel”, “Imunele” and similar drinking yoghurts, their volume is about 100 ml.

Crafts made from those parts of the bottle that hold their shape well will look neater. This is the bottom and the part with the neck.

Bottles are transparent and opaque, white and colored.It is worth noting that crafts made of white plastic look more presentable, especially taking into account the winter and New Year themes. But other types in skillful hands can become a good basis for creativity.

So, if you are already holding an empty bottle in your hands, it’s time to finally choose which Christmas tree decoration it would be best to turn it into. We have collected 5 top options.

Bells

When looking at a plastic bottle, this option suggests itself. All you need to do is cut off the top part and thus get a bell-shaped piece.

It is better to leave the lid in place, drilling a hole in it for the rope (this can be done with a drill or a hot awl). Fold the rope, thread or narrow ribbon in half, thread the free ends into the hole and tie with a knot on the inside of the lid.

If you want to make a bell with a “tongue,” attach it in the same way, only in reverse: thread a rope with some decoration (a ball, a large bead, a cone) into the hole in the lid, securing it with a knot on the top side.

And now the fun part - decorating the plastic bell. There are a lot of options here:

• Nail polish. Even one that has already thickened a little will do - just leave the craft to dry until the morning. It is useless to paint plastic with gouache or even acrylic: water-based paints do not stick to it.



• Foil or gold leaf. You can cover a bell with thin sheets of aluminum - it will look almost like a real one.



• Aerosol paint. You can paint the craft gold or silver. Or choose another one according to your taste and mood. Spray paints adhere perfectly to plastic products without leaving streaks.
• Corrugated paper. Thanks to its structure, it perfectly takes the shape of a bell - you can carefully wrap the workpiece with it.



• Colored yarn. You need to wrap it tightly around the “bell”. To ensure that the threads hold well, use glue (hot, which is applied with a special glue gun, or “Moment Crystal”) or stick vertically narrow strips of double-sided tape.
• Tinsel, lace, ribbons. They are usually used to decorate the edge of the bell.

It is also better to cover the lid to which the loop is attached with some kind of decor. And that’s it – the New Year’s toy is ready!

Balloons

For Christmas tree decorations that resemble balls, you will need the middle part of the bottle. It is cut into rings of the same width - you will need 8 pieces. Then they are inserted one into the other, positioned like meridians on a globe. Glue with “Moment” or fasten with a stapler.

The easiest way to decorate such a craft is with ribbons - they are selected according to the width of the rings and glued. You can also use rhinestones and beads. You can cover the ball with artificial snow (read about how to make it Here).

To attach the loop, you don't need to make any holes - just tie a string or ribbon at the "north pole". In the same way, you can hang some figure inside the ball (in this case, it is better to leave the “slices” transparent so that the “filling” is visible).

Snowflakes

The bases for snowflakes are the bottoms of plastic bottles. They are cut off, placed with the convex side up and snowflakes are drawn on it.

What is the best way to draw snowflakes on plastic? There are several convenient options:

• white and silver nail polish;
• correction fluid used to cover up errors on paper;
• alkyd enamel, which is used to paint windows, doors, facades.

A more labor-intensive option is to draw a snowflake with glue and, before it hardens, sprinkle it with something similar to snow: semolina, glitter, crushed foam.

Flowers

Crafts in the form of flowers, as a rule, are also made from the bottoms, but to create petals, they also take the adjacent part of the bottle. Having cut out some semblance of a flower, it is held near a burning candle so that the petals melt a little from the heat and curl inward.

Similar blanks of different sizes can be placed one inside the other to make the flower more magnificent.

The core can be made from cork, from beads - or from anything. The edges of the petals are decorated with beads. A hole for the rope is made in the petal using a hot awl.

Cones

Recently, transparent New Year's balls have become popular - all the decor is inside, and it looks quite impressive. Why not make a toy using the same principle?

A simple option is a “flask” from a small bottle:

1. The top of the bottle is cut off, and if necessary, the height of the remaining part is shortened.
2. Some filler is placed at the bottom - cotton wool, polystyrene foam, decorative crystals. A figurine is placed or glued on top - for example, a snowman.
3. The upper part is put in place and secured to the lower part with tape. The cut site is covered with ribbon and tinsel.
4. A hole is made in the lid and a loop is secured.
5. Next, decorate the toy to your liking - with tinsel, beads, varnish. The main thing is that the walls of the “flask” remain transparent.

So, plastic bottles can make quite cute and elegant Christmas tree decorations. Turn on New Year's music, get to work with the whole family - and no one will have a better craft than yours.