Simple Christmas Craft Trees You can Make with Navy Beans

Beans!  These simple Christmas craft trees are made with plain old dried navy beans.  Initially, I wanted lima beans, but I could not find them anywhere in our small town so I settled on the navy beans.

Good thing I did, because by the time I started gluing my navy beans to the cones I realized the lima beans would have taken much longer.

I like things pretty, but quick and easy always makes a project better.

This project is quick, and it is easy, just a few steps and a couple of tips and tricks so yours come out even better than mine did.  These easy Christmas craft trees take less than a total hour to put together and paint.

(I made a few mistakes, I will tell you all about them so you don’t!)

 

Mini Christmas trees – perfect for a holiday centerpiece

You can customize these simple craft trees with any colour you want.  I used spray paint, but any kind of paint would work.

I love how the metallic spray paint made the mini trees shimmer and sparkle.  The paint made the navy beans look like small iridescent pearls.

I added a few sticky gems to add a bit of sparkle and shine and mimic tiny lights, but you can add anything you want.

Mini garlands, or tiny flowers, little balls, anything would work with these trees.  Or even glitter – I skipped the glitter this time since my office floor is still dazzling with spilled glitter from the last project.

Oh, and the floor is now sprinkled with beans too.  I should really give that office a clean (ha, maybe tomorrow).

If you’re curious you can check out the glitter bomb post : DIY Christmas Ornaments you Can Make Faster than a Melting Snowflake

 

Supplies and Tools Required

~This post may contain affiliate links.  If you click one and make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no additional cost to you. 

I only ever recommend what tools or materials I use for my projects.  I also test all my projects before publishing and if something doesn’t work, I don’t share it!  ~

The one thing you need a lot of is glue gun sticks.  I went through a dozen and a half covering my three cone forms, so make sure you have enough.

In the supplies photo below I took a photo of the cream metallic paint, but when I used it, I didn’t quite like it.  I opted for the pink and glad I did.  The pink metallic paint added a bit of glam!

 

Supplies

• FloraCraft Styrofoam Cone 11.8 Inch
• FloraCraft Styrofoam Cone 8.8 Inch
• FloraCraft Styrofoam 5.8 Inch
• 2 pounds of dried navy beans
• Rust-Oleum Pearl Metallic Champagne Pink
• Press on rhinestones ( I found mine at Michaels) 

Tools

• Glue gun
• Glue sticks (lots and lots, I used 18 full glue sticks for the entire project) 
• A flat pan, long enough to fit your 10-inch cone form.
• A cardboard box or spray paint tent 
• Gloves 
• Tweasers

Warning about glue guns and hot melted glue

Glue guns create very hot glue.  As a crafter, I am sure I have burned my fingertips enough that I no longer have fingertips.   Don’t be me, use a glove and save your fingertips.

 

Step 1

Pour your navy beans in a flat pan ( I used a lasagna pan) that is big enough for your largest cone to lay lengthwise.

Step 2

Work in small sections, filling 2×2 inch sections with glue from your hot glue gun.  Don’t do larger sections as I did below.  The glue hardens quickly and if larger sections are used, the glue gets too hard to allow the beans to stick.

No need to get very picky about it, if sections are missed we can go back at the end to fill.

Step 3

Press your cone form with the glue into your beans, making sure to press down firmly.

Step 4

Continue to fill sections and press beans into your form until your entire cone is covered.

Step 5

Once your cone is filled go back and add glue to areas where there are gaps.  We do not want a flat surface of beans, we want it to be roughed and textured, so having navy beans sticking out here and there is perfectly fine.

Step 6

Once the gaps are filled, we go back and add more glue to create more bumps and texture.   Once you add your blobs of glue, drop or press your beans into the glue and continue this way until you are happy with the shape of your tree.

Step 7

After the beans have been glued all over your cones you will have areas that still show glue.  This is also perfectly fine.  Since we are painting our trees, those spots will be covered and hidden with paint.

Step 8

Brush off any beans that get in the way of the bottom of the tree.  They should just brush off, but if not gently pry them away from the base.   We want our trees to sit level and any beans below the base will make them wobble.

Step 9

Now is the time to do some cleanup work that will help greatly when you start painting.   There will be strands of dried glue all over your trees.  Use a pair of tweezers and just pick them off.  You don’t have to pick them all off, but cleaning it up does make a difference when you go to paint.

The strands are hard to see before you paint, but once the paint is added they stick out like a sore thumb. Pulling them off after the fact may damage your paint job and you may need to add an extra coat.

This is also an opportunity to brush off any loose beans.  Use your hands and rub them over your simple Christmas craft trees to coax any loose beans off your trees.

Step 10

I used a small cardboard box to spray paint my trees.   I took the box outside because the fumes were a bit much indoors (or so said my husband).

Two quick coats of spray paint and they were ready to go.

Simple Christmas Craft Trees – Ideas to Customize

I finished my trees up with tiny press on rhinestones, but you could really decorate them however you want.  Paint them, or style them to match your holiday theme.

Or you could spray them jelly bean colours because they do look like jelly beans when painted.   They would make very cute fake candy trees!

You could also use these simple Christmas craft trees as a cute centerpiece for your holiday table, or try the same method out on a wreath form, or the bottom of a holiday candle or two.

Check out these simple and quick holiday projects

• Easy Christmas Decorations to Make for your Rustic Holiday Tree.
• A Cozy Crochet Wreath to make for Fall, or Winter, or Whenever!
• A Rustic Wreath You Can Make in Under 30 minutes!
• Christmas Tree Storage Tips

 

Simple Christmas Craft Trees You can Make with Navy Beans

Yield: 3

Active Time: 1 hour

Additional Time: 8 hours

Total Time: 9 hours

Difficulty: Easy

Mini cone Christmas trees to make for a holiday centerpiece. Metallic paint creates sparkle and shine!

Print

Materials

• FloraCraft Styrofoam Cone 11.8 Inch
• FloraCraft Styrofoam Cone 8.8 Inch
• FloraCraft Styrofoam 5.8 Inch
• 2 pounds of dried navy beans
• Rust-Oleum Pearl Metallic Champagne Pink
• Press on rhinestones ( I found mine at Michaels)

Tools

• Glue gun
• Glue sticks (lots and lots, I used 18 full glue sticks for the entire project) 
• A flat pan, long enough to fit your 10-inch cone form.
• A cardboard box or spray paint tent 
• Gloves 
• Tweasers

Instructions

1. Pour your navy beans in a flat pan that is big enough for your largest cone to lay lengthwise.
2. Work in small sections, filling 2x2 inch sections with glue from your hot glue gun.
3. Press your cone form with the glue into your beans, making sure to press down firmly.
4. Continue to fill sections and press beans into your form until your entire cone is covered.
5. Once your cone is filled go back and add glue to areas where there are gaps.
6. Once the gaps are filled, we go back and add more glue to create more bumps and texture.  Once you add your blobs of glue, drop or press your beans into the glue and continue this way until you are happy with the shape of your tree.
7. After the beans have been glued all over your cones you will have areas that still show glue. This is also perfectly fine. Since we are painting our trees, those spots will be covered and hidden with paint.
8. Brush off any beans that get in the way of the bottom of the tree. They should just brush off, but if not gently pry them away from the base.  We want our trees to sit level and any beans below the base will make them wobble.
9. Remove any dried glue strings, and rub off any loose beans.
10. Two coats of spray paint (or any paint you want to use) - let dry.
11. Add any baubles you wish, like the press on rhinestone I used for my mini trees.

Notes

Always wear gloves when using a hot glue gun to prevent burns.