This is the second of a five part series on Crafting Trees and Plants for RPGs. To start at the beginning, click here.
One cheap way to make miniature trees for RPGs is to craft them out of Christmas garland. For this project, I used an old worn out garland I had laying around the house but I’ve also purchased some for a dollar or two at the thrift store. Using bits of an old garland or wreath, you can quickly craft pine trees for your tabletop at whatever size you want.
Christmas Garland Trees
Materials
- Christmas garland
- Jar lids or other circular bases
- Hot glue
Directions
1. Cut a large pile of tips from the garland. These will be the branches for your tree.
2. Trim each tip so that it tapers at the end. Remove some of the plastic at the other end so that the end has somewhat bare wire. You will be twisting this wire around other branches to form your tree.
3. Choose one branch to be your center tip and wrap three other branches around it to make the top of your tree. Twist the wire tightly.
4. Add more branches to form another layer or two on your tree. Use hot glue if needed to hold branches together.
5.Glue branches to your base, leaving a small space in the center. Glue the main section of the tree to that gap in the middle of the base.
6. Use scissors and wire cutters to give the tree a bit of a hair cut if needed. Bend branches at the end for a more natural look.
You now have miniature pine trees you can use in your RPGs. The next story will show you how to have some variety in the environment by adding deciduous plants.
If you have any questions, ask them in the comment field below.
