Trees have so many meanings in our lives…
…Christmas trees are magical with their twinkling lights and ornaments we add each year.
…Fall trees herald the change of the seasons, with beautiful colors and the rustle of leaves beneath our feet.
…Palm trees remind us of warm breezes, sand between our toes, and a cool dip in the water.
…Flowering trees tell us that the icy winter has gone, and summer is on its way.
Trees can also be beautiful components of our scrapbook pages, cards, or journals. At a recent Zoom crop, our Scrappin’ Circle tried making several kinds of trees. Today, I’ll share ideas, resources, and links so you can join in our tree-rific crafting!
Looking for the Perfect Pine

Bev DeBono Christmas Tree: Bev DeBono always has great ideas for creating simple but beautiful pages and embellishments (check out her Facebook page). She crafted a beautiful, tiered pine tree (left) from strips of paper decoratively punched on one edge. And the big bonus…you can make ANOTHER tree from the part you trim away. Watch the video and then see my synopsis below.
Video link: https://www.facebook.com/bevdebonodesigns/videos/327385956059331
- Materials: Background paper (2 sheets), two or three coordinating one-sided papers (or two-sided) to make the tree, smaller pieces of paper for trunk and star (optional), the Cloud Border maker cartridge or other edge punch, 12” paper trimmer or ruler and scissors, and adhesive – preferably repositionable.
- Punch a 12” long strip with the cloud border maker cartridge then trim the paper to 2” wide (e.g., a 12” x 2” strip with one long side punched with the cloud punch). Repeat this so you have FIVE punched strips of two coordinating colors of paper (3 of one color, 2 of the second color. The one with 3 strips will be at the top of and bottom of your tree). Cut all five strips in half at 6”so you have TEN 2” x 6” pieces. You will only use nine of the ten pieces.
- Line up the first piece on the bottom of your cutting mat. Line the next one up on the 3” mark as shown in the video. Use repo tape on bottom of cut edge. Repeat (line up next pieces at 4”, 5”, etc.)
- When you have 9 layers, make a mark at top of the stack of paper in middle (3” mark)
- Cut tree with your trimmer on the diagonal from the 3” mark to each bottom corner to create a triangle tree. Decorate with trunk, star, decorations, etc.
- The remaining tree pieces can be used for a double page spread! They can be half-trees adhered to the edges of the second sheet of paper OR you can fuse them together to form an entire second tree.
- Check out the trees we made at our Zoom crop! Thanks to T. Perper, M. Yearsley, and M. Matyas for sharing their creations!
Folded Circles Pine Trees
These are great little trees that take only minutes to make AND you can make them any size you like! Make some small ones and some big ones to create a corner “forest” on your page! Take a look at the video:
The great part is that you don’t have to have any special equipment to make them. You can use a circle cutter such as the Creative Memories Custom Cutting System (CM-CCS) or the new Circle cutter. If you still have a compass in your drawer, you can draw circles of varied sizes and cut them out. Or you can grab a few jars, cans, and bottles to trace and cut. Add a trunk, a star, and some gems for an indoor tree or some snow for an outdoor tree.
If you are using the CM-CCS, see tips in the picture below. Also note, use the corner of a page to line up the half circles so they are at right angles (90 degrees) to each other for a uniform look.

Check out the beautiful window frame layout made by L. Hubbard which incorporates the Bev DeBono tree, the circle tree, AND CM tree punches. Lovely!

To make a circle tree using the new CM Circle Cutter, see this video:
Palm Trees

Meggan Jacks always has great ideas for layouts and embellishments, including the lovely palm tree at left. (Be sure to check out her YouTube videos and her Facebook page). She used the CM Gum Leaf Punch (on sale now for $15!). Watch the video below to learn how to make this great tree!
Other punches that would make nice palm tree leaves include the flame from the Campfire Punch (on sale now for $15!) and the stems and leaves from the Five Leaf Punch. And, of course, the wonderful pack of tropical leaves in the Vitamin Sea Embossed Embellishments ($10) will make great palm trees and tropical plants! What leaf punches and stickers do you have? If they will hang upside down nicely from the top of a tall, narrow trunk…you have a palm tree. Hint: Punch a few small brown circles for coconuts at the top of the tree and on the ground.
The Love Tree

This is a whimsical tree perfect for wedding or engagement pictures, Valentine’s day, Easter Egg tree, Autumn Leaves Tree, Mother’s Day, May Day, or any other time you want a lovely floral setting. Is there ONE way to make it? NO! As you watch the video, you will see the artist cut and place narrow slips of paper to build the branches the way s/he wants them. Take a look at a very creative bit of artistry!


I made a drawing of the trunk using my CM Jumbo Circle as a guide (see above). You can do the same with any large circle (e.g., a dinner plate) or create a trunk that you like. For branches, you can cut snippets as the artist in the video did. I also punched a few branches using the CM Branch Border Punch (see left).
How to decorate the tree? Your choice! The artist cut little hearts from folded paper, giving the hearts a 3D effect on the tree. I chose two colors of paper and cut out lots of single-cut flowers on my Cricut. I also used fabric flowers from Michaels. And, of course, you can add beautiful Easter eggs or autumn leaves.
Here is another artist’s rendition of a flowering tree…lovely!
Share Your Ideas!
Hope you enjoyed our “tree-rific” trees. Know another good way to make trees? Please share it in the comments below! Thanks to all the artists online, on YouTube, and at my Zoom crops for sharing your creations! Please follow my Facebook page so you know when the next Zoom crop will be. They are always free and always fun! And, of course, if you need Creative Memories supplies, please support the Scrappin’ Circle by ordering through my page. Thanks!
Happy Scrappin’!
Marsha Matyas