I love a good Christmas tree skirt. I really do. But I also like to try new things. Lately I have been loving the look of a Christmas tree in some kind of awesome “found” container. I’ve seen metal buckets, cool baskets and other fantastic containers at the base of beautiful Christmas trees. I have had absolutely zero amounts of luck finding one for my tree, however, so I had to go the DIY route… which is always a good time, of course! 
The nice thing about DIYing is that you can completely customize it for what you need. You don’t have to “make something work”… you make something that works! Holy cow I’m poignant as all heck right now! 🙂 But really, it’s true. I decided I wanted a cool crate looking box at the base of my tree and so I made one to the exact size that I needed. Simple as that. And I LOOOOOVE how it turned out! I’m not sure when I’ll go back to a normal Christmas tree skirt now. I did not want to have to store a big box/container, however, so I designed it to be disassembled easily and stored relatively flat. Just a few screws and it comes apart easily!
If you want to make one yourself, here is what you’ll need:
- pine boards cut to size you need. I used 1x12s cut to about 20 inches in length each. This fit perfectly around my tree stand supports. I also mitered the edges (kind of because I just wanted to try doing that on my saw) but if I were going to build another one I wouldn’t bother. It’s so cute with just straight edge corners!
- L-brackets
- flat black spray paint (paint + primer in one is best)
- white paint (I used spray paint but regular craft paint would work great too)
- drill (with small bit and screw driver attachments)
STEP ONE: Spray paint L-brackets black. I used an old shoe box and screwed the screws into it a little so they would stand up straight to be painted.
STEP TWO: Paint boards. Allow to dry completely.
STEP THREE: Put corners of boards together and mark where your L-brackets will go and mark the holes with a pencil. Drill pilot holes.
STEP FOUR: Screw the L-brackets in to place. (Side note: I built mine AFTER my tree was already up… I know! What?? So I drilled the pilot holes but did not attach one of the sides until after I had it down around the base of my tree.)
And you’re done! Super easy project that gives a super stylish look to the base of your Christmas tree! And, like I said, it is a snap to take apart and store until next year.
Do you have your tree sitting in something unusual? I’d love to hear what you use!
Happy Christmas crafting!
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