How to Make a Bottle Cap Christmas Tree

There are very few recycling centers that will accept plastic bottle caps so after you recycle the bottle, you are stuck with the bottle cap. This bottle cap Christmas tree helps to recycle those caps into something decorative.

Difficulty:

Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Hot glue gun
• 8 plastic bottle caps
• Heavy duty hole punch
• Ribbon
• Christmas cards or scrap book paper
• Glitter
• White glue

1. Plug in the hot glue gun. While it is heating up, gather the rest of your supplies. Protect your workspace with newspapers or wax paper.

2. Punch two holes close together in the side of one of the bottle caps. Use a heavy duty punch to get through the plastic. This cap is the top of the tree.

3. 

   Squeeze hot glue on the plastic bottle cap on the opposite side of the holes. Press the second layer of caps into the hot glue and hold together until the glue cools off.

4. 

   Glue the center bottle cap for the third row directly below the second row. Glue the outside bottle caps making sure to attach them to the center cap and also to the caps in the second row.

5. 

   Glue the fourth and last row of plastic bottle caps centering them between the caps of the third row. Now the bottle cap Christmas tree is glued together and needs to be decorated.

6. Thread a length of ribbon through the holes. This is the hanger for the ornament.

7. Punch out 16 circles for the tree. A one inch circle paper punch is the perfect size for the bottle caps. You recycle old Christmas cards or use scrap book paper for the circles.

8. Spread glue over the bottle caps with a glue stick and attach the circles.

9. 

   Flip the tree over to cover the back of the bottle caps. There is a little ledge on most bottle caps and the punched out circles will fit on that ledge. Squeeze some white school glue over the lip of the ledge and carefully drop the circles on it.

10. Squeeze some glue around the edge of the circles and embellish with some glitter. Tie a loop with the ribbon and hang on the Christmas tree.

Tips & Warnings

• Be careful with the hot glue