How to Make a Christmas Tree Out of Styrofoam Balls and Toothpicks

It's quick and simple to make a basic tree with white or green balls of polystyrene foam, aka Styrofoam.

Painting the trees or covering them with fake snow and other decorations can also be an easy way to customize them—especially if you don't like the look of plain green or white Styrofoam.

While you may be able to make a sturdy DIY Christmas tree with nothing but foam balls and toothpicks, using a cone as the core of your tree is the best bet for building a tree that lasts. Styrofoam cones come in a variety of heights, so you can use them to make anything from 6-in. tall centerpieces to 2-foot tall Christmas tree crafts.

This step is optional—but if you want to paint the foam a different color, it's best to do that before assembling the tree. You won't be able to get into all the nooks and crannies with a paintbrush once the tree is together, and using spray paint is never a good idea for Styrofoam. (It'll cause the surface of the foam to dissolve.)

The best way to paint Styrofoam is with acrylic paint. Stick a dowel into each ball so you can paint the entire surface without touching it. Stand each dowel in a glass to allow the painted foam to dry. Think about whether you want to paint one ball gold or cover it with sequins to use as a tree topper.

Make sure to paint the foam cone too.

With the cone shape sitting on a tabletop, arrange a ring of foam balls around it. This will help you gauge how many balls you can fit into the bottommost layer of the tree and whether you need to leave a little room between each pair so the spacing is even.

Press a toothpick into one of the cones so half the toothpick sticks out. Set the ball on the table next to the cone and push it into the foam. If necessary, make a "pilot hole" in the cone so the exposed half of the toothpick slides into the cone (as opposed to the entire toothpick getting pushed into the ball).

Optionally for extra security, put a drop of glue next to the toothpick before attaching the ball to the cone.

Add a second ball to the tree. This time, stick two toothpicks in the ball: one that will slide into the cone, and one that will slide into the ball that's already on the tree. If you're using glue, add a drop to each place where the ball will touch another piece of foam. Continue until the entire first layer is complete.

Lay out a second layer of balls on top of the first to check for spacing, then repeat the process. This time, each ball should be connected to the cone, the balls on either side of it and and the ball below it.

Continue until the entire foam cone is covered.

Once your basic foam tree is complete, you can either incorporate it into your home decor as-is, or add more decorative elements. These are a few ways to amp up a foam tree.

• Add another layer of smaller foam balls! Use more toothpicks to attach them to any place where a gap reveals the foam cone beneath. They'll add more fullness to the tree.
• Spritz the tree with a spray adhesive that's safe for use on foam materials. Sprinkle artificial snow powder all over the foam. (Mix the snow powder with Epsom salts and/or silver glitter for even more snow-like sparkle.)
• Create miniature ornaments like tiny paper snowflakes to hang from the tree.
• Drape narrow foil garland and miniature strands of faux Christmas lights around the tree.

And that's it! Making Styrofoam Christmas trees is one of those holiday craft projects that's fun to customize and nearly impossible to mess up beyond repair. Even if your finished tree doesn't look perfect, you can always dust it with another layer of fake snow!