Jenga Block Christmas Tree

Jenga!!! I used to love playing that game (although I never faired well playing it, as I was the girl who always knocked down the tower AND, as a result, had to be the one to set it back up)! On a recent trip to my local thrift store, I came across a bag of Jenga blocks for $.50 and had to have them. For what? I wasn't sure, but knew I would one day put them to good use! That day is now, my friends! After some time spent arranging and re-arranging, I transformed the blocks into a Christmas tree that I then painted and made into a wall hanging. Love it!!! Here's how you can make one of your own...

Materials:

-Jenga blocks (I used 53 of them!)

-glue gun/sticks

-sandpaper

-acrylic paint (I used a dark green, brown, light green, white, and burgundy, but the options are truly limitless!)

-sponge paintbrush

-circular, sponge brush

-sealant

-ribbon

Directions:

1. Using a glue gun, adhere Jenga blocks using the model below (each horizontal row gains two more blocks than the one above it).

2. Once the glue has dried, sand the surface of the tree to make the paint adhere more successfully

3. Paint the surface of the tree with two coats of dark green, acrylic paint and the "trunk" in brown

4. Once the paint has dried, use the circular, sponge brush to create dots all over the tree with white, acrylic paint.

5. Repeat the process of making dots using the light green, acrylic paint

6. And again with the burgundy paint

7. Finally, add dots of the original green color to the tree to cover up any spots that may have smudged.

8. Spray the tree with a sealant and let dry.

9. Fold a 5 inch piece of ribbon in half and adhere loose ends to the top of the tree, leaving a loop to hang up

Voila!!! Its yours to display proudly!