Snow effect for indoor Chrsitmas tree. A How-to.

[putrid]

Updated July 23. Please read post no. 12 in this thread before starting this project. Updates. Thanks folks.

I would like to start this how-to with a caution. This is a new project. As of now there is no way I can tell you if this will last year after year. I've never tried Mod Podge on plastic before. I also have no idea what these trees will look like decorated. However I will suggest that you only use mini or LED lights on a finished tree. With that in mind here we go...LOL

http://www.christmasfanclub.com/picture.php?albumid=9&pictureid=83

Please read threw all instructions before starting this project.
Needed things.

Mod Podge. I used Gloss-Luster
Gesso
A wide shallow container.
Teaspoon. a shop spoon or something that can be thrown away after use.
Paper towels.
Latex gloves.
An Artificial Christmas tree.
A large area to work in. This project is very messy. The needles will splatter the mix everywhere. It may not come out of your clothing and will not come off your glasses.

A note. The tree I've treated has long soft needles and few branches. The application of the mixture would be the same on smaller needle trees.

Set your tree, tree top or branches up in a way that will be comfortable to work around.

With the spoon scoop out 6 heaping spoonfuls of Mod Podge into your wide shallow container.( I used a one gallon ice cream container lid. worked great) Then four heaping spoons of Gesso. Mix completely.

Wearing the latex gloves wad a paper towel so you end up with a smooth work surface of about 2 inches square. Dip this into your mix. Just enough to get some on. You'll soon know how much you need for the effect you want.
Take a look at the branch below. Notice the end is whiter than the rest. Hard to tell by the picture but the under side of the branch isn't treated at all. This helps in letting more of the evergreen color show threw.

http://www.christmasfanclub.com/picture.php?albumid=9&pictureid=82

Start out at the end of the branch first. Dabbing the mixture on. It helps to dab with one hand and hold under the dabbing with the other. For the rest of the branch rub the remaining mix on. If you need more just dab a little bit on the paper towel. Not to much. You'll get the hang of it as you go. Try to blend the end in better than the branch you see above. One or two branches left that way is OK. The entire tree done that way might look hoky. Don't sweat out every detail. A few splotches here and there wont harm the over all look of the tree.

When working on the tree top I found it easier to work from the top down. This is also what I did on the small tree. pictured below.

Doing an entire tree will take some time. Keep your branches from touching each other till they're dry. They will stick together.

[putrid]

Here is a before and after shot of a 3 ft Wal-mart Christmas tree.

http://www.christmasfanclub.com/picture.php?albumid=8&pictureid=80

http://www.christmasfanclub.com/picture.php?albumid=8&pictureid=81

An effect of the camera and reflected light. Yes these are two shots of the same tree. Even though the finished tree appears darker in color.

Some things you can add to this to personalize your tree and get the effect you want.

Sprinkle irridescent glitter on as you go. I've tried white glitter but it gets lost on the tree and didn't add anything to the over all look.

For a more snowy look coat the entire topside of the branch heavily.

For a lighter look rub each branch with less mixture.

I don't recommend this at all for a pre lit tree.

If you have any questions post and I'll be more than happy to make something up. JK LOL Be cool to hear what you think or to help you in any way I can.

[putrid]

A shot of the 7 ft (6 1/2) skinny tree and the small tree together. Mgiht keep em up in the living room. Feels cooler in there already. LOL

http://www.christmasfanclub.com/picture.php?albumid=9&pictureid=84

The back side of the tall tree has no branches on it.

[putrid]

Revisions for the larger tree and more information you need.

First with more information.
The ratio between the Mod Podge and Gesso I used is 3 to 2. Three parts Mod and two parts Gesso. So no matter what you use to measure with you'll get the same results as I did.

Second is the revision for the larger tree. After looking at it I decided to add more mix to each branch. Now the fuller white goes up each branch 6 to 8 inches instead of just on the ends. Best to start out with less then add more if needed. You can always add. Not always possible to reduce. In the picture above more white shows because of the flash. In reality the tree didn't look that white. It looked better in the picture than it did in my living room. LOL Once the larger tree has dried I'll post a revised picture.

Ideas.

Make a snowy wreath or candle wring.

Add a fresh snow look to multi branched evergreen garlands.

[putrid]

I took this shot from a distance with a flash. There was a lamp lit to the tree's right. You can see some of the color of it's shade on the ends of a few branches. Man I LOVE this camera.

http://www.christmasfanclub.com/picture.php?albumid=9&pictureid=88

Taking the shot from a distance give a really accurate picture of what the branches look like. Because of the heavier coating it looks like I'm going to use all the Mod Podge and almost all the Gesso on these two trees.

The entire tree looks better. Here's hoping this will last year after year. Even if I have to hose it down once a year to keep the 'snow' white. LOL

[putrid]

An important note and observation. Because this is a first time experiment.

The tree by itself looks good. However because there is no 'substance' to the snow effect it doesn't show up that well when lit by multi color minis. The tree does look better with white lights. This experiment needs further reviving to get the look I'm after.

I need something that will clump and cling to the branches permanently for a more 3D effect.

[putrid]

Guess this is turning into an experiment instead of a how-to. Tried the white glitter. Used a brush to thickly coat a few of the branches with Mod Podge then covered that with the glitter. Not a real snow look but adds something good to it. Still only looks good with the white lights. I'm thinking it has more to do with the amount of light given off by each individual light. Perhaps use white with a few color lights socketed in.

This project is a costly one as it sits. I think it could be redone to just using a titanium white primer sponged on to give the white needed. Then adding the Mod Podge and glitter over that. Still end up using a few bottles of the Mod. And a lot of glitter. I mean a LOT.

So in the long run this isn't a finished how-to. More like an experiment I rushed to get done. All in all not bad looking. But still wish to make it better.

[Sickie Ickie]

We learn as much from failure as from success, Putrid.

[putrid]

Can't really call it a complete faillure. I've had plenty of those. Consider myself an expert on that subject. LOL For me it still looks way better than an all white tree. More natural anyway. Not only good looking trees but a person can use this to make wreaths look cool to. Or multi branched evergreen garland.

Analysis of why and what could be better.

If the white was more reflective but not shiny. Titanium white primers meant to go over plastic may work better. May just have to recoat the tree to see it work ( positive thinking there. not a failure yet. LOL ) Gesso isn't a bright or clear white. That could be it's downfall in using it for this project. It did give a very good spotty look when applied lighty.

[bethene]

It still looks good, Putrid, I like the idea, I have a cheap tree, skinny one that is pretty raggy looking got it real cheap, I may try it on that.

[bethene]

I like it better than a all white tree too, I think it is very pretty, could be used on alot of things!

[putrid]

This is an update about this project.

Fist using Gesso and Mod Podge isn't necessary. You can get the very same effect using a good white primer like Kils. I wore latex gloves and used a rag to apply the primer to the needles. Then still using the rag I 'dry brushed' on up the inner parts of the branches. It gives the same look at a MUCH cheeper cost.

I did a search on the net to see how real snow covered and flocked trees looked with colored mini lights. Didn't like the look of them either. White lights give a much better look for this project.

For those of you who will try this, thanks for your patients. Hopefully I got all this information up before someone started this. Like I stated in the first post. This is an ongoing experiment.

[Carrie]

Putrid, that's interesting. Okay, you've tried Kilz, but have you tried using regular old acrylic paint? That might work, what do you think?

[putrid]

A shot of the top of the tree with some white lights one. I covered part of the flash to get a darker image. Tried to get it to match what I see. Not quite but still looks good.

http://www.christmasfanclub.com/picture.php?albumid=9&pictureid=97

I imagine it'll improve in appearance with ornaments and stuff added.

[Carrie]

Putrid, how long did it take you to paint the tree? It really looks GOOD! I like it!

[putrid]

Totally cool question Carrie. Glad you asked. I chose to use primers because they're meant to go over oil base paints and stains. I'm hoping the primer will stick to plastic and hold up over time as well. I'm not sure if Acrylic would have the ability to stick to the plastic without curling up and off over time. I've seen acrylic do that after being applied over oil base paints on walls.

[putrid]

This is like being in the chat room. I'm always about 6 posts behind. LOL

Be kinda hard to say with all the going back over, trying something new and still having a few undone branches. LOL But I think on a good run you could do a tree in a few hours. If you not wearing gloves, a few more hours to get the paint off your hands. LOL

[Sickie Ickie]

Have you tried KRYLON white paint for plastic?

[putrid]

Thanks for the question Sickie Ickie. No I haven't but am more than sure it would stick. The only Krylon for plastics we have around here is in a spray can. To get a full size tree done I imagine you'd need quite a few cans of the stuff. I'm not that familiar with using spray paints to say how well it would work.

[Sickie Ickie]

Putrid, a trick I learned doing tombstones is that you can spray the paint into a container and then use a rag and dip it in the paint, or use a brush. Worth a try?

[putrid]

That would work. But you would still have the expense of all the cans of paint you would need. A good primer will run around $13 to $17 for a gal. You know me, it's gota be cheep. LOL The good part about your idea is you'll know it will stay on year after year. The primer is an ongoing experiment. Kidna wait and see what it looks like next year and the years after that.

[Sickie Ickie]

I didn't think about the initial layout. You make a good point, P.

[putrid]

If a person was only going to do a wreath they may only need a few cans of the spray paint to get a good frosted effect. Wonder when they'll come out with that stuff by the gallon? Or am I the only one waiting for that to happen? LOL

[putrid]

OK, I have repainted the entire tree. It's whiter now and should look better with lights. Waiting for it to dry all the way before I set it up to take some shots. I've found that wearing latex gloves helped. I used my hands to get the paint into the plastic needles. Way easier than trying to paint or dab it on. It's still a really messy process. I've managed to get primer in some of the scratches on the lenses of my glasses. Also my hair and beard are just a bit more salt and peper than they were when I started. LOL
I want to do a third tree this way. I have one but I don't know how old it is. Kind of a funky thing. If I can come up with a better 4 footer I'll use it instead. Or I'll just cut down a taller one. ( no pun intended. LOL )

On a side note. Because of the really wet spring it looks like the pine cones are going to be real big. Twice or more the size I got last year.

[putrid]

The final look for this tree. To me it looks way better than an all white one. Has the evergreen undertones of a real looking snow or frosted tree. Still would like to find a permanent flocking. With everything else from 50's coming back in home decor it wont be long before someone comes out with a for the home DIY kit.

http://www.christmasfanclub.com/picture.php?albumid=9&pictureid=103

[Sickie Ickie]

...and that person will be Putrid! :D

[bethene]

looks gorgous, Putrid!!

[putrid]

Thanks folks. I'm happy about the way it turned out. I wish it looked more like flocking Sickie Ickie. When that spray on snow comes out this year I'm gonna find a way to make it's application more permanent. or make a mess. LOL

Went to Hobby Lobby and took a look threw there Christmas garlands and wreaths. One thing I kinda like is the mixed evergreen look in some of them. A person could use this idea to change the colors of some evergreen stems. Make some a bit more of a light blue color to look like Colorado pines. Make some lighter in color. Or a deeper darker green. Just to add different looking greens within the same wreath or garland. You can tint the primer with craft paint. However deeper colors my have to be bought.