Tomato Cage Christmas Tree

Jingle Bell time is a swell time. 

How come every post I do about Christmas I feel like singing?  

In 2012 I was tasked with turning a little horse that Cassie from Primitive and Proper sent to me, into something Christmasy.

Since this Jingle Bell Junk Tree is still one of my most popular posts I decided to bring it back like the ghost of Christmas past for anyone who wants to make their own.

The all around groovy chick and super talented Cassie from Primitive & Proper drew my name for a junk swap and she wasn't horsing around when she packed that bugger in enough bubble wrap to mail a priceless, irreplaceable, fragile tea cup, to say.... someone in England (hi Fiona).

(To Cassie.... FYI, Trigger arrived safe and I have reused all the bubble wrap.  The box too.)

Then I did what any good crafter would do.

I spray painted the little filly.  The pony, not Cassie.  Although Cassie, is actually like a filly running with the wind.

I had several ideas how to use the horse, but when the time came it was re-purposed in Krylon silver for the good of the whole.

Whole tree.   

Whole junk tree.

Whole bunch of junking jingling bling.

The base started out as a regular old bent up tomato cage from the tomatoes I can't seem to grow, so I may as well repurpose it.

There was no rocket science here in making this thing.

Twist the top stakes together and you have your basic tree shape.

I spray painted all the items that were not already silver before hand and either wired or glued them onto the frame or each other till all the bare area was filled in.

Some of the junk I used:

I picked up two of these Christmas tree mold things above, at a summer garage sale.

They didn't fit together so I'm not really sure what you would mold in them.  I used half on my project along with my pretty little silver filly and any junk I could find that was already silver.

Now I've gotta give credit where credit is due...... I didn't come up with this on my own.

I pinned the idea a while ago and you can find the original pin-spiration and more on my Pinterest board.

The creative genius behind the junk tree idea is Debbie from Curious Sofa.

And. I. Love. It.!!! 

Thank you Debbie at Curious Sofa for thinking it up.

My Tree

See the horse front and center?

The tomato cage tree has all sorts of good junk.

And plenty of Jingling Bling.

Like this vintage ice cream scoop.....

An old metal egg separator....

Some antique tart tins....

My Christmas tree mold thingy's...

An old egg beater that worked so good I thought of putting it in my kitchen drawer......

A cross of nails that one of my kids made has a prominent place at the top....

Lots and lots of old cookie cutters and of course the little horse that started it all.

Thank you Cassie.  It was fun and without this horse I don't know if I would of raced to get the inspiration tree that I pinned completed.

To store the tree, a large kitchen trash bag covers it to keep off dust.  If something falls off mysteriously before Christmas comes again, all I have to do is get out the glue or wire and reattach it.

I think I will put this in my kitchen just in case I need to separate an egg, then I can think of that creative little filly when I wash dishes.  Cassie, not the horse.

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