An “Extra” Special Tree Ornament: #GiveExtraGum

I am a member of the Collective Bias®  Social Fabric® Community.  This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper amplification for Collective Bias and it’s advertiser. #GiveExtraGum #sponsored

Friends, I don’t know about you, but I’m always in search of fun little inexpensive gifts for the people outside our close circle of family and friends.  You know what I mean, right?  The neighbors, teachers, coworkers, or friends who we want to do a little something for to show them we care, but we’re not about to run out and buy them a $50 gift.  All of us have people like that in our lives, and some of us {me!} are always trying to think of something cute and different to give while stretching our dollar as far as it can go!  Here’s a cute little idea I came up with that won’t cost you much more than $1, but will bring a smile to anyone’s face!  Take a look…

Extra Gum Tree #shop

This little gift idea started with a pack of gum.  Now, we all know this is a sponsored post, and we all know that the “Honestly game” is how we roll around here, so I won’t pretend like I suddenly saw this gum in Walmart and had a holiday epiphany {pun most definitely intended}.  But I will say that when purchasing gum for myself, Extra Spearmint is really and truly my favorite chewing choice.  So, when I was given the challenge of coming up with a clever holiday gift idea using Extra gum, I was more than happy to grab a pack of it.  I also got a pack of Peppermint, because, well…peppermint!

Extra gum #shop

After my gum and I got home from Walmart, it was time to think outside the box.  And even outside the wrapper.  You see, the spearmint gum is not only refreshingly minty, it’s also a lovely shade of light green…which reminded me of a Christmas tree!  Once I started thinking about trees, the rest of the project sort of created itself.  It cost me nothing more than the 96 cent pack of gum because everything else came directly from my craft stash.  Here’s how I made it, and you can too!

Materials:

– pack of Extra Spearmint gum {you need 4 sticks per tree}
– scissors
– hot glue and glue gun
– assorted buttons
– wooden craft stick
– ribbon

Extra Gum Tree #shop

Step 1: Unwrap four sticks of gum.  As I mentioned in the materials list, that’s what it takes for each tree.  So, a pack of 15 sticks will make 4 trees.  My suggestion is to buy five packs; use one for the four trees, then gift the other four along with the completed ornaments!  Because once your friends smell that gum, they’re going to want to chew some, and those buttons might break their teeth.

Step 2: Glue a full stick of gum about 2/3 of the way down a craft stick.

Extra Gum Tree #shop

Step 2: Trim the next stick of gum and glue it above the full stick.  Repeat, trimming each “branch” slightly smaller until you get to the top.  You’ll notice that there are actually five layers to the tree; the top two can both be cut from the same stick of gum.

Extra Gum Tree #shop

Step 3: Glue on assorted buttons as ornaments.  I stuck to using traditional red and green, but anything goes!  If you have a sports fan in your life, use their team colors {ahem, black and purple!!}, if you know your friend’s favorite colors, use those!  The sky’s the limit!  You’ll get some nice little hot glue stringies, but they’re easy to peel off when the glue is cooled.

Gum Tree #shop #GiveExtraGum

Step 4: Wrap a button in one of the foil wrappers.  Glue it to the top piece of gum as a shiny tree topper!

Extra gum tree #shop

Step 5: Glue a piece of ribbon to the back of the craft stick.  This way it can be used as an ornament or any type of hanging holiday decoration!

Extra Gum Tree #shop

All that’s left to do is pair it with a full pack of gum and gift it!  If you want to be extra clever, you can attach a little note that says, “For an ‘Extra’ Special Friend,” or, “Have an ‘Extra’ Special Holiday!”   My friend Kara over at Happy Go Lucky actually has two really cute free printables that would be perfect to use with this gift.

Extra Gum Tree #shop

I thought these trees turned out really cute, and trust me, they smell a-MA-zing!  I think it would be fun to receive as a gift, and hopefully your neighbors and friends will too!  I love the idea of a thoughtful gesture that only costs about $1 per person, don’t you?

Hugs & Glitter,

siggy

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22 Comments

  1. This is adorable! I have been on the hunt to find something inexpensive to give to my neighbors. I want to make a little basket of goodies and I think this one will make the cut! Thanks for sharing.

  2. I’m missing the craft gene, I just know it. To me, a pack of gum is a pack of gum. The end. This? Adorable- and cheap! I love the idea of gifting it with a pack of gum and the printable! Guess what the teachers are getting this year…? 🙂

  3. SUPER CUTE!!! I had so much fun with this post too. I saw someone else figure out how to make a star from the gum wrapper, it would look super cute on the top of your tree ;o)

  4. I might eat that before it gets on the tree. Ok, I just had a slightly disgusting idea, and I’m going to share it. What if I hung that tree from my rear view mirror and grabbed a piece off the tree before I met someone, to freshen my breath? Weird? Yup, I’m weird.

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