Description: Idea for using a Christmas tree as a focal point for a holiday scrapbooking layout.

A Christmas tree is a fun focal point for your holiday scrapbooking layouts. Here's what you need to get started:

Patterned paper for background
Solid colored paper for tree, picture frames, and title
Buttons
Glue
Gold or other embroidery floss
Needle
Decorative scissors
Paper cutter or scissors

First decide on the size of your tree. This will determine how much room will be left on the page for pictures. My tree was tall and skinny--it took up almost the entire length of the page from top to bottom, with plenty of room left on the sides for photographs. You can cut out a pattern for the tree first, if you want, but I just cut one out freehand. Trim around all the edges of the tree with your decorative scissors.

Before you glue the tree on the page, use the embroidery thread to sew the branches on the tree (see photo). I used a metallic gold embroidery floss. You can freehand this step also. Just start at the top of the tree and use your needle and thread to create branches randomly down the tree. Branches can point upward or downward, whichever you prefer. Now you're ready to glue the tree to your page.

After the tree is firmly affixed to the patterned background paper, glue some buttons on the tree as ornaments or holiday lights.

You're now ready to work with the photographs. I decided I only had room for four photographs on this page, two on each side. I cut out two tall ones, one rectangular one, and one square one to resemble Christmas packages. I then cut out pieces of solid colored cardstock just a little bigger for the frames, out of the same paper as the tree. Glue the photographs to the frames, and then the frames to the page, wherever you think they look best.

Next cut several short lengths of the embroidery thread to tie into bows for the packages. Tie the bows tightly and glue them onto the packages, holding them down until the glue starts to set.

For the page title, cut out a rectangle of the solid colored cardstock, and a smaller rectangle out of white paper to glue in the center. Write your caption on the white piece of paper. Embellish the title with a couple more buttons.

That's it!

Rachel Paxton is a freelance writer and mom of four. For scrapbooking, card making, gift-giving ideas, and more family memory-making activities, visit http://www.Crafty-Moms.com.

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