DIY Family Tree Art Project and a little Christmas tree

With the holidays upon us, this month at school Mia was assigned to make a family tree. No instructions were given so as not to limit creativity. And of course you know me - I love a creative art project!

Time: 1 hour (with help from a toddler)
Cost: $2 for pictures printed at Walgreens - Rather than finding individual pictures of each person like a traditional family tree, I thought it'd be simpler and show the groupings better with pictures of each family as a whole.
Materials: cardstock, pictures, ribbon, sticks, twine, container, styrofoam/soil/rocks, glue/tape

Mia and I went to the park and collected sticks to use for her {literal} family tree. While Doug and Mia traced circles and cut out the pictures and cardstock backing, I attached the sticks to one another by wrapping twine around them. After Mia glued the pictures to the cardstock, she punched holes in each picture and cut ribbon for me to tie on each one. I put styrofoam in the base and topped it with rocks to keep the tree sturdy in its container. And ta-da! Our little family tree is ready to be displayed, even after the class project is over.

And on to other trees...during dinner one night in early November, Mia said "Mom, I wish I could have a pink princess Christmas tree." This caught me off guard since we hadn't been talking about Christmas yet. After Thanksgiving, I snagged this pink pre-lit tabletop tree at Kohl's for $10 and silver ornaments for $5. The ornaments didn't come with hooks, so I used paperclips. You can't even tell, right?!

Complete with fluffy tree skirt {fabric I often use in my newborn sessions}, I think we have a happy little camper. It looks purple during the day, but when lit up at night, it's pink!

Here's my exif (camera settings) so you too can take pictures of your pretty tree at night: 

ISO 200 | f/5.6 | 1.6 ss | 50mm {on a tripod}