Decorations- Trees

Main Gate Trees- Make some very stylish, tall slender trees by drawing a puffy cloud turned on its side then two lines running parallel as the truck.  There is a pattern on the CDROM.  Begin with double thickness cardboard sheets (4 x 8 feet).  Draw the tree on butcher paper to make a pattern then transfer that to the cardboard so all your trees will match.  You should be able to get two trees per sheet by turning one upside down.  Cut the trees from the cardboard with a sharp utility knife and paint the foliage area with a medium green color spray paint.  Now draw three or four puffy clouds on a piece of poster board and cut out to become stencils. Each stencil should be the size of roughly a quarter of the poster board.  Lay the stencils on the dry green paint and spray paint a dark green around each.  Move them down and around continuing to spray until the foliage area is covered.  After that dries, repeat the process with the light green spray paint.  The effect is different and fun.  The truck can be left as brown cardboard with a dark brown spray paint down the edges and some vertical lines here and there on the face of the truck.  All the trees can be painted this way on both sides so when they are hung from the ceiling with fishing line and hooks or open paper clips, they might turn and show both sides.  Place these trees on both sides of the main gate entrance to help fill the stage if needed.



Other Items- If you want a fence to go on each side of the gate, cut stripes of white foam core about two inches wide.  Attach the stripes vertically on microphone stands or toilet plungers.  Attach a couple of horizontal stripes at the boards running from post to post.  Add silk flowers and green turf carpet if wanted.  String flags on each side will add to the celebration as well.

By Mark Jones

Monday, January 28th, 2013