Real palm tree trunks are curved, and the leaves are attached to the top.
Palm trees make interesting decorations for a Florida room or patio, but real palm trees do not thrive in colder climates. Artificial palm trees are a must for a luau or beach party-themed formal dance, birthday party or winter wedding as well. You can top your fake palm tree with real palm fronds and surround it with sand for maximum realism. No cardboard carpet tubes or tissue paper need apply. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Find a 6-inch diameter dead fall tree trunk with a slight curve from end to end. Cut it 8 feet to 10 feet long, depending on the height of the ceiling where the tree will be displayed.
2. Remove as much loose bark as you can and brush the entire trunk section with chlorine bleach to prevent mold formation. Use 1 cup bleach to 5 gallons water as long as the wood will not be used later in an aquarium or around live animals, advises Fish to Friends website owner, Tom Haupenthal, in "Driftwood Dos and Dont's."
3. Cut brown craft foam into 8-inch widths. Wrap the trunk from bottom to top, with a 1-inch to 2-inch overlap each turn. Secure craft foam using a staple gun. If your staple gun does not have enough force to penetrate fully through the foam and into the trunk, use a tack hammer to pound the staples flush with the surface of the foam.
4. Cut five to seven palm leaf shapes from 3-foot-long by 2-foot-wide sheets of green craft foam. Secure them to the top of the trunk, splayed like a real palm tree.
5. Place the tree in a 30-gallon metal trash can where you wish to display it. Move the trunk around until you like how it leans. Backfill the empty space in the can with sharp-sided river gravel. Cover the gravel with a layer of sand.
6. Create a sand dune around the trash can to disguise it.
Tags: craft foam, real palm, foam into, palm tree