DIY Cute Cupcake Liner Christmas Trees – Festive Craft

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Looking for a quick and affordable way to add some festive charm to your holiday décor? These DIY cupcake liner Christmas trees are the perfect craft! Made simply by stacking colorful cupcake liners, this craft is kid-friendly, mess-free, and perfect for decorating your mantel, table centerpiece, or classroom.

Whether you want to keep it simple or glam it up with glitter, beads, or mini stars, this fun project is sure to spread holiday cheer!

Why Cupcake Liners are the Perfect Craft Supply

  • Cupcake liners (or cupcake wrappers / baking cups) are a crafter’s dream, especially during the holidays. They are:
  • Frugal and Budget-Friendly: You often have a stash leftover from baking, or you can buy a massive pack for just a dollar or two.
  • Naturally Ruffled and Textured: Their pleated sides create instant dimension, perfectly mimicking the branches of a pine tree.
  • Available in Endless Colors and Patterns: Go traditional with green and red, or choose glitter, metallic, or fun holiday prints!
  • Easy for Little Hands: They are soft, easy to fold, and don’t require complicated cuts, making this a great preschool Christmas craft or toddler Christmas activity.

 

Materials You’ll Need

To make your own cupcake liner Christmas trees, gather these simple supplies:

  • Assorted cupcake liners (green, gold, red, or patterned)
  • Wooden skewer or straw (optional, for stacking and stability)
  • Small foam or clay base (optional, for standing trees)
  • Glue or hot glue gun
  • Scissors
  • Star sticker, pom-pom, or bead (for the tree topper)
  • Ribbon or glitter (for decoration)

DIY cute Christmas trees

The trees I made are very small intended to decorate a Christmas wreath for home. I made cute little houses by painting wooden toy blocks. You may also like the idea to make felt stockings specimen art for Christmas.

How to Make Stacked Cupcake Liner Christmas Trees

This method is fast and creates a beautiful, layered look.

1. Create the Tree Shape

  • Fold and tape paper to make paper cones in different sizes.
  • Now make a slit using scissors on cupcake liners and cut the top circular part (base of the cupcake liner) so you have strips of lined paper.

2. Cover with Cupcake Liners

  • Roll them around the paper cone to cover it and glue on the back to secure it in place. Use mod podge (glue stick or tacky glue).
  • Use two different cupcake liners and glued them alternatively to create a contrasting pattern.
  • And that’s it. When you are done let them dry.

cupcake liner cute Christmas trees tutorial

3. Decorate Your Christmas Tree

  • Star: Cut a small star shape from yellow or gold paper, craft foam, or use a sticker, and glue it to the very top of the tree.
  • Ornaments: Glue small pom-poms, sequins, or dots of puff paint onto the layers to act as colorful mini Christmas tree ornaments.
  • Trunk: If you used a skewer stick, you can paint the exposed bottom brown to look like a tree trunk. Stick your skewer into a foam base or small pot, or simply stand it on a flat surface for display.

4. Finish and Display

  • Ornament: If you want a DIY Christmas tree ornament, simply glue a loop of yarn or twine to the back of the popsicle stick or cardstock before the glue dries.
  • Tabletop: Place the trees into a small piece of floral foam, clay, or a tiny painted pot to create a charming, freestanding miniature tree.
  • Garland: Make several trees and use clothespins or sticky tape to attach them to a piece of string or ribbon for a beautiful cupcake liner garland!

 

cupcake liner cute Christmas trees DIY

?Creative Ways to Use Your Cupcake Liner Trees

This simple craft is incredibly versatile. Here are a few ways to use your finished trees:

  • DIY Ornament: Hang them directly on your main Christmas tree.
  • Gift Tags: Glue them onto a blank card or gift wrap for a festive, handmade tag.
  • Holiday Cards: Create a beautiful, 3D embellishment on the front of a Christmas greeting card.
  • Classroom Decorations: A fun and inexpensive Christmas classroom craft that students can easily complete.
  • Table Centerpiece: Make a whole forest of trees in various sizes and display them together on a mantel or table.

Related: 30 Impressive Holiday Door Decorations Unusual Ideas

 

Common Questions About Cupcake Liner Crafts

1. What kind of cupcake liners are best for this craft?

Standard-sized paper cupcake liners work best because they are easy to fold and have great texture. Holiday patterns or metallic colors add extra sparkle! You can also use mini cupcake liners for smaller, daintier trees.

2. Can you make a 3D tree that stands up?

Yes! For a true 3D tree, you’ll need a base.

  • Use a Styrofoam cone, a rolled-up piece of cardstock, clay lump or even a cork as your cone base.
  • Fold unflattened cupcake liners in half, then attach the folded edge to the cone, starting from the bottom, until the entire cone is covered in ruffled layers.

3. What glue works best for paper crafts with kids?

A standard glue stick is the least messy option and works great for the folded-flat method. For a faster, more secure bond (especially with thicker decorations like pom-poms), hot glue is superior, but should be handled by an adult.

4. If you only have white cupcake liners. What can you do?

No problem! You can:

  • Color them with green marker or paint before you fold them.
  • Use them as is for a snowy, Scandinavian-style white Christmas tree.
  • Decorate heavily with red and green sequins or glitter to add the holiday color.

Pro Tip: Turn It Into a Classroom or Party Activity

These trees make great holiday classroom crafts or party table activities. Set up a craft station with cupcake liners, glue, and decorations so kids can design their own festive trees. You can even make mini cupcake liner ornaments to hang on the real tree!

 

?Why This Craft Is Perfect for the Holidays

The cupcake liner Christmas tree is more than just a cute decoration — it’s a way to:

  • Recycle paper materials
  • Spend creative family time together
  • Add handmade charm to your Christmas setup
  • Keep kids entertained during winter break

Make adorable Christmas trees using cupcake liners! This DIY cupcake liner Christmas tree craft is perfect for kids, classrooms, and festive home décor. Learn how to stack liners, decorate, and personalize your mini trees for a handmade holiday touch.

Crafting your own cupcake liner Christmas trees is an easy and joyful way to get into the holiday spirit. With just a few everyday materials, you can create something charming, festive, and uniquely yours. Whether you’re crafting with kids or decorating your mantel, this DIY project adds the perfect handmade touch to your Christmas celebrations.

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Hi, I’m Hani

I’m so glad you're here. I'm a mom of 2 with a passion for DIY and crafting. I love to share ideas for turning simple materials into beautiful home and garden decor that brings warmth and personality to any space.

Whether you're looking for inspiration or easy tutorials, you're in the right place! Stay a while, explore, and don't forget to follow along for new ideas. Let's create something beautiful together!

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  1. Amy kahler says:

    Thanks for linking up! These are just so cute and easy.

  2. I LOVE these…seriously they’re one of those projects that I find and I’m like ‘why did I not think of that?” So awesome. Thanks for linking up your adorable cupcake trees with us at the Link it or Lump It party this week. I am spotlighting your trees later tonight on the Two It Yourself facebook page. – Melssa

  3. Deonna says:

    It’s Deonna from the Child at Heart blog! Thank you so much for linking up at the Merriest Blog Hop! I can’t wait to see all of your holiday ideas this month! I used cupcake liners for my gift wrapping two years ago and people thought that was so weird. They are so fun though! Might have to make one of these with some that I still have from that 🙂

  4. Amy W says:

    I love how these trees turned out! So colorful and such a simple DIY. Thanks for sharing at our Link it or Lump It party!

  5. Bobbie says:

    So darling! Thanks for linking up to check me out saturday link party! I hope you decide to join us again tonight!

  6. Katie says:

    I love these cute Christmas Trees. The colors you chose makes them so bright and cheerful. Pinned!

  7. How sweet! Such a great idea! They have so many fun cupcake liners there’s so much you could do!

  8. Merry Christmas to you! Thanks for sharing your adorable project with us at Inspire Me Monday at Create With Joy!
    Congratulations – you are one of our featured guests this week! 🙂

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