The Pool Noodle Hack That Will Step Up Your Decorative Holiday Greenery

If you have leftover pool noodles from other DIY projects, they could be used to create beautiful faux tree trunks to enhance your holiday décor. For those who love to use artificial pine and other greenery for their winter decorations, this is an easy and inexpensive way to add more texture and layering. With just some foam noodles, paint, craft paper, a little cardboard, and Mod Podge, you can DIY gorgeous winter logs. These small, faux trees could be added to a pot with greenery or bundled together with ribbon to make a decorative stack of wood to sit by your mantel or under your Christmas tree.

Though pool noodles can be found for under $2 at Dollar Tree in warmer seasons, they may not be available during the holidays, depending on where you live. The foam toy noodles are available on Amazon for $5 each, but if you're looking for something a little more budget-friendly, Lowe's has 6-foot foam pipe insulation for $1.98. Pipe insulation is basically the same as a pool noodle, except for a slit cut lengthwise down the side, which could be glued shut.

To start, cut your pool noodles to be 2 feet long or whatever length you'd like your logs to be. Rip your craft paper into strips, and cover your noodles with Mod Podge all over, except for the ends. Wrap the brown paper strips around your noodle, wrinkling and scrunching the paper as you go until the foam is covered. This will create a texture that appears similar to real wood. For those who don't want to purchase craft paper, try reusing old paper bags instead. If you'd like, you can also bunch up small pieces of tissue paper and attach them with mod podge to create knobs in your trees. Now, cut out cardboard circles and attach them to the flat ends of your noodle.

Once you've achieved the texture of your tree, it's time to paint it. For a birch tree look, cover your noodles in white paint before adding accents with gray and black. If you've added tissue paper knobs to your trees, be sure to paint them a darker color for contrast. You could also use various shades of brown to create a different type of wood, such as oak, to match your holiday aesthetic. The ends of your noodles can be painted a tan color or a light brown to more closely resemble a real log. When your trees are finished, stick them into your greenery displays, or glue several together and tie them with a ribbon.