Every year I am trying to add a couple of new Christmas decor items to our stash. Just adding a few items each year keeps the investment low, but already with this being my fifth year of having my own apartment, I am starting to have a lot of decorative goodies!

Coastal Christmas: DIY Mini Oyster Decorative Trees - Charleston Crafted

This year, since we already have a lot of coastal themed ornaments from prior years, I focused on crafting extra decor items this time. I was very inspired by oyster trees that I saw all over pinterest, so I decided to make my own.

Luckily, some of our friends frequently host oyster roasts and save the shells in their yard. They were happy to let me dig out a bag full of beautifully sun bleached shells to use in my project. If you aren’t so lucky, you could order some online or use any small, similarly shaped objects.

DIY Oyster Christmas Trees

Here is what you will need to make these oyster trees:

Tree forms – foam or cardboard
Oyster shells or any small, similarly shaped objects
Hot glue gun
White paint and brush (optional)

I used three foam cones of varying sizes. To start, I painted each green tree white with a brush and paint. It won’t get great coverage (the foam does weird things with paint) but you just want to cover it up so no green pokes out.

Then, I just used hot glue to attach the shells to the cones. I started on the bottom and did rings all the way to the top.

As you work your layers up the tree, use slightly smaller oyster shells for the best effect. Also, you will probably want to aim to overlap the next higher row over about 1/4 to 1/3 of the lower ring of shells.