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Content Created by Tracey of Baker Street Living 
If you’re looking for a fun and eye-catching holiday craft, a mesh tube Christmas tree is a perfect Holiday DIY project! Made with deco mesh tubing (also known as curly mesh or mesh rope). This festive tree adds texture, colour, and sparkle to your Christmas decor without requiring fancy tools or skills. Top it off with some lights, and you have a perfect centerpiece or decor for your mantle.
What You’ll Need
You can find everything at a craft store, big box retailer, or online:
- Mesh tubing (also called deco mesh tube or mesh rope) in your colour of choice
- A foam cone – size of your choice.
- Small wood slice (3-4 inch diameter)
- Wood Bead (1 inch)
- Scissors
- Fairy lights
- Tree topper Star (or bow, hat, or decoration of choice)
- Glue Gun and Glue Sticks (low temp)
How to Make A Mesh Tube Christmas Tree
Prep the Tubing
The mesh tubing will have a pattern in it or a warp. Unroll it fully and pull it straight. Allow it to rest before you start gluing. This will prevent the tubing from wanting to come unglued while making the mesh tube Christmas tree.
1 – Start at the bottom of the cone. Add a bead of hot glue around the starting point of the cone. Press the mesh tubing around the tree. Allow the glue to dry or pin in place while you work.
2 – Wrap the tubing around the cone, gluing randomly to keep the tubing in place. Each layer of tubing should rest on the layer below. This will make the side nice and smooth all the way around the tree. Continue wrapping until you get to the top. Make sure the tubing is tight against the cone. Don’t stretch it too much, as stretching can cause the shape to distort.
3 – Once you are at the top, glue the tubing to the tip nd trim. Leave a little extra and allow it to dry fully before moving on. If the foam cone shows through the tubing, do a second layer, ending at the bottom of the cone.
4 – Ahere a wood bead to the bottom of the tree to serve as the base of the tree.
5 – Adhere the bead to the wood slice. Allow to dry.
6 – Wrap fairy lights in between the tubing layers around the tree. Start at the top and work your way down to the bottom. Depending on the size of your tree, you may need a longer or shorter length of lights.
7 – Wrap the One off switch(which is usually rectangular) to look like a present under the tree.
8 – Add more faux presents if desired.
9 – Display and enjoy.
Helpful Tips and FAQs
The Right Foam Cone
Many craft foams (especially standard white polystyrene/EPS) will soften or melt under typical high-temperature hot glue (often above ~120 °C) because polystyrene is a thermoplastic and begins to deform with heat.
There are foams labelled heat-resistant foam or high temperature foam that are manufactured to withstand higher temperatures.
If you don’t see a foam labelled heat-resistant, choose a polystyrene foam cone and use a low-temp glue. You can also opt for a cardboard cone or other materials, but you will need to add a base to the cone for the bead (trunk)
Glue Gun Temperature
- Hot glue guns come in different settings: “low‐temp” guns that operate around ~120 °C (250 °F) vs “high‐temp” ones around ~180-200 °C (350-400 °F). Using a high‐temp gun on a foam that can’t tolerate it means there is a good chance of melting. Choose a low-temperature glue gun setting for the best results
Alternative to Lights
If you would rather go for another look, choose any decorative trim and just wrap it. Add dots of glue to hold it in place. Good options are: C
- Christmas Ribbon
- Twine
- Thin Gold Rope
- Thin Pearl Trim
- Mini Christmas Light string (unlit),
- Recycled costume jewellery necklace
Hiding the Battery Pack
If the lights you are using have a large battery pack, just wrap it like a gift and place it under the tree. Poke a small hole to access the on-off switch. You could also make a small tree skirt from some scrap fabric and cover it under the tree.
I hope you have lots of fun with this easy-to-make mesh tube Christmas tree. These are a great kid-friendly craft that can be placed on mantles, shelves or in every child’s bedroom to add a little Christmas cheer.
This website contains affiliate links. As an affiliate, I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases (at no cost to you).