Entrant's Name
Elizabeth H

Designer(s)
Elizabeth

Story/Message
Palm of Peace
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My upcycled item was inspired by packing materials from recent deliveries. Upon seeing the white v-braces, I immediately thought that I could use them to build a tree. A couple of days later, I received the tall flat box with the brown craft-paper stuffing and shifted gears. The V-braces are rigid and instead of using them for the trunk, they serve as supports under the craft paper fronds. The tall box was scored with a blade and then formed into a circle and secured over a weighted box base. The branches have holes drilled in the centers and a dowel holds the stack of fronds together. Overall the tree is approximately 4 feet in diameter and just over 5’5” tall.
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I’ve had the discontinued wallpaper book for several years and intended to make traditional ornaments from it at some point. When the Upcycle Challenge presented itself, it was the perfect opportunity to finally recycle some pages by crafting ornaments that would add a much-needed pop of color to the otherwise monochromatic tree.
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The Palm tree at the top is from a wallpaper border and is intended to confirm that the “tree” below is a palm. The Palm symbolizes victory, triumph, and peace. The ornaments are birds, stars at the top and hearts and peace symbols wrapped around the base. At the bottom is a border with 2 Peacocks, which are symbols of nobility, holiness, and protection.
In this year of uncertainty, it was nice to spend a weekend filled with mindfulness and creativity crafting this tree for Ann’s Place. As a Festival Leadership Board member, should I win a prize, I will be donating it back to Ann’s Place. Thank you for viewing my “tree”!