Cherry blossom trees

I really can't express how happy I am for spring to be here again. I'm sure my excitement level is the same from year to year, but really... I was so ready this time around. And, I have to say, one of my very favorite things about spring...


...is seeing this in my backyard. It's a cherry blossom tree that we planted last summer. It didn't bloom at all that first year and looked rather sad. In fact, I was beginning to think we may need to exchange it for something else... until just a couple weeks ago when I noticed tiny pink buds on it for the first time ever! I literally screamed in my excitement! Those buds have continued to bloom, and now there are these gorgeous, delicate, pale pink flowers all over the tree. Don't the blossoms look like they're made of tissue paper? They're so dainty that they look like they'd wither away if you so much as breathe on them! It's almost ridiculous how much happiness this silly tree is bringing me this spring, but it's just about my favorite thing right now. :)

I wanted to bring a little springtime inside to hang on my refrigerator, and let my toddler make her own "tree" just like Mommy's. This is what we came up with:


You will need:

• Brown paper/construction paper/cardstock
• Another sheet of paper/cardstock in a different color (any color you choose is fine)
• Pink tissue paper
• Glue
• Scissors
• Pencil
  

Begin by tracing your child's hand and most of the length of their arm on the brown paper. If you're out of brown construction paper (as I was), try using tan or brown cardstock. If you don't have any of that on hand, grab a brown paper bag!


Cut the hand/arm out for your child and have them glue the back.


She was really "into" gluing today. Maybe we haven't done anything with glue in a few days!


Attach to the other sheet of paper you have waiting.


Get out your pink tissue paper. I cut/ripped ours into manageable squares for my daughter. Crumple up a square...


...and use glue to attach it to your "tree."


Continue adding cherry blossoms until they decide they're finished. :)


Here is her completed tree! She thought it had enough flowers on it.


But that didn't stop her from asking for another piece of paper to glue MORE flowers onto! :) This project was definitely a success for us!