This post was most recently updated on September 22nd, 2019
Thanks so much for all the awesome feedback my Dr. Seuss Christmas Tree. (If you haven’t seen it yet, you might want to check out the post My Dr. Seuss Christmas Tree first). It’s been so cool to hear how the tree makes people smile. I guess that the whimsical images and the silly prose just brings out the kid in all of us!
I had so much flipping fun making the decorations. It really was a joy.
As Dr. Seuss himself said,
“I like nonsense; it wakes up the brain cells!”
So, in case you need more nonsense in your life this Christmas, I’m going to give you a closer look at how to make your own Dr Seuss decorations. There are soooo many decorations stuffed into that tree, but for the purpose of the tutorial, I’ve tried to group them as best I can!
Dr. Seuss Book Cover ‘Felt Series’:
I posted about these awhile back, but in case you missed it…
What you’ll need:
- Tub of official Dr. Seuss foamies (Michaels).
- Felt – turquoise, oatmeal, red.
- Buttons – bright colors.
- Red and white striped grosgrain ribbon.
- Craft glue.
- Pinking shears.
How to make them:
- Start by cutting your felt (steps 1 & 2 above). You’ll need rectangles in two different colors for each decoration. Cut one slightly larger than the other. I used my pinking shears to add a little more detail.
- Then use a good craft glue to adhere the pieces together (step 3).
- The foamies are self adhesive and they stick really well to the felt (step 4).
- Next, add some cute buttons with glue (step 5).
- Let dry and glue the whole thing to a piece of ribbon (step 6).
To hang on the tree, just use a regular ornament hanger, and poke it through the ribbon.
Dr. Seuss Book Page-Mod Podge Series
In this series of decorations, I moved away from the foamies, and used paper images from books. Now, let me tell you that I had full intentions of cutting up a couple of our old duplicate Dr. Seuss books for this project. But all it took was one snip and the guilt set in! Don’t ask me why; I guess I’m just a book geek like that. I just couldn’t do it!! So I ended up buying a Dr. Seuss novelty / activity book at Michael’s instead. The images in this book were much brighter and more vivid anyway.
What you’ll need:
- Wooden slats or scraps
- Felt
- Mod Podge
- Dr. Seuss Books
- Scrapbook paper
Any time there’s mod podge involved, prepare to get messy!
I started by cutting the random images I liked from Dr Seuss novelty books. Some of them couldn’t be cut in rectangles (because of other things on the page), so I simply cut around the image in random shapes. The quirkier, the better!
Next, I cut some polka dot scrap-paper to the dimensions of the wooden slat and pasted it on. Then I layered on the image with mod podge, and added some additional scraps here and there for fun. (You might notice, I added a little red glitter to my mod podge to make it sparkle!)
Finally, I used my glue gun to adhere satin turquoise ribbon, and to add some fun embellishments.
There are no rules here. Be as creative as you want!
Finally, I had a few images that were too big for my wooden slats, so I thought I’d try mod podging them to felt. Guess what? It worked perfectly! It just took a little longer to dry as the felt gets pretty soaked with mod podge.
And finally…Dr. Seuss’s Hat & Bow-Tie!
Finally, here’s how I ‘made’ the tree’s crowning jewel – the Cat in the Hat glittery hat and bow-tie.
I started with a Cat in the Hat costume hat and bow-tie, which cost me about $15. I went this route since I’m not a sewer, but if you are, I bet you could whip one up in no time. The only problem was that it looked like a costume (understandable, considering that it was one, lol). The fabric was flimsy and cheap. So I decided to give it some sparkle and structure by applying red glitter.
I ‘painted’ mod podge on over the red stripes, then brushed on red glitter with another paint brush. (I used Romantic Red glitter from Stampin Up, but I’m sure any one would do).
I’ll warn you, it was messy! I covered my island in paper, and used it to mix the sparkles around in the mod-podge covered brush. To dry the hat, I simply set in down over my paper towel holder! Within a couple of hours, it was dry and ready for the tree!.
Now, repeat the process with the bow-tie!
So…are you now ready to make your own Dr. Seuss Christmas decorations?
For lots more details and pics on The Dr. Seuss Tree, hop over here.
What are you waiting for?
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting.
So… get on your way.
~Dr. Seuss
Until next time, keep rhyming and glittering!
~ Kerri
P.S. I’m linking up with…
Emmalee says
Hi Kerrie firstly i love your creativity we just finished a lorax nursery for our little girl due in feb 🙂 my Dh also loves all things dr suess and well grinch it’s such a gorgeous story…. We have a few grinch Xmas items but are thinking of doing a full on grinch Xmas next year we have already started stocking up on red green and silver baubles and grinch fabric to make stockings /table runners ect I came across you tutorial when looking for ornaments online and as we don’t have a michales in Australia set to googling dr suess “foamies” I came across foam style stickers on the colorbok website http://www.colorbok.com/category/products/kids-craft/dr-seuss-products/ just wondering if these are what you used for the decos before I hunt down a local supplier ?
Kind regards emmalee
Kerri says
Yes, that’s them! Good luck with your tree!
Heather says
I’m a teacher and my class is doing a Dr. Seuss themed classroom this year for Christmas. Our Michaels here in the US do not sell the Dr. Seuss foamies that you used on your tree. I was wondering if you could put a link to the Michaels there in Canada that you found them at so I can see about having them shipped? We absolutely LOVE your tree and want to do something similar in our classroom! Thanks so much for your help
Kerri says
I can check to see if Michaels here still sells them, but I’ve heard similar comments as yours from other readers in the US and in Canada. Perhaps they are not stocking Dr Seuss anymore? 🙁 But if you can’t get your hands on the foamies, I’d suggest using a couple of Dr. Seuss books for the imagery, or another suggestion is to visit your local educational supplies store. I found several sets of Dr. Seuss posters and bulletin board die-cuts at our local store that sells to teachers. Good luck! Kerri
Heather says
I actually found all the book covers online and just printed them on card stock. They turned out really good 🙂 I’m still going to keep looking for the foamies but, yes, every company that “did” sell them here in the US is no longer selling them because of a lack of demand 🙁 My kids at work are absolutely in love with our tree and everything else in the room (the entire inside and outside of our classroom is Dr. Seuss)
Desiree says
This was fabulous! I saw your tree and fell in love, my 3 kids are going to love a Dr. Seuss themed tree in their playroom this year! Thank you for the amazing tutorial on inexpensive DIY ornaments!
Kerri says
Thanks Desiree! I’m sure your kids will enjoy it as much as mine! ~Kerri
Stephanie says
I’M SOOOO UPSET!!! I CAN’T FIND THE FOAMIES ANYWHERE!!! 🙁
Kerri says
Did you try Michael’s? Perhaps they are just out of them, and will re-stock them again soon. I saw them at my local Michaels just the other day. Good luck! Kerri
Stephanie says
Yes, I actually work at Micheals, and don’t ever remember seeing them. 🙁 I will see if my manager can track them down for me, if you have seen them recently. I didn’t even see them on their website.
Ellen says
Thank you for the tutorial. This Christmas I decorated my office space as Who-ville in How the Grinch Stole Christmas. You have inspired me to decorate my house next Christmas with a Dr. Seuss theme. Thank you for the inspiration and next steps.