Fall Wish Tree

Once again, I must state the obvious...
I LOVE CENTRAL OREGON!!!!!

Among many other things, one reason is access to tons of Wild Manzanita, which has the most wonderful spiky branches, making excellent decor for all seasons. I've been feeling thankful these days, so a thankful tree like Cassie's has been on my mind. A quick search on Etsy yields page after page of branches, painted in a rainbow of hues, for a very pretty penny.
A quick run on my favorite trail with my favorite furry workout buddy, yields miles and miles of free branches, in any size and condition I choose!!!
Can I get a woop woop up in here, cause I love it!!!

Here is a manzanita bush in the wild! When the branches die, they get a beautiful, gnarled shape!

 

My prize! 

Once we arrived home, I gave the branch a few coats of white spray paint, and placed it in a mason jar with white decorative rocks I snagged from the Dollar Tree. 

Using a large heart hole punch, a normal hole punch, and some fishing line, we punched out 45 hearts in Fall hues, and strung them up! Piled in a leaf shaped bowl, they now live on the dining room table, so friends can write what they are feeling thankful for as soon as the thought hits! 

 

Its looking so pretty, especially covered in all the silly serious things we are all thankful for. 

This one is my fave, obviously. Hub better be thankful for me!

This project is kind of a double whammy. Our original idea for this tree came from a twist on a money tree for our wedding. We don't particularly like the idea of a money dance, but we wanted a small 'fundraiser'. We plan on putting it on our gift table, with a photo of Cruz under it. It will  be our wish tree, and people can write a wish and clip some cash onto hearts, and then place them on the tree. We will be donating half of all money we receive to the Canine Cancer Research Facility that wrote off a lot of Cruz's treatment expenses. We figure its one way we can remember our little buddy.

So what do you think of my cheap'n'easy craft?! I love it, its so simple and very pretty as well!! What are you thankful for these days?