For my upcycling project, I have planned to construct a Christmas tree out of used beer cans. I explored a few different ideas on how to construct the tree and ways to arrange the beer cans to resemble a Christmas tree. After narrowing down my ideas, the first step was to find a used cardboard box in which I could arrange the beer cans in a uniform pattern. From my blog post last week, Chris mentioned the idea of using Genessee beer cans as they are white with red writing. These cans corresponded perfectly with the Christmas aesthetic and therefore, the base of my Christmas tree is made out of Genessee beer cans. The base has now been constructed and can be pictured below.

The next step in the process, was to figure out how I was going to assemble the remainder of the Christmas tree. For the bottom of the tree I used a 6×6 square of beer cans and wasn’t sure how tall I wanted my tree to be. I didn’t know if I wanted to follow a similar pattern with the next level being a 5×5 square or if I should make it a 4×4 square and incrementally decrease by 2 cans as opposed to 1 can. However, after laying the cans out onto the cardboard and assembling the next row I was able to conclude that incrementally decreasing by 1 beer can each level looked better. Thus, I was able to construct the second level of my beer tree using extra gold lager beers. Again, Chris presented another good idea in his comment to my previous blog post, where he asked how I was going to incorporate the family feel into this project. I has discussed how Christmas reminds me of family as it is one of the few times my family can be all be together since everyone is now older. Therefore, the next layer of my Christmas tree was constructed using extra gold lager beers as this is a beer all my family enjoys drinking together during the holidays. Pictured below is the 5×5 layer of extra gold lager beers.

As you can see from the picture above the extra gold lager beers are placed on the same cardboard as the previous layer but on a different angle. This effect was something I wanted to incorporate to resemble more of a tree feel and paint the picture of a real Christmas tree as opposed to beer cans stacked on top of one another. The tree pictured below followed a circular pattern and thus, I needed to create an original piece which is why I decided to construct my tree using squares in alternating patterns.

The next step in my Upcycle project is to figure out which beers I want to use for the remainder of my Christmas tree. I want to be creative and find colorful beers as I believe part of the Christmas spirit comes from all the vibrant colors.

[1] Gerard, Bella. “Let This Abundance Of Christmas Tree Inspo Help You Choose Your Tree’s Aesthetic.” StyleCaster, StyleCaster, 5 Dec. 2020, stylecaster.com/feature/christmas-tree-inspiration-1179461/.

[2] “Pin on Unique Trees.” Pinterest, www.pinterest.com/pin/54606214208248511/.