family tree tutorial

A few people have expressed interest in a tutorial on the family tree kit that I made for our Relief Society craft day. So, here it is:

Materials Needed:

1- 16x20 white/off white mat board (with no opening cut in it)... I got mine at the Michael's framing counter. They cut a standard mat board sheet into 4-16x20 pieces. I had to pay $13.99 for the whole sheet, even if I was only wanting one 16x20 piece. So, go in on it with a friend or make 4 yourself to give away as gifts. (Just a side note: the 40% off one regular priced coupon that is often found in their ad works on this, which brings the price down to $8.40 for 4- 16x20 pieces.)

1- 12x12 sheet of dark brown cardstock for the tree

1- 8 1/2 x 11* sheet of cardstock in dark green

1- 8 1/2 x 11* sheet of cardstock in medium green

1- 8 1/2 x 11* sheet of cardstock in light green

1- 8 1/2 x 11* sheet of cardstock in white/off white

*(you may have to cut down 12x12 pieces if you can't find any 8 1/2 x 11 cardstock in the color(s) you want- I had a really hard time finding what I wanted in 8 1/2 x 11 size, but we don't have much of a selection around here)

1- 16x20 frame of your choice (for craft day, I found a really simple dark walnut frame at Walmart of all places for $13.97- it is what I have pictured).

1- tree template- save the photo I have below, then enlarge it to fill the space of a 12x12 sheet of paper and print it out to use as a template. Or, draw a tree free hand with enough branches for your family.

1- large leaf template/ 1- small leaf template- save the photo I have below, enlarge it to fill the space of a sheet of paper, print and use as a template.

glue sticks, glue dots, or your choice of adhesive


*I calculated the total cost for all the materials to make 1 framed family tree to be about $26.00.


Step 1: Make your title plate and print on white/off-white cardstock and then cut it out in a rectangle shape (I created mine in Microsoft Publisher with a large Monogram letter in brown Engravers MT font (160 pt.) and then the family name written over the top in a lighter tan Times New Roman font (36 pt.). You can also add the year the family was established- year of marriage of the intended recipient.
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Step 2: Trace tree template onto the brown 12x12 sheet of cardstock and cut out.

Step 3: Use left over brown paper to make a rectangle to go behind your title plate

Step 4: Assemble your title plate by gluing the 2 pieces together.

Step 5: Layout and then glue down the tree and the title plate on the 16x20 mat board- making allowances for the frame. (The frame I was working with today would not allow me to do this, but a good tip is to take the glass out of the frame, place the 16x20 mat board in the frame and arrange your pieces with it in the frame, so you know you won't cut anything off and everything will be centered correctly).


Step 6: Print your names onto the green paper using the following instructions:
1. Cut your paper down to 8 ½” x 11” in order to feed it through your printer
2. Open a blank Microsoft Word Document (or other word processing program)
3. Go to File/Page Set-up/Margins and set right and left margins to 0.5” (to maximize paper use)- leave top and bottom margins at 1”
4. Go to Format/Columns and set up 3 columns
5. Begin typing names in the font of your choice (I used Bradley Hand ITC in 9 pt. font)
6. Type name (First Middle Last) and then hit Enter to go to the next line and then type their birth date (00/00/0000)
7. Then hit Enter 5 times before typing the next name and birth date
8. Continue this until you have typed all the entries you want printed on the same color paper
9. Highlight all type and go to Format/Paragraph/Indent and Spacing and choose center alignment to center all your names and birth dates within the column
10. Print

Step 7: Take your leaf templates (large and small) and trace the leaf shapes around your printed names/birth dates trying to center the type within the leaf
Step 8: Cut out leaf shapes and apply to family tree with adhesive in desired layout


Step 9. Repeat Step 6 with the other colors of paper as you choose.
* I did the grandparents (the initial couple) and the grandchildren in the lightest green color, the children of the intial couple in the darkest green, and the spouses of the children in the medium green. That is just how I chose to use the different colors. Also, I cut out most of the names with the large leaf template and chose to only cut out the grandchildren with the smaller.

Step 10. Once you are finished putting all your leaves on, put the glass back in the frame, then the completed tree and close it up. It is done!

This really does make a wonderful Christmas gift for your parents, in-laws, grandparents, etc...

I am also going to be making one for my own family with blank leaves, but has our last name and year of marriage on the title plate. I just love the look of it- the simplicity; but, if I just put my husband, me, and my 2 girls (1 one to be added soon of course) our tree would be quite bare. So, that is my solution. I can always add the names later. Doing it this way would take the same idea and make it into a wonderful wedding gift or Christmas gift for others who do not have large established families.