Spring Blooms Tree of Life Kit

This flat pack, DIY Floral Tree of Life is made of plywood and comes unpainted. Enjoy it unpainted as-is or paint your own version as a solo or group activity!

Inspiration for the design of Spring Blooms comes from several floral-focused designs in the paper cutout collection given to the Museum of International Folk Art by Bureau of Indian Affairs teacher Mable Morrow during her work with the Flandreau Santee Sioux tribe of South Dakota (1923 -1937). The Native Americans of New England and the upper Midwest were making cutout silhouettes from birch bark before the first European settlers made contact with them. Cutouts served as patterns for beadwork, quillwork, and other ornaments to be applied to clothing, canoes, tools, and toys. Through trade with Europeans, these tribes obtained scissors, and their cutouts became more complex. Birch bark gave way to paper and cutouts began to be viewed not just as patterns, but as art.

Instructions for this easily-assembled kit are included, but for best results, we recommend you remove and paint the tree cut out before assembling it. Please note, paint is not included.

Approximate dimensions for the assembled Floral Tree of Life: 13 3/4" high.

Pictured here is one of the original paper cutouts that inspired this Tree of Life.