How to Make Aspen Trees

I took some time to document my technique for making aspen trees.  Here it goes:

I bought a bundle of floral material called Gypsophila from Hobby Lobby for $10.  It was simply labeled "bleached gyp".

I start by trimming several small peices from the larger plant with a scissors.  I am trying to make trees that are about 2" tall for my current layout project.  This is a bit small for N scale, however, my layout is small.  For larger layouts, a taller tree may be more appropriate.

In order to get a fuller or more "leafy" tree I found that gluing 2 or 3 peices together at the trunk works well.  Once the glue is dry I spray it with a can of yellow paint.

Here I am applying acrylic white out of a cheap $1 bottle with a small brush to each trunk and branch.  This doesn't have to take long, depending on how meticulous you are.  I then used the end of a paper clip to apply acrylic charcoal to make the dark markings on the bark.

Here is the result: