Monday, December 5, 2011

Christmas Tree Tour: Tips for Decorating a Fabulous Tree


I grew up in a home where every Christmas tree we ever had was themed. The earliest tree I remember as a child was Victorian (mauve, more mauve, and lots of lace), then Americana (there was a major patriotic decor phase in the 90's, remember that?), and from that point it was based more on color schemes. My mother loves to tastefully fill her tree with all kinds of coordinating ornaments and garlands (which you will witness in tomorrow's post!). Her Christmas trees have always had a definite wow factor to them.

However, I don't think a tree has to have large amounts of garlands, ornaments, ribbons and bows to wow. And I don't even think the tree itself has to be big to impress. What makes a tree glow (besides the lights ;) is planning and inspiration. Here are some tips that I hope will be useful. Hopefully you will come across a new twist to improving your tree decorating this year!


1//A VISION: When you picture your Christmas tree, what do you want to feel? What kind of Christmas decor or color scheme fits you best? Do you want a boutique tree in all it's layers or a more simple, sentimental tree with family ornaments?? This is a hard decision, at least for me it was. There are so many directions. By choosing a decor route (just like when decorating a room) you will have a vision and know where to start and where to take all the rest of the holiday decor throughout your home.


3//ADDING LAYERS: Adding festive flowers, holly, pine, feather boas swept in to imitate snow, garland, or sprigs of some kind will add some depth and interest. I think my favorite textural addition I have seen this year is garland made of tree bark. It literally looks like they shaved a long strip of a tree trunk and spun it into the Christmas tree. So different and pretty!

3//ORNAMENTS: Ornaments don't have to come in sets of five. If you fall in love with an ornament and can't afford a set, there is no shame in purchasing just one or two. In fact, having a larger variety of ornaments will make your tree so much more fun to look at! I always try to hang my ornaments evenly spaced and picturing polka dots helps me to visualize where the next ornament will hang. Just envision the pattern that polka dots follow and you are all set. I hang the ornaments largest in size first or ornaments that are singled out, and then work my way down to the smaller ones and use those as the fillers.


4//CREATE INTEREST: Something I have been noticing in trees lately is some quirky details. You can create subtle scenes within your tree to make it more interesting to observe. Like two birds sitting on a branch together, instead of spacing them evenly out. Or a single Santa or elf nestled in somewhere.  And don't be afraid to let an ornament rest on a branch rather than hang on a stem.


5//THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX: Just know that Christmas trees are not limited strictly to the decorations you see in the stores. Be creative and have fun! Make it you! If you love lace or burlap, put it on the tree! Add family pictures from past Christmas's or vintage postcards.  Tie bows onto the branches using your favorite fabrics. When you get a Christmas card in the mail, punch a hole in it string some ribbon and hang it up! Or you could choose any color scheme you want! Sticking to tradition is not mandatory.

1 comment:

Jess said...

These are great tips for tree decorating Lindsee! Thanks so much for the ideas. :) Can't wait to see your mom's tree.

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