As I've mentioned in my posts about our Christmas wreath and DIY ornaments, I let the dream of "peace on Earth" guide my holiday decorating this year. I especially loved how our Christmas tree turned out. When we got out our old tree, which was a hand-me-down from Mr. Q's grandparents, the lights on the top two sections wouldn't function, so it was off to the city on the day after Thanksgiving in search of a new tree.
I've always been really impressed by the awesome things KMart comes up with at Christmas time, so we headed there first and picked out a tree from the Jaclyn Smith collection. It's a 7 foot "Clearwater Slim Cashmere Tree." While the slim shape stands out in the store, it's a perfect fit in our townhouse where space is at a premium. The tree is a little taller than our old one, and a lot more realistic-looking - it has a mix of branch shapes and sizes.
Eliminating red from my Christmas color scheme was the first step toward streamlining my design, and while focusing on "peace on Earth," I was drawn to earth tones, white, and sparkling metallics. The gold tree skirt (also from KMart) really helped to ground the theme (get it?).
I do have my own method for decorating a Christmas tree: I start with ribbon, then add large bulb ornaments toward the center of the tree (along with a few Scentsicles). I used burlap, gold, and silver embroidered ribbon in layers. Next, I add what I think of as "anchor" ornaments - in this year's tree, these were my grandmother's crochet snowflake ornaments and my Smith and Hawken mercury glass pinecones.
I add more bulbs to the outer branches in a spiral pattern - this year, I used matte gold and champagne, shiny silver, and clear bulbs with a snowflake design. Then, I add special, one-of-a-kind ornaments, like our wedding cake ornament, lighthouses from North Carolina, and our brass and pewter travel ornaments.
This year, we bought some new mini glitter ornaments in a range of earth tones, as well as gold glittered pine cone ornaments, while we were at KMart, then headed to JoAnn Fabrics and Michaels, where we picked up clip-on dove ornaments, sparkling gold floral picks, and an adorable little church ornament with a bottle brush tree. My last steps when decorating are to add 3-D elements like poinsettias and floral picks - I just stick them into the branches - and, of course, candy canes (this year I used the Hershey ones with a chocolate stripe!). I'm really pleased with the way our tree turned out - to me, it's the perfect mix of rustic and elegant, peaceful and beautiful.
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Weekend Snapshots at Her Heartland Soul
Looks great! Stopping by from the Weekend Snapshots link party. Have a lovely afternoon!
ReplyDeleteThanks for visiting!
DeleteHeather, your tree is gorgeous! I looove how pretty it is. :) I also love that artwork over your couch--did you paint it? I love fall and fall colors and it's a beautiful piece of art!
ReplyDeleteI also loved reading about your traditions, too. That Christmas celebration sounds like so much fun!
Thanks so much for your sweet comment, Kiki. Most of the artwork in our home, including the abstract tree painting, is from the Uttermost Company, where my husband used to work - we were lucky to get a nice discount. I realized recently that I have a painting of trees or a landscape in almost every room of my house, so I probably need to add some variety.
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