Recipe for the Most Elegant Christmas Tree
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Recipe for an Elegant Christmas Tree
Ingredients:
1 Christmas Tree- Artifical or Real. Balsam Hill is forever my favorite brand for artificial!
Set of Lights- 100 lights per vertical foot (if your tree is not the pre-lit artificial type)
Garland-9 feet per vertical foot of your Christmas tree. I like a beaded garland, and this is the one we have in gold!
Ornaments. The number of ornaments will be dependent on how much ribbon and how many picks you have spread throughout your tree. One of my favorite interior design follows, Randi Garrett, suggests between 10-15 ornaments per foot. I have a set I purchased from At Home last year that have provided the perfect base with a variety of shapes and textures. Just be careful, as these are not shatterproof! For reference I purchased 4 boxes for my 10 foot tall tree. Because of the many picks on my tree I was able to get by with less than 48 ornaments!
Picks-Amount is completely up to you. For reference, my 10 foot tree has about 45 large flower picks, with 4 additional style of picks. 40 of one style, 25 of another, 20 of another, and 18 of another. That makes for about 148 picks! The beauty of having your own Christmas tree is that it is YOUR OWN to decorate exactly as you please. I have collected these picks over the years, so don’t feel as if you need as many! Your number will also depend on the size of your tree, the dimensions of your picks, and how you choose to spread them out on your tree.
2-3 Spools of Ribbon (about 30 feet per spool). You have many options when it comes to how to add ribbon to your tree! You can create a large bow at the top of your tree with ribbon cascading down. You can also tuck pieces of ribbon into your tree to give the allusion that your tree is wrapped in ribbon. This is the option I went with this year and loved it! I cut about 8-12 inches of ribbon and created two “humps” (think of making an M shape with the ribbon) and then tucked it in the tree in a spiral pattern. This is the ribbon I have used the past two years and loved!
1 tree topper (optional). You can use a store bought topper or create your own beautiful bow of ribbons.
1 Tree Skirt, Collar, or Planter. Whatever you choose, be sure to select a proportionally sized based to cover that base of your tree! One of these years, I am going to try the trend of sticking the base into an elegant planter filled with styrofoam!
1 Step Plug , Tree Remote , or Magic Wand (all optional)
Instructions:
Fluff your tree thoroughly! This is arguably the most boring and time consuming step of the tree decorating process, but it is the most important! Your tree will look the most lively, full, and realistic if you put in the time up front. If you are using an artificial tree, fluff each section as you add it to the tree. Go branch by branch, and spread the pieces into a firework shape for the fullest look. Once you have “fire-worked” every branch you can get on with the fun part! (Important note for tall artificial trees: consider putting your tree topper and other higher up decor on your top section before fully building your tree. You will be able to better secure your topper without risk of knocking ornaments and picks off as you stand on your tippy toes of step stool)
Add your tree base! Do not do what I did this year in adding the tree collar last. With low hanging ornaments and picks, I had trouble getting my collar under the bottom branches and came close to losing a few ornaments!
If your tree is not the artificial pre-lit type, add in your lights.
Add your garland! I truly feel that garland is what takes a tree to the next level. It acts as the perfect backdrop to the rest of your decor. You can drape your garland branch by branch or gently tuck and wrap.
Carefully hang your ornaments. Evenly spread your ornaments about your tree so there is variety in each section. If your tree if up against a wall. I give you full permission not to decorate the parts you will not see!
Tuck your picks into the tree. Sometimes it can be fun to create clusters with the variety of picks you select to create an arrangement. Evenly space these picks to avoid clumps of too many or bald spots with too few.
Decide the method you will use to add ribbon to your tree. Whether your are tucking the ribbon or cascading it from the top of the tree, do what brings you joy.
If you did not put your tree topper on in Step 1, secure her to the top of your tree.
Plug in your tree and admire your beautiful masterpiece!
Additional Notes:
Another very simple, yet elegant Christmas tree idea is to skip the picks and add long velvet ribbons tied in bows to the top of round glass ornaments. This is what we have done the past two years for one of our smaller trees, and it is just as beautiful in its own way as our larger fully decked out tree!
I love a sentimental tree just as much as an elegant one! This is one of the reasons why we have multiple trees in our house (oops!). You can choose one of your trees to proudly display hand made ornaments, ornaments from your travels, or fun collectibles.
Want multiple trees in your home, but the idea of decorating multiple trees makes you think otherwise? We keep a pencil style flocked tree in our bedroom, and it so magical! Because it is flocked, it really requires no decoration. I love getting ready for bed with the glow of this “snow-covered” tree!
Hosting overnight guests for the upcoming holidays? We are ready to help complete your guest room! If you are missing a few pieces here and there, a Design Day service, would be a perfect option! We offer this service both in-person and virtually, so location is not an issue! Send us a message to get started today!
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