O’ Christmas Tree! Part VI – The Finished Tree w/ a Quick and Easy Tree Skirt

I finished the final step in decorating my Christmas tree. I created a quick and easy Christmas tree skirt.

I started with two packages of this shimmery brown fabric mesh garland I got for 50% off at Hobby Lobby.

I didn’t even cut it! I just draped both pieces loosely around the tree stand. That way if I decide to use these pieces for a different purpose next year, they are still intact.

I then took some leftover ribbon and pinned it in a couple of places to the mesh garland. And there you have a quick and easy tree skirt!

I'm linking up to The DIY Show Off's 3rd Holiday Highlights Party. Go check out the other great holiday projects.

Bargain Find of the Week

Although this weekend is the granddaddy of shopping bargains, I really didn’t feel up to leaving the house and battling the crowds so I don’t have any spectacular bargains to share. But Latasha was hitting up a few stores on Friday and I asked her to pick up this pair of 4ft pre-lit topiary trees from Wal-mart for $25.

I had been looking for inexpensive taller topiary trees for awhile now and $12.50 each is the lowest price I have ever seen for these.

Right now I have the pair flanking my TV console and I will probably decorate them with some ribbon, but I have a feeling that they will probably grace many different areas of my home before the Christmas season is over.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I wish everybody a joyful and blessed day! And thank you Amani for your lovely turkey hand drawing. I love you, kiddo!

O’ Christmas Tree! Part V – Topping Off the Tree.

If you think I overdid it on the tree – wait until you see my topper! This topper was really an accident. For some reason, I never seem to find nice tree toppers on post Christmas sales so I have always used a bow or something else as a temporary solution until I found the perfect topper. Over the years I have accumulated a large selection of Christmas floral stems and leaves. Well last year, I decided to stick a couple of the floral stems into the top of the tree. I decided I like the look and just kept going until I had created a large Christmas floral arrangement on the top of the Christmas tree.

I start with these two glittered floral sprays. I have a plastic tie loosely wrapped around the top of the tree and I use it to hold the stems in place.

Next, I start randomly placing stems throughout the top of the tree as if I was arranging florals in a vase. I have picked up all of the stems from places like Michael’s, Target, Garden Ridge, etc. for huge discounts after the season. I have actually purchased some before Christmas at a discount because they were considered Fall clearance. So if you use a lot of browns and copper in your Christmas decor be sure to check out the Fall clearance for items that you can also use for Christmas.

These glittered sprays are the only things I have purchased recently to decorate my tree this year. I found these glittered sprays at the Dollar Tree a few weeks ago and I bought a dozen of them. I wish I would have bought them all because I went back to get some more and they were all gone. I could really use some more for my mantel garland.

I think my topper adds a good foot to my 6.5ft tree! Next – A Quick and Easy Tree Skirt!

O’ Christmas Tree! Part IV – DIY Bling Ornaments

Since I am not using any glass balls on the tree, I wanted to make sure that the tree still has some sparkle. I accomplished this by making some tree jewelry.

I found these Gem Stones and Gem Drops at Z Gallerie a few years. They are acrylic instead of crystal but they are faceted and they do sparkle a bit. They could have easily been used as a vase filler but they came with holes in them also to allow them to be strung up for garland or such. So I used my jewelry making supplies and extra beads to create a number of these drop ornaments.

I think they add just the bit of sparkle I was looking for.

Next – Topping off the Tree!

Linking to Kimba's DIY Day at a Soft Place to Land.

O’ Christmas Tree! Part III – Oversized DIY Ornaments

After the ribbon and floral picks, I start placing my large size ornaments throughout the tree.

I love to use large glass ornaments, but every year I have lost more and more of my beautiful glass ornaments due to breakage. Only the glass ones seem to ever fall off the tree! So this year I am using my glass ornaments on more level surfaces only. As a substitute I am using these large plastic ornaments I bought for $0.79 for a pack of three at last year’s Hobby Lobby’s after Christmas clearance.

I bought 5 packs of these and I have decorated them in different ways. I have spray painted some, embossed some, glittered some and beaded some. It was fun trying to come up with different ways to decorate them.

I also used four of these oversized crosses that I purchased at Garden Ridge’s after Christmas clearance a few years ago. I liked these so much that I went to every Garden Ridge that was within a reasonable driving distance to find more of these, but I could only find four.

I know you are probably saying to yourself that I should really stop now - add a topper and call it done. Not yet! Next – Bling Bling!

Bargain Find of the Week

This week’s bargain find comes from Hobby Lobby’s 80% off Fall/Thanksgiving clearance. These bronze beaded trees costs $4.80, $4.00 and $3.20 after discount. I would have liked to wait to purchase them for 90% off but I had a feeling that they wouldn’t last that long. Although Hobby Lobby considers them Fall decor, I think they could be easily pass as Christmas decor in my home.

O’ Christmas Tree! Part II – Nontraditional Ornaments

I like a very full and lush Christmas tree and even post Christmas bargain shopping and DIY ornaments can still add up in price and be very time consuming. So I use nontraditional items as ornaments to add to the fullness of my Christmas tree.

One of these nontraditional items is candle rings. I purchased these from Michael’s at a 90% off after Christmas sale a few years ago. I think they cost $0.49 each and I use about 10 throughout the tree. I place the rings around a group of tips and push it towards the trunk of the tree.

I also use Christmas floral picks in the tree also. I lay the larger ones of top of the branches and the smaller ones are great for covering up the twisted tips that hold the ribbon in place. I also purchased these at 90% off a few years ago from Michael’s at prices varying from about $0.19 to $0.59 each. I use about two dozen picks throughout the tree.

Next – Oversized DIY Ornaments. Are you wondering to yourself yet “Where is she going to find room to put anything else on that tree!?” I am only halfway finished at this point. I told you I like a full and lush tree!

O’ Christmas Tree! Part I - Ribbon

This is Part I in a series of posts detailing how I decorate my Christmas tree. I usually try to wait until Thanksgiving day to put up the tree, but after I ventured out last night for the first time in almost two weeks I was surprised to see how many Christmas decorations were already up – commercial and residential. So since I am moving slower than usual due to the surgery, I figured I should start early so I could be finished by Thanksgiving.

I start with an artificial 6.5 ft pre-lit slim Christmas tree. This tree is so easy to put up. The branches are prehinged and the tree comes in three sections. I easily attach the sections and the lights, the hinged branches fall in place and with a little fluffing of the tips, the tree is ready to decorate. I took me about 5 minutes total!

The first item I use to decorate the tree is ribbon. I love different types of wired ribbon that can be twisted and shaped in various ways. I bought this ribbon from a local Christmas decorating store and it is the only items in my Christmas decor that I didn’t make or buy in a post Christmas sale and paid full price for. They costs about $12.95 - $14.95 for a 10 yard roll. I love them and have reused them over and over for a couple of years now.

I use the tips of the tree to hold the ribbon in place.

I don’t have a specific set of rules here. I just start intertwining the ribbon throughout the tree. Since all of the ribbon is wired it is easy to shape and twist the ribbon different ways. I just keep going until it appears that the tree is adequately covered in ribbon.

Next – Using nontraditional ornaments/filler to decorate the Christmas tree.