As several of you (and others who saw my tree or the picture of my tree) have commented on it being lovely and "elaborate" I think Chrissy called it, I thought I would include some tips on how to take your own tree into the realm of fabulous without losing the I am a real person's real tree feel.
Tip #1--try to make everything you put on the tree coordinate. Make them all one or two colors, or all metallic, or have a similar element or color through out. I stuck to red and gold and white/iridescent, although making it a normal tree meant that when I really liked an ornament I said fuck it and put up whatever I want (there is an bright blue sari on the Indian lady that matches the flamenco lady on the front of the tree).
Tip #2--vary the sizes and shapes of stuff you put on the tree. Or make them all identical. But I used at least 4 sizes of round balls. I have 5 or 6 very vertical ornaments, and when I hung all the ornaments on the tree I looked at the hole to balance and fill out.
Tip #3--have a basic ornament or two that you repeat multiple times throughout the tree. I have a big glass globe, glass stars, clear gems, and gold jingle bells that are all over. Buy these in bulk like 20 or so at a time--jingle bells are usually a dollar or less at pier one or target, and the others often come in packages or can be scavenged post Christmas for a steal.
Tip #4--know what looks good on your lighted tree. Some ornaments that look cheap and are cheap at the store look way better than the expensive ones. Look for ornaments that will reflect light with glitter, beading, facets, sparkle, shimmer, reflective surfaces. Even when these look really lame and CHEAP in the store, they often look the best when integrated into the tree. Unless you have a very specific theme like all wooden ornaments or toy trains, these are what start to bring your tree to the next level. Also, if you have lots of matte or fabric or wood ornaments, use white lights and less of them to set them off rather than upstage them.
Tip #5--don't skimp on a garland. My tree looks LOADS more awesome this year with very little changed. There are a few more ornaments, but in the exact same vein as the ones there before. The main change was having a garland. And garlands can be easy, this was a ribbon (well two spools) that I bought at Home Depot for not terribly much money (for garland). Ribbon with some metallic elements and wire are the most impressive of this kind of garland (in my opinion) although if you have a homier tree (like my friend Robyn's advent tree with hand knit ornaments, a paper chain or popcorn or cranberries on a string might be even better (also cheaper).
Tip #6--this might take a few years, so think of it as a long term goal. OK, yes I thought about my tree this way, and it has been three Pier 1 holiday seasons in the making for my tree to look this nice. Year one was some inexpensive basics and cheap plain glass bulbs from target. Plus stocking up on my favorites when they went on sale after the holidays. Year two was pretty much year one (with the after Christmas bargain additions) and some glittery gift tags to fill in. Year three was the addition of some LED lights as well as some new ornaments from after Christmas year two and new new ones (because I had a better job), plus a major, major post Christmas discount win because NO ONE else liked my favorite ornament. I bought like 5 of them for about $5 total instead of closer to $5 each. Year four I have only added garland, some more jingle bells (on sale!), the glass gems (in a package, on sale!), and a few more ornaments (mostly to mix it up with some vertical and because I went from a 5 foot tree to a 7 and 1/2 foot tree) and also because I just like them. I like Christmas ornaments. So sue me.
Merry Christmas! Happy Hanukkah! Happy any other holiday out there that you celebrate this time of year!
3 comments:
These are really useful and your tree does look gorgeous.
Can you post a picture of the ornaments that you loved that nobody else liked? I'm really curious now.
We also have a grown-up tree- all in silver (except for gifted or favorite ornaments)- I'll try to find a pic from last year since it looks the same. I put a red beaded garland on my mini-tree, but I think I will try to knit a garland for it, and maybe a tree topper when I have a chance.
OH MY GOD Robyn if you knit a garland and tree topper for your mini tree I think it will be so cute it will actually make people cry!
And you must then post pictures!
I will post ornament pictures, probably this weekend. The one know one likes is pretty visible on that picture as I can count 5 of them. The best example is about 1 inch above the end table just to the right of the tree.
It is a clear glass globe that seems to have like a diamond gridded pattern pressed into the glass itself (as in the pattern is part of the glass globes structure, so it is textured) and inside most of the indentations is a little rhinestone.
I think it is really pretty, and our Pier 1 had a ton of them last year and virtually no one bought them. I think they might have been just a little too expensive for people to get them, and then they went on after Christmas sale, and I went crazy.
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