How Many Lights Should You Use?

Striking a balance between the size of your tree and the number of lights is important.  Part of the charm associated with Christmas trees comes from the glow of the lights.  A tree with too few lights can seem bare and underwhelming.  It is said that as a general rule, you should have at least 50 lights per foot of tree.

Here is a breakdown of what might be considered adequate for specific tree heights.

Tree Height                                  Number of Bulbs
2 feet                                                    100-150
3 feet                                                    150-250
4 feet                                                    200-350
6 feet                                                    300-450
7 feet                                                    350-550

I personally like to error on the side of having more than I need as opposed to having too few.  I'm not known to do anything halfway so on my trees, the more lights the better.

How To Choose The Right Tree

The long standing tradition of going out and cutting down your own Christmas tree is likely a thing of the past for most households.  The convenience and savings of using an artificial tree has changed that tradition.  I do not use live trees because of both allergy issues and difficulty keeping the tree in good shape for the long span of time my decor is up.  Here are a few things to consider if you decide to use a real tree.
Tree Size

• Determine where you will place your tree before shopping.  Measure the height of the space to know how much room you have to work with.
• If you don't know the height of your space, buy taller than you think you may need.  You can always trim back the top or cut back on the bottom.
• If your planning to place your tree in a window, it's a good idea to measure the width.  This way you can purchase a tree that fits the proportions of the window.

Tree Quality

• Be sure to check that your tree is fresh.  Signs of a tree that is already drying out are simple to spot.  It's a bad sign if the tree is already loosing a large amount of needles.  You can also bend on the bottom branches to see if it's flexible.  If they are dry and break, the tree isn't all that fresh.
• Trees that are pre-wrapped in netting are dangerous buys.  You want to be sure and see the shape of your tree.  Buying a pre-wrapped tree could lead to disappointment when you get it home.  You may find it has an odd shape and even sections that are already dead and dried that you were unable to see.

Other Useful Tips

• Trim 1 inch off the bottom of the tree just before putting it into the stand. This will cause it to absorb more water quickly. Give it plenty of water when you first put it up and remember to water it daily.
• Before bringing your tree into the house, give it a firm shake to get the loose needles to fall to the ground. Then, you won't have as much to cleanup.
• Use hot tap water (not boiling) to water the tree. This melts the sap and keeps the tree from creating a "scab" over the end.

Types Of Trees

Noble Fir Christmas Tree

This tree has fairly slim branches, which are easy to decorate and the needles are relatively soft, not prickly. It is usually quite a deep shade of green.

Norway Spruce Christmas tree

This tree tends to be slightly cheaper than other varieties as the needles will drop more easily. Keep well-watered to help keep shedding to a minimum.

Scots Pine Christmas Tree

A popular choice, this tree does hold onto its needles, but should be handled with care as the needles are very sharp.

Nordman Christmas Tree

This lovely bushy tree retains its needles very well and, with its upwards-pointing branches, decorations are in no danger of sliding off.

Blue Spruce Christmas Tree

A good tree for planting out in January, and the blue-tinge looks as striking in the home as it does outside.

Decorating For Just Cents

I am the king of hitting Christmas clearance to get a deal on stuff to use in the future.  I may not use it for a year or two but you had better believe I'll use it someday.  I don't often buy much when it is only 50-70% off.  I like to get it when it's 75% off or more.  Here are a few steals I've gotten when I grab things that everyone else has left behind.

I got these sets from Target. They were still on the shelf at 90% off. I paid $0.50 a piece for them. I knew that I was going to use purple and light blue in 2011 so they were a steal.  Plus, you can never have enough silver and gold to add to any other color scheme..  Ornaments this small are perfect for filling glassware and other containers.

I have seperated all the pieces by color so that I can take each color to the room that it's intended for.  It saves me tons of times from sorting when I start to decorate.  I don't need any silver in the room where I'm decorating with purple.  Why add to the clutter by sorting it while using it?

I grabbed these at Dollar General for $0.20 each.  Again...small ornaments make great filler.  I used these little gold balls with the little purple as filler for my Wine/Tuscan scheme in the kitchen.  Even better...the container I filled was a wine glass.  It's the perfect accessory in the room!

Burlap Ribbon

Some time ago a co-worker saved wine bottles for me that I had intended to use to decorate in my kitchen.  I never ended up using the bottles and decided one day to pitch them.  While doing so I found that inside the boxes were a bunch of the wine corks.  I kept those with the intent of making something with them.  I finally used them this year and made ornaments (which I blogged about earlier).

After making the ornaments I decided to go with a Tuscan, rustic wine theme in my kitchen for Christmas.  My kitchen is decorated in that theme all year so that meant I could incorporate what I already had out instead of packing it up for the season.  In an attempt to make things more rustic I decided that I'd add some burlap.

I did some searching and never found exactly what I was looking for in terms of a burlap ribbon.  So...as with most things I decided to make my own.  It turned out exactly how I had hoped and looks great combined with the stamped muslin ribbon I posted about earlier.  I took a few pieces of my ribbon and tied them up into bows.  I must say that they look pretty good as well.

I have decided that I may go one step further and attempt some easy burlap valances and a throw pillow so that all areas of the kitchen tie in to the decor of the tree.  Check back to see how that all turned out.

Supplies
Burlap
Scissors
Tape Measure

Instructions

1. Decide what width you want your ribbon.  Measure out and score several sections.

2. Cut the length of the fabric.  It's best if you carefully follow allow the thread path.  This will make it easier to frey the edges.

3. To frey the edge, start pulling a thread at a time, starting with the outermost thread.

4. Continue step 3 until you have pulled far enough to get the desired amount of frey.

NOTE:  The salvage edge (finished edge from the bolt of fabric) is likely looped when manufactured to keep the burlap from freying.  You will need to trim a small amount along that edge if you wish to frey it.

Christmas Krinkles: The First Tree

In a previous post I talked about Krinkles...one of my favorite line of collectibles by the artist Patience Brewster.  I shared how my love (or obsession) with them began the first year that I worked for Bergner's, setting up the Trim-A-Home department.  That year they had purchased the Krinkles display tree.  I fell in love with the tree as I was unpacking and hanging the ornatments on it.  The tree is supported at the base by four large red high heel shoes...which are a trademark feature for the collection.

I was very lucky to be able to purchase the tree at the end of the holiday.  It has been quite a conversation piece and something that a lot of friends look forward to seeing.  I don't use it every year but when I do, I typically decorate the rest of the room that it's in with other pieces from the Krinkle collection.  The tree hasn't been out for the last two years so I decided that this was a good year to use it again.  I'll post pics after the open house (December 2nd) and also feature some of the pieces that I'll be using this year.

Krinkles Mini Ornament Display Tree

Feather Topped Ornaments

A few years back feathers made their way into my arsenal of decorating supplies.  It all started by these very cool but simple ornaments I found while searching around online.  My Christmas decorating has never been the same since.  Here is how is all started...

This ornament that I found online was a very simple glass ornament...solid colored with a band of feathers wrapped around the top.  Of course the site I was surfing around wanted some ridiculous amount of money for a set of two of them.  There was no way I would ever spend that kind of money for something like that BUT it did get the wheels turning in my head about how I could make them myself. 

I made a quick dash to Hobby Lobby and was lucky enough that their feathers and boas were half price (keep an eye out because they are usually on sale every 2-4 weeks).  I grabbed some plain siver ball ornaments, a rope of black marabou (a thinner type of feather boa) and headed home to make my own ornaments.

 It only took a few supplies that I already had at home and Ta Da...I had made really neat ornaments and found a new material that changed the future of my Christmas trees.  I started using feathers in ways I would've never imagined.  Check back because I'm going to show you the many other ways I have incorporated feathers into my Christmas designs.  You won't wna to miss it!

Supplies
Ornaments of choice
Marabou (color that you choose to coordinate with your ornaments)
Scissors
Hot glue gun & glue

(I suggest having a vaccum close to minimize the flying feathers.  Trust me...they will be EVERYWHERE...Ha ha)

Instructions

1. Grab an ornanment and your marabou.  You'll need to cut a piece of marabou that is just big enough to wrap around the cap & hook of the ornament.

2. Run a ring of hot glue around the cap

3. Attach the marabou piece quickly, before the glue dries.  Press is firmly into the glue so that it can grab onto the marabou tightly enough to hold it around the cap.

4. Add a hook and your ornament is ready to hang.

Featured CD - Crystal Lewis

If you like a more jazzy style of Christmas music then you'll like another one that I keep in my collection.  HOLIDAY: A COLLECTION OF CHRISTMAS CLASSIC by Crystal Lewis.  The styling for this album has a great lounge feel to it.  This CD is perfect to have going in the background while hosting a casual holiday evening with guests.

Purchase HOLIDAY: A COLLECTION OF CHRISTMAS CLASSICS at Amazon