Tag Archives: holiday decorating

Decorating your tree inexpensively

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16590126_SIf you’ve just moved into your first home, you may want a special holiday tree but can’t rationalize spending lots of money to decorate it. If so, this blog is for you. Here are a handful of ideas to make your tree brilliant and special without investing much money.

Lights: These are often a loss-leader in stores during the holidays, so you can pick up a batch for a reasonable price. If you can, spend a bit more and get the LED lights – they are more expensive initially, but they use much less energy and last longer, so you will save money in the long run.

Ribbons: Your local warehouse store has a wonderful selection of holiday ribbons with 50 yards running under $10. Choose one that appeals to you and matches the mood you want to present and use it liberally as a garland. Notice the way the ribbon on the tree in this photo curls and curves – adding a lot of personality and style.

Edible decorations: Bake ginger cookies and hang them on your tree. Pick up a bag of foil-wrapped chocolate decorations at an import store to add glitz, and you can eat them later. A package of candy canes is reasonably priced and they add charm when hung on branches.

Make it yourself: Holiday gift-wrap can be cut into shapes and hung on your tree. Festive gift tags add color and personality. Check out Pinterest to see what other suggestions people have for handmade holiday decorations. You’d be surprised what you can do with a few supplies and nimble fingers.

Go old-fashioned: Ball ornaments are generally available in a wealth of colors at good prices. Be sure to get plastic or shatterproof if you have pets or children. Even a few of these scattered among the other decorations can make your tree feel finished. If you really want to kick it up a notch, consider tinsel to add the final touch of holiday bling.

Decorating a tree is really not about money. It’s about imagination, style and the joy of having your own tree you created in your new home.

Adding Natural Elements to Holiday Decorations

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Even if you prefer an artificial tree you can add natural features to your holiday celebrations. Pine cones, seed pods and nuts still in their shells bring the season to life.

You can add some character and even bling to a natural arrangement. Consider touching the edges of your pine cones with white paint to resemble snow, or add some glue and cover the tips of various natural pieces with glitter.

Holiday greens provide a nice addition to any tablescape. Local warehouse stores and groceries have bouquets of pine and holly and other greenery, and these will bring charm to any holiday decoration. Place small branches under holiday ornaments or treats to add a special touch.

Fresh pine wreaths and poinsettias can be picked up at those same stores, or take a trip to a florist for a larger selection of options. The smell of fresh pine when you walk into a home makes the holidays more vivid.

If you have pine trees or firs such as a juniper on your property, you can just trim off some smaller branches and create your own green decorations. Be careful with pine branches, cones and needles, however. Freshly-cut pieces often drip sap that can damage furniture. Place wax paper or foil under the edges so that the sap is safely captured.

Whole spices such as nutmegs, cinnamon sticks and star anise make a nice addition with both looks and scent for the holidays. Notice the clove-studded oranges above. Use a sharp knife first to make the holes in the orange, then stick whole cloves in to make a sweet-smelling decoration. In this case a bit of fake snow adds to the holiday mood. Even without our own snow here, we can conjure the memory of winter weather by bringing nature into our festivities.

Pick and Decorate a Designer Tree

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Have you always wanted your holiday tree to look as beautiful as the ones you see in stores or designer spaces? Like anything professional, choosing and decorating a tree well is a matter of following certain steps. Here are a few tips to make your tree as lovely as you want.

Tree choice: Choose a tree which has the proportions and branches to stand up to a wealth of decorations. In Arizona, the most common live holiday trees are Douglas and Noble. Douglas firs have many branches, but they can only support the lightest of ornaments. Also, they are dense, which means that all of your lights and decorations need to be on the surface. If you want to create drama, choose a Noble fir, like the second tree on the left with the pink tag on it in the photo above. This variety of tree can support heavier ornaments and allows you to see into the tree itself, providing the opportunity to layer decorations.

Lights: There are two common errors with lights: not enough and the wrong placement. To really make a tree shine, figure on about 100 lights per foot. That’s three to four times more lights than most people use, but the difference is dramatic. Next, place the lights toward the middle of the tree, not at the ends of the branches. Don’t run them in a line. Instead, place the light strings in random patterns on and between the insides of each branch. With lights set up like this, they will appear and disappear as people walk around the tree, and the brilliance will showcase the rest of the decorations.

Garlands: These are optional, but be generous with your choices. Often today, you will see designers use large pieces of artificial foliage or feathers instead of garlands. Notice how this choice works well with the tree on the right.

Ornaments: Think in terms of balance. Put larger ornaments toward the bottom and smaller ones at the top. Distribute colors and types of ornaments evenly.

Tree skirt: Instead of a standard round tree skirt, consider a length of fabric such as a white to resemble snow or dark velvet such as the one used on this tree. Just tuck the raw edges underneath and drape the fabric gracefully.

Throughout your decorating efforts, step back regularly to check the full effect. This may take more time than a standard approach, but the extra effort is worth it in the end.