Vintage White Christmas Tree

 WOW! Thanks for the LOVE, everyone!
My Vintage White Christmas post is gettin' hits like mad!

so, I think it's time for more inspiration... how about how the tree came together for that theme?

 first, the tree: it's not vintage - it's a new $45 white prelit 6' tree from walmart.

and it wasn't 'big' enough for the 10' ceilings in the room, so it sits up on a wood crate painted white.

[elevating a tree not only helps it give stature to your room, but leaves a LOT more room beneath it for gifts!]

the tree was set up and plugged in, then i gathered up all of the ornaments and decor...

 you'll notice from these photos that you don't have to just use ornaments on a tree...

you can use a lot of things that are just everyday items and collectibles, too.

adding some decor elements that are BIG helps to keep things interesting on the tree!

begin with the largest elements first, placing them equally on the tree

[and yes, i am sort of persnickety about that. 

i don't actually MEASURE the distance between ornaments that are the same, but I DO 'eyeball' it!]

 then move on to the medium-sized elements, then the small, and the really special ones go on last.

 toppers on trees don't have to be just a single star or angel or glass thingamabob...

it's easy to create an interesting arrangement at the top of the tree instead!

this one has a star made from a carpenter's ruler, some vintage silk 'money plant' florals,

a white baroque photo frame, and one of my original Junk Queen 'Ice Princess' crowns.

 some of the unique ornaments on this tree are a tiny plastic chandelier,

vintage paper bells and mini burlap stockings

 an old plastic snowflake garland, corkscrew glass ornaments from the dollar store, 

and a perfect birdsnest found in our boxwood hedge

[it's said that having a birdsnest in your Christmas tree brings good luck for the coming year!]

 these stunning ornaments are my very favorites... flocked damask designs in soft cream on white glass.

they are not vintage, but new. i found them at TJ Maxx a few years back. loooooooove them!

 the giant snowflakes are plastic, and came from a party supply store.

bonus for me: they had hung in their display windows one year, and had yellowed slightly. 

they hated that - i loved it! and i got them on clearance for a SONG

 i collect little tea cups when i find them at thrift shops, and paint them with white gloss spray paint.

they make very charming ornaments, and also look sweet hung on ribbons from chandeliers!

 carpenter's ruler stars

there are also crocheted doilies as 'snowflakes'

and crystals backed with vintage sheet music on the tree...
i didn't get a close up, but you can see them in the first photo above.

 and my most precious ornament on this tree: a silver baby spoon,

in honor of my three sweet grandsons.

you could easily get spoons and have them stamped or engraved with names, too!

i loved sitting in the chair with this view...

stuff those stockings with..... forks????

here's an easy way to corral flatware at your holiday table:

stuff a stocking with it!

above, a tiny burlap stocking holds flatware and serves as a placemarker - 

simply write the name of your guests on manilla tags and clip to the sock with a wooden clothes pin.

you could also write the guests' name ON the stocking -  

and what a sweet take-home gift that would make!

the first time i did this with a small stocking in a holiday decorating seminar, 

the women present tried to steal it out of my display!!!

this tiny red stocking came from the dollar store, and is a great solution for buffet service:

roll napkins, and gather up your flatware in a bundle with a colorful ribbon.

tuck both into the stocking, then place a platter or bowl of them on your buffet serving counter.

makes it easy for guests to grab one after they fill their plates - 

and once again, you can let them take these tiny treats home!
[maybe tuck a hard candy in the toe of the stocking as a surprise!]

Ornament Makeover!

sometimes we have great stuff... stuff we really LOVE

but it just doesn't QUITE FIT what we are doing now in our decor.

or things get a bit worn out, or dated along the way.

that's the time to give it a makeover!

the sweet-faced snowman ornament shown above is a great example,

because he didn't start out like that!

it's a simple white ball ornament, with a drawn-on face

and a miniature clay carrot glued on for a nose.

i made a few dozen for my own tree over a dozen years ago, 

and sent one to my mom that year.

[mine are in storage in Seattle - i found moms at her cabin!]

he had a jaunty red knit cap 

and the box that i packaged him in had a jaunty red knit 'scarf' tied 'round it:

 now, he's still cute. but he's a little bit 'worn' - and his cap came unglued. 

i was going to just fix him, but decided instead to fix him UP!

enter new wardrobe choice:

a creamy ivory knit cap and 'scarf' for the box fits the decor this year

[you know i used scraps from my copious 'Sweater Stash' for this one, right?!]

by slipping a simple decorative hook into the back of his cap, he could hang on a tree.

but i'll probably leave him in the box and sit it on a shelf. 

the box came from Dollar Tree, by the way -

i just drew the same face on it as on the ornament.

i've also spray painted glass and resin ornaments new colors,

added sparkling crystal stickers, and painted letters onto my old ornaments

to make them fresh for a new decor theme! 

Fast, Cheap & Easy Tutorial: Ornament Hooks

 pOp QuiZ:

how many pokes in the toes have you had over your lifetime from stepping on wire ornament hooks?

you know, the ones that HIDE in the carpeting during and AFTER the holidays...

they make us screech and bleed when we step on them. 

they make us yell when our vacuums suck them up and suddenly grind to a halt. 

i hate those things!

so i came up with a solution: i don't use 'em.

i make my own from pipe cleaners [also known as 'chenille stems']

okay, here's the fastest tutorial EVER...

1. gather materials:

a package of chenille stems from the dollar store

pair of scissors

TOP TIP: 

make them disappear into the tree by using a coordinating color : 

white on a white tree, green on a green tree, silver on an aluminum tree, etc.

make them stand out by using a contrasting color : silver, gold, red, etc. 

2. cut chenille stems in half for regular size hooks, or into thirds or quarters for smaller sizes 

(great on garlands or mini trees)

 3. twist into an 'S' shape, and curl the ends all the way in - like a cursive 'S'.

4. hook onto ornaments

5. hang ornaments

that's it, you're done!

*these hooks are soft - they won't scratch delicate glass.

*the ornaments won't fall OFF of them because of that swirly curl.

*you can squeeze the top swirly curl closed once it's around a branch on the tree, and it won't BUDGE.

even if the cat gets in there and plays ping pong with it.

*they don't end up in a tangled headache-inducing mass between uses.

*they also SHOW UP on the carpeting, so you won't step on them or vacuum them up by mistake!

Tree of Life...

Over on the HOMEWARDfound facebook Page, 

I asked if you collect and use vintage & antique ornaments in your Christmas decor.

 In today's 'Bonus Post', I'd love to share a story about ornaments,

and how they are so much more than just 'decor'...

Over seven years of decorating her home,

one of my residential decor clients has become a dear, cherished friend

This was the weekend in December that I would normally go to her house to put up her tree. I'm missing her this year, and thought I'd reflect on what she's taught me...

Fran is a lovely lady, widowed, who lives in a modest Seattle home. A home that holds the immense treasures that only a lifetime of living, loving, collecting, and fond memories can produce. Some things may have monetary value, but the true worth of Fran's 'estate' is that every single item comes with a story....

Fran's impressive Christmas ornament collection dates from the late 1800's. 

Some ornaments came from her grandmother, then her mother added to the collection, then Fran added her own - three generations of Holiday memories. Each precious fragile bauble is lovingly swathed in pristine white tissue and laid gently in original boxes. Packed into plastic tubs, they are safely stored all year - until the lucky day that I get to go to her house and help her unearth them.

As each box is opened and each little wad of tissue unwrapped, Fran's eyes dance and her smile grows wider. Occasionally I see a tear in her eye, as a memory catches her breath. I hear every story...'These we got on our honeymoon in Spain...' , 'This Dresden angel was mom's', or 'My niece made this for me when she was 7' (she's 40 now). Precious memories of happy times, all brought out into the light each Holiday season. 

[I think it is a remarkably SMART practice to purchase ornaments as souvenirs when traveling - less to pack, inexpensive to buy, and you get to relive the memories each year]

It took hours of work, but it was truly a labor of love - for Fran, and for me. 

She started out as a client and is now a dear friend. We love our time together to chat, visit, catch up, and share Holiday memories. And after the hours of chatter and gasps and the occasional 'Oh Dear!' when one of the oldest ornaments is found to have deteriorated beyond repair (SO sad), all of the special ornaments end up on the tree - and somehow manage to look more beautiful every year!

 It's not a 'designer' tree, not a theme tree...it's a tree of life. Fran's life.

Her life as a child, as a daughter, as a wife, as an aunt. 

It's her story, beautifully told.

Even the old ornaments that are broken and damaged are used...

I heap them into her collection of silver hotel serving pieces, and they look absolutely perfect. In decorating as in life, the lack of perfection is often what is most charming. And damaged doesn't mean something isn't still useful.

Many years ago, she called me to ask if I could help her "bring the Christmas Spirit back" into her home, after her mother died. Which was two years after her husband died. That same year, she lost her brother. Too much for one person, I think. This woman has known so much in life...growing up the daughter of an immigrant farmer, to create a career in broadcasting and hotel management, to her wonderful, loving marriage to a successful businessman who adored her, then figuring out life as a single woman on her own for the first time in her life.

Joy, sorrow, love, loss, pain and passion have touched her, and yet she is vibrant in spirit, young at heart, and a gracious, caring person. I am in awe of what she has experienced, what she has learned, and how she easily admits that she really still has so much to learn. She impresses me. I respect her, I admire her, and I love her dearly.

Fran told me each year as we parted that I make her holidays worth celebrating.... 

How do you respond to that, except with tears and a hug?! 

I treasure this woman, and am so blessed to have her in my life. We share stories, laughter, lots of tea, and lunch. And Love is the Christmas Spirit that she brings to me. Now that I no longer live in Seattle, I will miss decorating for her, but our friendship is still shared across the miles by phone calls.

Before I left Washington, I created a photo album of all of the photos you see above, which are of her own ornament collection, and gave it to her when I took her to tea at the Four Seasons Olympic Hotel in Seattle. That was where I delivered the sad news that I was leaving Seattle...and the happy news that our time together has been so meaningful to me. With these photos, she can enjoy her beautiful Christmas ornament collection and her memories any day of the year... and so can I.

a Vintage White Christmas

as you might expect from an  

a) decorating enthusiast  b) visual designer & stylist 

and c) owner of fifty-plus tubs of assorted Christmas decor, 

i try to mix things up every year when i decorate my home.

i love what i have, i just want it to be fresh and interesting each year.

one year, my theme was 'a Vintage White Christmas', 

with some burlap and lace thrown in to echo the popularity of Danish-Euro style...

all this white pine-bough loveliness came about as a last-minute addition to my decor plan!
 

in the midst of decorating, i went into the local thrift shop [i know, i know....]
where i spied two huge plain cardboard boxes labelled
'White Xmas Tree: Part 1 and Part 2'. and they were taped shut. 

i asked how much for the tree, and was told  

ten bucks - plus 50% off, so a total of FIVE BUCKS.
and you already know what happened next... i said SOLD! so fast it wasn't funny!

the gal cut open the boxes so I could check out the tree, 

and it was a really NICE white nylon tree from the 80's. 8' tall. No lights. 

 Now, I already had a decent white 7' white tree, pre-lit, to use that year......

but here's a hot tip for you:  

NEVER pass up a decent faux tree for a good price.

You may not need another TREE, but you can use the branches for decorating with!
and that's exactly what i did.

instead of using my usual cut greens from outside in the decor,

i stayed with a very light, soft palette and put white branches 

on the chandelier, on the buffet, on the dining table, on the tables in the living room, on the entry table...

 everywhere, basically. 

and then i added heaps of ornaments and candles and more to the chandelier 

(and i have to say i just LOVE those fancy blown glass ornaments)
and to the buffet, the dining table, the tables in the living room, and the entry table.....  

 filling jars, bowls, serving trays, cake pedestals, and other everyday containers with beautiful ornaments

is an easy way to spread Christmas cheer and your color scheme all through your home

remember my original 'white glass light globe pumpkins' i shared here in my fall posts?

well, THIS is what i do with CLEAR light globes!

i put them into arrangements with greens and ornaments, 

and then tuck a night light on an extension cord inside them.
turn it on, and it glows beautifully - while being very safe.

[i use them outside this way, too, 

and have photos of that to share in another post...]

a sweet way to add 'a little something' to a simple candle: 

a vintage crocheted collar, a silk ribbon and a vintage rhinestone clip earring 

wrapped around a glass hurricane shade.  a candle in a glass jar inside the shade burns safely. 

and because i am truly NEVER 'done' decorating, i made a change after i took the photos...

i put white bubble light bulbs into my chandelier!

my grandma Ward had bubble lights on a tree when i was little, 

and they always bring back sweet memories for me.

these white ones were just too perfect to pass up

[and my grandson LOVED them, so the tradition is passed on!]

this soft, monochromatic Vintage White Christmas theme was so restful

and serves as a basic decor scheme that allows for changes through the years:

the next year, i added seashells for a really beachy theme

and another year, i had a swanky black and white theme...

i'll share those soon!