Earthy Outdoor Christmas Tree – Part 1

Here’s a little fact about me…right now we are in between houses.  Wait what?  Yes, we sold our house and haven’t found the right one yet so we are currently living with my ever so gracious father-in-law.  Everything we have is in storage for the time being so this year I wanted to come up with an inexpensive way to decorate our tree.  With that being said I wanted to continue with my earthy outdoor theme – simple and elegant. Most of the items that I used I had laying around the house or found in the great outdoors.

Here’s the skinny on how to put together a Christmas Tree according to Beckie.

Step 1: string the lights.  I know that’s super exciting and everyone has their own unique way.  I didn’t think you really wanted a picture of me stringing lights as it really is quite a sight.

Step 2: Start with your garland.  My husband is somewhat of a vintage book collector and I really wanted to incorporate his love of books. I use various books a lot with decorating and staging so I knew that I must make a book garland.  I grabbed one of the books I found at a local thrift store last year for $1, pretty cool right???? I complied my supplies and got to work.

To start with, I cut off the edges and measured across to 2 ½” and 8” long.  I laid my ruler across the bottom and cut 2” up one one side, flipped my ruler, and cut 2” on that side to make a V.

Then I folded them in half, strung on a piece of jute, and used a piece of double sided sticky tape to hold them together and strung about every 2”.

Step 3: fillers aka round balls.  A while ago, and by awhile I mean like 4 years ago, I bought some fuzzy crazy yarn because, well it was super cute. I had such high hopes for it and was going to use it right away…until it got put somewhere in my craft bin and became forgotten. The other day I found my treasure and thought, why not make some crazy balls to hang?

So in my quest to use things from my house and not have to run to the store, I pulled out a roll of paper towels.  They come in handier than you might think.  I wanted this to be my filler, so I tore off sections and crumpled up until I had just the right size. I started wrapping my yarn in a crisscross pattern and kept going until it was covered nicely and looked full.  Sorry I don’t have exact measurements on this but it’s pretty easy to figure out. Once I was done, I just threaded a hook through the top, pulled the wire to the side and you are ready to hang.  I love the fuzzy, quirky element it adds to the tree.  Kind of reminds me of a crusty, frozen, glazed snowball you might come across as you are snowshoeing through the forest.  Okay, so maybe not, but you get the picture!

I am all about layering and adding depth. I love mixing different textures, sizes, colors and elements to give your tree the right look.  While on my venture out thrifting, I came across some very neat and unusual glass balls.  I love the look.  They just make me smile.  I also came across a couple of boxes of Martha Stewart ornaments.  I just knew they had to come home with me.

I found some pine cones while walking outside.  For sanity sake, I washed them with dish soap and let dry. I used Elmers glue and a little water and painted on the ends of the pine cone. Then I rolled them in a bowl of glitter, glued a bead on top, and strung jute through.

Step 4: Adding in layers, aka picks. This is my favorite, super fun part. This is where I use picks.  They are super easy to add in and give a lot of texture and layers. While at the local craft store, I came across the feathers and fell in love. I found 2 bushes of the crystal picks in my father in law’s basement from his tree a few years ago.  I pulled the bushes apart to make 12 individual picks.

I found the beaded crystal at the dollar store last year and bought 2 packs. They are a fun element to add, but limit your quantity as it makes them stand out more.  I found the icicles at WalMart a few years ago and they come 24 to a pack.  They remind me of the massive icicels we used to have hanging off our house as a kid.  They are small and simple, but go with everything and add a lot of class to the tree. The white curlies came in a bundle, and because I am thrifty, I dissasembeled the bundle and grouped them in 2 so I could make it stretch further.

To learn how to complete your Earthy Outdoor Christmas Tree, with more tutorials included, see Earthy Outdoor Christmas Tree – Part 2