11/26/12

Let's talk "Christmas Tree!"

Hey everyone!  I don't know about ya'll, but I've been a "ball of energy" today, and that doesn't happen very often.  I was so excited to have finished my Christmas decorating yesterday, that today I hit the ground running to get everything cleaned up.  The entire house has been vacuumed, dusted, mopped and scrubbed from bathroom to bathroom.....ahhhhh!  Sooooo.....what to do now?  Well, I thought I'd share the trials and tribulations of decorating our main Christmas tree.  I do this in the hopes that it may help someone else who finds themselves in a similar situation.  So, here we go.



This is the tree in question.  Looks pretty innocent, right?  Well, actually, I think it looks beautiful even if I do say so myself!

This was our only major Christmas decoration purchase this year.  We hemmed and hawed quite awhile about buying a new tree, but the old tree was super-skinny.  That worked great in our little townhouse, but it looked pretty scrawny in this larger space with high ceilings.

This is the skinny one.  It was pretty old and had an issue with the lights in the mid-section -- they would periodically go out.  Hey, for someone who is just a tad OCD, that was a biggie!
So, we looked at every tree in town and determined that we liked the Martha Stewart Noble Fir that Home Depot was carrying.  I really didn't want a taller one, just fuller.  I'm the one on the ladder doing the decorating -- enough said!

One of the features listed on the box, among having LED lights and a great warranty, was that it had "memory steel pre-formed branches."  What does that mean, you might be asking?  Well, it means that the tree pretty much "springs-to-life" without any fluffing.  Yay, right?

Well, yes, it is pretty impressive and looks very real and so pretty.  The only issue is that all the wonderful mesh ribbon I had been hoarding  collecting, could not be simply scrunched, poufed & twisted onto the branches as I had dutifully learned to do from  
Liz @ Savvy Seasons & Kristen @ Kristen's Creations.  Okay, I will not be defeated........

I simply had to "pre-pouf" and twist with wire which took quite awhile to complete.  Next step was to attach the poufs to the tree.

Have you bought any of these lately?  I don't use these for my ornaments, but I had a box on hand and decided this could be my answer -- simply twist around the wired pouf and form a hook & presto!  Not quite so fast -- just look at that tangled mass mess of needle-sharp "things!"  That my friends is "frustration in a very small package!"  Well, I persevered and ended up with......

this for each pouf.  I spent more time doing this part of the tree than all the rest put together.  Was it worth it?  I can say "yes" now that it's finished.  Will I be storing these poufs all put together for next year's tree?  ABSOLUTELY -- are you kidding me?

Yes, it's a work of art -- can you hear me patting myself on the back?

Ahhhhh.........

and ahhhh.......

and ahhhhhh......!

The Man has been paying me a compliment every day on how pretty the tree looks.  Smart man I married, huh?  Like my tree skirt?  I'll be sharing that in yet another post.

Now, I'm off to finish making our Christmas cards!  Oh, please don't forget to enter my "My First Give-Away".  Thanks so much for stopping by.  There will be more to come!

Carol

I'm happily partying at these fab blogs:

Cindy at Skip to My Lou for Made by You Monday 
Toni at A Bowl Full of Lemons for One Project at a Time 
Jenny at The NY Melrose Family for Whimsy Wednesdays 
Katie at Katherine's Corner for Thursday Favorite Things
 Kristen at Kristen's Creations for Share Your Creations on Thursday
Heather & Vanessa  At The Picket Fence for Inspiration Friday 
Suzy at Worthing Court for Better Late Than Never Christmas Inspirations Bloghop







28 comments:

  1. Carol great tip about to poof the ribbon. I purchase some this year to use, but had thought yet how to get the "look", now I know. You may have saved me tons of headache. The tree's look just beautiful:)

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  2. Your tree looks beautiful. I'm in the market for a new one, and will head to Home Depot this week-end to check them out. My tree has to be at least 7.5 feet and full. This looks like it may fit the bill. I love the ribbon. Thanks for the tip on poufing it out, lol.

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  3. Your tree looks beautiful! Love the tree skirt too!

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  4. Love your poofy ribbon! I never would've thought to do that. Your tree is lovely.

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  5. It looks absolutely beautiful. And, it looks as all your hard work paid off. Can't wait to hear about the skirt. Now, take 5 for yourself. Hugs

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    1. By the way.....love the new header and the RED. Love it.

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  6. Oh my! Your tree is beautiful! May have to try to mesh ribbon next year. I'll know how to make it poufy, thanks to you! Congrats on finishing your decorating!

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  7. Your tree is gorgeous! I'm slowly gaining steam & inspiration to start decorating for Christmas.

    Smiles,
    Carol

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  8. Looks so pretty, Cas! That mesh is hard if it gets smashed! Last year I kept the rolls it came on and when I took it off the tree I rolled it back up on to the roll it stayed nice.

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  9. Your tree really is quite sparkly and pretty Cass!
    We always have a real tree but who knows maybe I will look into and artificial one if I can find one as pretty as yours.
    Got to check out the giveaway~
    Cindy

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  10. Your new tree is gorgeous! I like how you wrapped the pouffed netting around it too. I've never used that before. We may purchase a new tree next year. Ours is getting old. It still looks good, but the lights don't work on it so we have to string new ones on each year. I love that they make them to already fluff out too. We have to do that ourselves and it takes a long time.

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  11. Carol,
    Your tree is absolutely stunning! I wish I had your talent. We will be getting a live tree from HOme Depot like we did last year. It always smells so good.

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  12. Beautiful tree! Thanks for stopping by my blog and leaving a sweet comment!

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  13. I love your tree!!! And your walls!! what colour did you paint your walls? We have the exact same window shutters! :)

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    1. Thanks for visiting Deb. The color is Sherwin Willaims Toasted Almond.

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  14. Looks gorgeous, Carol! You did an awesome job decorating it! Love, love the ribbon! I am so behind on my Christmas decor, but I am just trying to enjoy as much time as I can with my son before he leaves next week. I will catch up, I hope! :)

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  15. Very pretty! I had my tree completely decorated & after looking at it for a day I hated the deco mesh in it. I don't think I had enough. My tree is huge. Anyway, I took all the mesh out. I have this vision of what I want it to look like & it never turns out!! HA!

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  16. This is a gorgeous tree - and kudos to you for persevering with the poufing! My own tree is only about 2 feet tall (so no biggie to put up). It's nice now that it is up and sparkling though :)

    Sarah @ A Cat-Like Curiosity

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  17. Carol, I think your tree is stunning! I love the mesh stuff you have on it. We're only decorating a small tabletop tree this year. But I'll make it pretty (I hope)....

    I haven't even bought any Christmas presents yet! :/ I need to get it together!

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  18. So that is how to get the poufs! I love the poufs. You must be so pleased you already have a clean and decorated house! Thanks for your comment on my shop over at Home Sweet Butterfly. I thankfully live in a rural town in southern Maine that is striving hard to keep local food, crafts and sustainable living. I hope we all as a country can to pull it off. Blessings, Lisa

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  19. What a gorgeous tree, the pouffy ribbon is a wonderful addition. And love the ruffle tree skirt!

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  20. Your tree is gorgeous! I love the tree skirt, so frilly and sexy...Christine

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  21. Hi Carol! Stunning tree, indeed! The tree skirt also caught my attention. I love it :) Btw, I agree that your man is indeed smart :) Have a great weekend!

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  22. Your tree is absolutely beautiful, Cas! You deserve a compliment everyday.

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  23. Your tree looks beautiful. It's so colorful and festive. Thanks for stopping by my blog. I'm your new follower too.

    Kathy

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  24. Hi Carol! If I didn't know better, I'd think I'd been spying on you and copy cated your tree! :) I love your new tree and love the idea that you don't have to fluff up the branches. It's gorgeous and I love how you used the Deco Mesh. How smart you are to make your poofs that way. I just poofed as I went and fastened with a twig of the branches. We're certainly kindred spirits - we used the same colors of mesh and both got inspired from those talented ladies! Don't you just love Blogland? :)
    Well, I'm really getting jealous since I'm certainly not finished decorating and still need to change and wash the sheets from my Thanksgiving company.
    Be a sweetie,
    Shelia ;)

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  25. I love the fuller tree Carol. You are a master at trimming the tree!!! Great job!
    xoxo,
    Kim

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  26. You deserve all those pats on the back, Carol. Your tree is stunning! I really like that way you wove in two different colors of mesh and the different ribbons in tree topper are so pretty. Thank you for linking up to the Better Late Than Never Christmas Inspirations bloghop.

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I truly love to hear from you and try to respond to each and everyone. If you have "no reply blogger," I will respond in my comments section and then visit your blog as soon as I can.

Make this a great day!
Carol

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