Well enough of my bluster, I am done and am happy to show you how to upcycle your Christmas tree on the cheap!
And now for the back story. Last year I had decorated the tree with everything but the kitchen sink. It was nice and very sentimental but I realized many of those ornaments were in tatters. It was time for a change.
Time to become selective!
Time to turn over a new leaf… er, a new color!
And so I opted to remove as much red as possible, and do the Christmas tree in white, metallics and green. Because I am not someone who follows trends! Who’s with me on this one?
I also needed to do it on the cheap because who has money to throw away every year on new ornaments? And who decided that we needed to have a new look each year anyway?
I had seen an idea over at my friend Leanna’s blog, Of Faeries and Fauna Craft Co. where she had made a garland out of salt dough. Her ornaments came out beautiful. Sheer perfection I tell you! I was so enthused I decided to make my own…
The next task was the globes. I had these for years in shiny blue and pink colors. Did I mention that I would put everything but the kitchen sink on my tree? To rectify that situation, last year I had decoupaged them with paper in red and beige. Here is a picture of last year’s tree. I was very happy with the way the globes had turned out but this year I was going for a more toned down look. Less red.
I used thin and thick gold ribbons to go around the tree.
I am learning to downsize and work with less color. I don’t know if this is the right direction. Perhaps if the lighting was all white it would have looked better. Either way I had a budget to work with and those lights are in next year’s budget.
So what do you say? Did I pull it off, or was this metallic and white idea an epic fail? Don’t be shy. And tell me what you decided upon for your Christmas tree. I need fresh ideas for next year.
Merry Christmas everyone!
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Runningonempty
Tuesday 4th of December 2018
A great outcome. Upcycling is very good for our environment. Your tree looks lovely. Since you asked, we are going blue, white and natural this Christmas. Been planning since August. Yes, we will do a bit of handmade. I’m running out of time, it’s December 2018 already! Cath
Mary
Tuesday 4th of December 2018
Cath you better get moving. I am pretty much finished and enjoying the fruits of my labor. I think your tree will look lovely I hope you post it on the blog so we can see it.
Michelle
Wednesday 7th of December 2016
Oh yes you definitely pulled it off Mary. I can only see the barest hint of red and it matches the silver, white and golds you've baked, re-purposed or blown up ;-) Christmas decoration can be so horribly expensive and you've used what you had a flipped the tree into a new chalky cookie dimension.
Mary
Saturday 28th of January 2017
I tried really hard Michelle. I think this may have been the hardest thing to do, hide the red at Christmastime.
Marjan Hoebeke-Pfaff
Wednesday 7th of December 2016
Hello Mary, your tree looks great! Now you can have a cup of tea, put some soft Christmas music on, put your feet on, relax and enjoy the Christmas Season! Have a lovely day, Marjan P.S.: I like the copper biscuits ;-) P.S.2: Glad you didn't put the kitchen sink on the tree!!!!
Gail @Purple Hues and Me
Wednesday 7th of December 2016
Yep, you pulled it off, Mary! And it looks great! It's always fun to make your own ornaments! I need to take my own advice and make enough for my trees, but I've had my mostly purple ornaments for over 30 years and don't want to go to the expense of replacing them. So I take comfort in making a few here and there each year. Hope you continue to enjoy getting ready for this holiday season!
Victoria
Sunday 8th of January 2017
Are your purple ornaments ball shaped? If you like a silver look, try using Krylon mirror spray paint on those purple ornaments to upcycle them. Or gold, silver, or copper paint would also work. Once painted, you can add sparkle with a simple pattern of glue lines dipped in glitter. My daughter Liesel made salt clay ornaments also, but hers were not baked, just air dried. She cut hers with a circular cookie cutter, then pressed shells or leaves against the clay, making an imprint. After they dried she left some plain and gave others a thinned paint wash to emphasize the patterned areas.
[email protected]
Wednesday 7th of December 2016
White is my fav color, especially against a dark green tree, so yes, you pulled it off!