Usually my Christmas tree looks more or less the same every year. I add a few new homemade ornaments each Christmas, but overall I do pretty much the same thing every single Christmas…and I thought that was the way I wanted it.
But not this year. This year my tree looks totally different and I am completely head over heals in love with it! (Is it inappropriate to love a Christmas tree? Hmmm.) So why the change? Two reasons. First, I painted my fireplace blue this fall and it completely changed the feel of the room in the best way. Unfortunately, the combo of blue fireplace and red Christmas décor was looking a bit too patriotic for Christmas in my opinion. And second, my 17 month old had broken his first ornament within about thirty seconds of me carrying the Christmas boxes upstairs. So all of my beautiful vintage Shiny Brite ornaments and everything else breakable went straight back down to the basement. Which meant it was time for a whole new plan.
And all of that led to my most favorite Christmas tree ever – my glam winter wonderland tree. I have all the heart eyes for this thing. To make things even better, the only thing I actually had to buy to pull it off was a new start for the top (we’ve never had a tree topper) and a few pieces of glittered cardstock. Winning! (If you missed it, be sure to check out the rest of my Christmas home tour here – it’s my favorite yet.)
Today I’m joining up with some of my favorite bloggers to share our Christmas trees in the My Home Style: Christmas Tree Style blog hop put together by Stephanie from Casa Watkins Living. There are so many gorgeous ways to decorate a Christmas tree out there and these ladies represent so many awesome styles.
But first, I can’t wait to share my own fabulous tree, so here’s how this Winter Wonderland masterpiece came together.
This post contains some affiliate links. See my full disclosure here.
First of course, is the gorgeous flocking. I think flocked trees are just about the most beautiful trees in the world and I wanted one really, really, really badly. But I already had a perfectly fine fake Christmas tree so two years ago I flocked the tree I already had. Adding DIY flocking is way, way easier than I ever would have thought and it completely transformed this plain jane tree. (This is the awesome flocking I used. See the full tutorial here.)
This year I got a wild idea to add a bit of nature to the tree. I absolutely adore trees with lots of beautiful Christmas picks (branches, pine cones, flowers, etc.), stuck in them, but I was trying to keep the costs as low as possible. So instead of buying a bunch, I made my own version. I cut some vine and evergreen branches from our yard, added flocking and stuck them throughout the tree.
My husband thought I was kind of crazy, but I love how it lends an element of untamed nature to my overly tamed fake tree. (I did the same thing with a wreath I made and it turned out amazing!)
Then I added the ribbon. I only had one roll of ribbon for the whole tree, so I cut it into 18 inch strips and tucked and curled it strategically throughout the tree. I used a sparkly white and silver herringbone ribbon but any wide, wired ribbon works great.
I decided I really wanted to try adding a bit of extra Christmas cheer this year, so I added the Merry Christmas banner across the front of the tree. I cut my own banner with my new Silhouette Cameo (which I love!), but I also really love this similar banner from Etsy.
As far as ornaments, I used way less than normal this year. I only pulled the shatterproof turquoise, silver, and white ornaments from my stash and packed everything else away. But because of everything else going on in there, it was plenty. (Here are some great shatterproof turquoise and silver ornaments.)
And finally, we added a star to the top. We’ve never had a tree topper before, because I could never find the exact right, perfect thing. This year I decided to just find something pretty and go with it. I chose a simple light up mercury glass star and I think it looks pretty darn nice.
I absolutely love how the sparkly ornaments and letters pop against the snowy tree. (And how it all looks with my pretty blue fireplace!)
Star * Sno Flock * Merry Christmas Banner * Ornaments
Ready to see some more gorgeous Christmas trees? I definitely am – I absolutely love checking out different Christmas trees and seeing how many different ways there are to decorate a beautiful tree! Be sure to head to Casa Watkins Living and check out all the trees in the tour. There are some real beauties!
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Cassie Bustamante says
it’s so pretty and so you! i love those colors and love all of your added touches!
Carrie says
Thank you so much Cassie! It is definitely very me!
Brynne | The Gathered Home says
LOVE! This is so pretty! I love the flocked branches you added – the perfect touch!
Carrie says
Thanks Brynne – it was a totally random idea but I love how it turned out!
Caroline says
Love love love that you flocked your own tree!!!
Carrie says
Thank you Caroline!
Stephanie @ Casa Watkins Living says
That settles it. I’m doing a flocked tree next year. I love your winter wonderland tree and that garland banner is SUPER cute. Gorgeous tree!
Carrie says
Thank you so much Stephanie!
Kathy says
The flocking, branches, and Christmas cheer garland are awesome!! What a pretty tree.
Carrie says
Thank you Kathy!
Jessica says
I can always gather some inspiration from your site. Your tree is beautiful and I love that you DIYed your own snowy branches. I bought mine and felt like I got ripped off…I did not have any branches in my yard (the mister threw them all away prior to me even thinking about them).
Carrie says
Thanks Jess – my own husband thought I was crazy for gathering branches from outside. Next time I should just tell him how much money I saved us by using stuff from the yard!
Ariel says
Beautiful! I love all the blues and silvers
Carrie says
Thanks Ariel!
Angie @ Postcards from the Ridge says
Your tree is so pretty and wintry. I love the pops of blue and silver. Have a merry Christmas! ~ Angie
Carrie says
Thank you so much Angie!
Monica @MonicaWantsIt.com says
Ok, I need a flocked tree stat! So magical and works well in your gorgeous home. <3
Carrie says
Thank you Monica! I seriously love mine!
BonBon says
Absolutely love your tree. The colors and ribbon are stunning. I love a flocked tree. Great job!
Carrie says
Thank you so much BonBon!
Erin says
So pretty, Carrie! I love how bright and fresh the whole tree looks! Beautiful!
Carrie says
Thanks Erin!
Gretchen@BoxyColonial says
This tree is so pretty! I wish I’d thought of cutting and strategically tucking with the one roll of ribbon I had for my white tree. And not a single one of my three trees has a tree topper this year. I really need to go with the pick something pretty and just go for it strategy!
Carrie says
Thank you Gretchen! The ribbon is something I just figured out this year – it really helped make my one little roll go further! And I just feel like tree toppers are hard for some reason – nothing ever really seems right but I’m glad I finally chose something!
Sarah says
Wow! Your tree is gorgeous and I love all the blue ornaments. The flocking really makes it!
Carrie says
Thank you Sarah!
Cat @ Pocketful of Posies says
Carrie,
Your tree is so amazing and you totally inspired me to flock my tree this year! I have to say I love it! The blue and white glam ornaments on yours are perfection! Pinning!
Carrie says
Thanks Cat! And I am so glad you were inspired to flock your tree – it is seriously so easy and beautiful!
Kelly says
Beautiful tree!!! Flocking stays permanently? Or do I have to do it every year?
Carrie says
Thank you Kelly! The flocking stays permanently but it does shed a little each time the tree is moved so you might decide to add a little extra flocking after a couple of years to keep it looking good.