December 5, 2023

O Christmas Tree

Here they are, the promised photos of our tree and Christmas decorations. I'm entering this in the Tip Junkie Christmas Tree Decorating Contest, because I love my tree and hope others may get some inspiration too.

Our tree is set up in our living room, perfect for tiny baby hands to grab. What was I thinking, with an 8 month year old on the verge of taking his first unassisted steps? This: I couldn't have SoJo's first Christmas go treeless. I'm rethinking this as he has spit up an evergreen needle and manhandles the lower branches.

I have a jewel-tone theme going on with lime green, eggplant purple, peacock blue and red. I tend to like exotic colors, like those from India and Morocco, and I wanted to do something other than the typcial red and green.

To add some movement to the tree (art major here), I tied some small ribbons all over the tree. I found a nice spool of candy-cane striped ribbon that I loved, and it was a cheap way to add some more interest to the tree. I also like to string cranberries for garland too, although the ones you see are wooden. I'm still stringing the real cranberries.I made the felt ornaments that you see dotted throughout the tree. Here are a few close-ups.
You can read my felting tutorials HERE and HERE (not for ornaments, but a cup cozy). I want to make more this year, since I'd like to fill in the tree a little more. In the past, we squeezed the tree in the corner by the TV, so I only had like 1/3rd of it to fill. This year you can see the whole tree so I had to spread things out.
I also added some origami boxes to the tree, which you can also read about HERE in one of my tutorials. Just add a ribbon and hook and hang!

The Star on top, a filagree metal one that I picked up on post-Christmas clearance at Target one year. Also, those sparkly things I got at the museum shop, at the art museum where I used to work.

I also made the wool felt tree skirt last year. I glued some industrial felt (which was too thick to hand-sew) that a professor of mine had dyed (she gave me the scraps) and then sewed a blanket stitch and some decorative stitching around the edges. It looks great with my felted ornaments.
Of course we had to get a Nativity Scene for SoJo to learn about Christmas. I bought it here, and I love how rustic and durable it is. The wood seems like it's stained rather than painted, and I like the colors that they used (again, matchy-matchy with my stuff).

And I had to post some photos of our stockings, which I also made.
I sewed more felt together and embellished them with embroidery floss. I made these about 5 years ago. Here's mine, very gypsy-ish with the ribbons.

And Mr. Geek's. Don't you think it's manly of him to accept this as his stocking?
What choice does he have, really, as long as it contains a box of chocolate covered espresso beans. After I had taken the photos, we got a cute little stocking for SoJo in the mail from my aunt and uncle. I'll have to take a shot of that too, since I hung it next to ours (and Oscar the cat's red one).

The stockings are hung along our stair banister, along with more fake greenery that I embellished with berries, pinecones, fluttery ribbons, and more of my felted ornaments.
There you have it, my handmade holiday decorations. What special ornaments or decorations have you made?

19 comments:

  1. Everything in your home is so beautiful; I love the idea of the whisps of ribbon on the tree, and that nativity is perfect with little kids around. I have many felt ornaments on my tree that I've made, as well as some embroidered, ceramic and other crafty types.
    I know you don't like the quality of your photos, but at least they enlarge for viewers to see things better, like your cute tree skirt. How do you get that to happen? Could you please email me about it? My pictures are huge on my computer, 1000 pixels wide, sometimes, but when clicked on they do not enlarge. Is there a step I'm missing?

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  2. Kathleen,
    Forgot to tell you my Sorrelli earrings arrived and are gorgeous! I sent them an email thanking them and mentioning your name. I also blogged about the prize. http://ebogie.blogspot.com/2008/12/super-powers-get-super-prizes.html

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  3. I love that nativity, that is a good price too. I'm kind of obsessed with the nativities, I think. I keep finding more sets that I forgot I had. I'm up to 4 right now but one has pieces missing. They are all touch able.

    I love all of your decorations. I need to get a stocking for Deeds. Actually, the only person who has a stocking is Nick. I have those kits where you sew on sequins and stuff in a pattern, KWIM? but I haven't had time to DO them. It has been 2 years. I'm terrible.

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  4. Man, this is getting me in the Christmas spirit! All your decorations look great!! I have a tree skirt kit that I have yet to finish--maybe next year?

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  5. I love your tree skirt! So gorgeous! Bob and I are debating over getting a tree. He's kind of a jerk about traditions like that... and I was raised Jewish so it's not really my forte. But I think the kids would be into it. I am trying to convince Bob that we should get a small potted pine for the bay window every year and then plant it in the ground when it thaws. That way we'll have a grove eventually...

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  6. Your home looks lovely Kathleen. I am just gaga over that tree skirt, it's polka dots!

    I have always wanted my tree smack dab in the middle of the living room (I think I'm subconsciously trying to recreate the mansion effect)but alas, tis not to be.

    We string popcorn, cranberry, popcorn, cranberry... it takes a long time but so worth it, isn't it?

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  7. Your home is lovely! Your decorating is fantastic. I somehow missed the decorating gene. *sigh*

    I was rather fortunate with my oldest, he never bothered the tree. Even my cat does not bother the tree. However, the twins knocked the tree down twice shattering antique glass ornaments and for a few years we had to keep the tree in the solarium. Finally I am able to have everything out.

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  8. I love the gourd birds! and the felted orniments...I need to learn to make those!

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  9. Omgosh, everything (yes even the photo of the front door) looks beautiful!

    You have a lovely, warm and inviting home! Thanks for sharing!

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  10. i love all your touches of Christmas

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  11. Such fun :) Merry Christmas! I love checking out your blog!!

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  12. I enjoyed your Christmas home tour, just beautiful. I have a few handmade things from my grandmother, including our stockings and my husband and I made a painted wood Nativity from some patterns she passed along to me. I will be posting pics, too.

    Thank you for passing along your Katie Brown book to me at Bermuda Onion. I am a Katie Brown fan.

    Happy holidays with your adorable baby!

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  13. Hey you won at Lovin' the Holiday from Loving Heart Mommy! I emailed asking for your contact info!

    I love the pics of your trees, we only have artificial since we are going to be moving to Rhode Island! :) I have pics up since I'm participating in The Christmas Tree contest at an Island Life!

    http://lovintheholiday.blogspot.com

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  14. Pretty decorations...all of them! I wish I had more time to put into decorating. Maybe someday when my kids are older.

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  15. Beautiful!!

    Merry Christmas!!

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  16. What a lovely tree and ornaments. I would enjoy trying out those felted ornaments. I wonder if I could handle it. I love making crafts! And those stockings are so completely interesting and beautiful. I love them.

    I shall go vote for you now!

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