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Chocolate & Gold Christmas Tree

December 15, 2011 By Colleen Jorgenson 8 Comments

chocolate christmas tree

The holiday season is all about traditions, isn’t it? One of my new favs is Sarah’s Christmas Tree Party, so this is a rewind from a couple of Christmas’ ago. But it’s still one of my favorite trees.

As a little girl, hanging homemade ornaments and silver tinsel on our tree, I’d never have dreamed people would actually pay me to decorate trees when I got older.

It started 15 years ago when I worked for a craft store. We’d have as many as 20 different themed trees to showcase different ornaments.

I probably would still just be hanging ornaments and lights, if I hadn’t worked there. You see, to decorate a tree in a retail store, you have to cram enough ‘stuffs into the tree before you hang ornaments. Otherwise, when people take ornaments off the branches, you’d be left with a bare tree.

I was lucky. I didn’t have to hang lights or ornaments. My job was to create an overall theme for each product line.

It might be picture frames. Or bird cages. Or pheasant feathers. Or combinations of various non-Christmas items. And yards and yards of fabric. Anything that would fill up the tree and showcase the actual Christmas ornaments.

What was always amazing is the non-Christmas ornaments would always sell too. Like bird cages. And pheasant feathers.

Ah, the power of display merchandising! Unfortunately, I was paid hourly with bonuses of “Attagirl!”

Most of my Christmas clients want a more traditionally decorated tree, but one that still says “Wow!”

Chocolate and Gold Christmas Tree
It looks small in this picture, but this is actually an 11 footer. Which explains all the various ladder size and shapes.


Chocolate and Gold Christmas Tree
After hanging tons of lights – okay, not tons, but hundreds and hundreds – I draped the yummy fabric. Champagne satin and chocolate brown jacquard.

Since I’m a lousy photographer, you can’t tell, but the fabric is like delicious frosting, oozing in and out of the branches.

Chocolate and Gold Christmas Tree
If you read my Fall post, you know I have a thing for ribbon. Next to fabric, ribbon gives you the most bang for your buck.

And, I just have a thing for ribbon. Shiny, satin, velvet, sheer. Doesn’t matter . . . I love it all.

It probably comes from hanging silver tinsel as a little girl. Tinsel . . . ribbon, ribbon . . . tinsel? Yeah, I think I actually have a need for ribbon.

Chocolate and Gold Christmas Tree
Here’s how I work when I’m in a client’s house – all nice, neat & organized-looking. Even a drop cloth down on their carpeting.

Looks good, doesn’t it?

Notice you haven’t seen any pictures of my work area in my own home, have you? And you won’t, either.

At least you know my mother taught me how to act in other people’s homes.

Chocolate and Gold Christmas Tree
Okay, let’s make some floral clusters. You don’t have to make clusters, but this was for a client. (For my own trees I just cram the stuff in there.)

Four loops of chocolate velvet ribbon tied with 22 gauge wire in the middle. (I just did a bow-making tutorial last week.)

Chocolate and Gold Christmas Tree
Add the copper poinsettia.

Tip: to get floral tape to stick, pull it taut. I mean, stretch it as you go. Otherwise it’ll just unravel and you’ll want to throw it across the room.

Chocolate and Gold Christmas Tree
Add a little gold pick thingy.

Chocolate and Gold Christmas Tree
And, voila! a big ol’ floral cluster.

Now make about 20 more of them.

It’s a big tree, remember?

Chocolate and Gold Christmas Tree
Then I stuck the clusters around the tree and draped the ribbon and the gold netting.

I love me some gold netting. If fabric is the frosting, netting is the spun sugar.

Chocolate and Gold Christmas Tree
Chocolate and Gold Christmas Tree
After the fabric, ribbon, netting and floral clusters, you don’t need too many ornaments. Unless you like hanging one, after another, after another.

After another.

Which.I.Can’t.Stand.

Call me crazy, but hanging ornaments makes me crazy. That’s why you can call me crazy. Because I wind up doing it every year.

Yes, I could hire someone to do it for me. But I’m just enough of a control freak that that would make me even more crazy.

Now. Where was I? Oh yeah, the ornaments.

Chocolate and Gold Christmas Tree
I hate hanging ornaments, but I like looking at them. They’re just like little jewels, aren’t they? And check out these hangers I found at Target. In copper too, no less!

I swear, I could ‘do’ Christmas all year ‘round.

For other people, that is. For other people that like different themes. For other people that like to pay me with more than “Attagirl”.

chocolate christmas decor 13
Then I could afford to hire a professional photographer who could capture all the scrumptious textures in this tree.

Be sure and drop by ThriftyDecorChick’s 2011 Christmas Tree Party for hundreds of ideas!

 

Filed Under: Floral Design, Holiday Decorating, Home Decor, More Stuff

Comments

  1. Andrea says

    December 9, 2010 at 4:34 am

    That is a very beautiful tree! I love all the fabric, ribbon and other embellishments that you’ve included.

    Reply
  2. The Mulberry Girl says

    December 9, 2010 at 5:16 am

    Oh my goodness, it’s just gorgeous! I hope you get paid more than “attagirls” for ones like this!

    Reply
  3. Farah Muzaffar says

    December 9, 2010 at 5:56 am

    Very beautiful Collen . I never saw any tree with a brown touch, it looks very different and beautiful…
    I would love if you come and enjoy the fragrance of sweet potpourri heart at
    http://craftaworld.blogspot.com/
    Love
    Farah

    Reply
  4. Lori says

    December 10, 2010 at 2:43 am

    Gorgeous!! I am going to try adding fabric next year! Thanks for sharing!!!!

    Reply
  5. Gina Alfani says

    December 10, 2010 at 12:10 pm

    WOW that is a beautiful tree!!

    I’m your newest follower . . . LOVE YOUR BLOG

    Hope you get a chance to visit my blogs . . . Gina

    http://labelladiva.blogspot.com
    http://ginasitaliankitchen.blogspot.com
    . . . and many more!

    Reply
  6. Lisa says

    December 10, 2010 at 1:35 pm

    You are too funny – loved reading this post! The fabric frosting oozing in and out and the spun sugar netting – so aptly put! This color scheme is so pretty and untraditional. Thanks for sharing and for visiting my blog today!

    Reply
  7. Robin says

    December 17, 2011 at 4:17 am

    I never realized how the fabric thing worked. Thanks for explaining-just stuff it in there! I found some of those hooks too in brown, gold and silver. They are so much prettier than the old kind. I love how this tree came out and it’s my colors too.

    Robin
    Robin Flies South

    Reply
  8. Karen says

    December 17, 2011 at 4:22 pm

    Very pretty, love the colors and the fabric wound through the tree.

    Reply

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    About Me

    Hi there! I'm Colleen, a self-taught artist, writer and blogger, among other things. You don't get to be old enough to order off the Denny's senior menu without accomplishing a few things in life. Read More…

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