Young House Love

Home Decorating & DIY Tutorials

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How To Make DIY Christmas Ornaments

As I mentioned earlier this week, we got a real mini tree! And I finally got some twinkle lights up and some ornaments on that guy. I say this with much enthusiasm and hardly any hyperbole: it’s a life changer. I’m in love.

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And Clara and Burger love it too (play Where’s Waldo in the dark and find them):

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It’s so charming and warm and it looks so sweet with all of the handmade Pinterest challenge ornaments that I made here.

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These are the only breakable ornaments that we’ll be putting out this year (since the tree is up on a table, so Clara can’t get to it). And it glitters like the dickens. So yes, it’s my new favorite thing ever. Oh and it was $19 at a local grocery store here in Richmond called Martin’s (outside near the curb) for anyone wondering. And it came with a stand, which is nice.

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We even have some King Kong action going on thanks to this gorilla ornament at the top:

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As for the tree skirt, that’s actually just a gray pashmina that I had already (I just swirled it around the base a few times to create a little skirt), so other than shelling out the money for the tree, we got to use all of the ornaments that I had already made (which factored out to around 71 cents a pop – more on those here) and even tossed together a free tree skirt.

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We actually would have loved to find a potted evergreen that we could have planted in the backyard after the season, but after a few weeks of looking for an un-cut one that was small enough to sit on the table, we had no luck (most of them were 5+ feet tall). So we caved and got a cut one since it was already well into December and we didn’t want to miss the real-tree boat entirely. But if anyone knows of a local source for uncut table-sized evergreens we’d love to hear about it (we tried Lowe’s Home Depot, a few tree lots around town, and a few nurseries/plant stores – but all of the uncut ones were too tall/large to be tabletop ones).

You know me + shiny things = a match made in heaven. And Clara might just be having the most fun with the tree out of all of us. At least five times a day she runs over to it and points to various animals and gleefully shouts out things like “Rhino!!!” and “Hippo!!!” and “Aggigator!” like it’s the most exciting thing she’s seen all day. Never gets old. Man I love the holidays.

Believe it or not, John and I have never had a real tree in our house as a family (although both of us enjoyed them growing up). We went faux five-ish years ago (thanks to an after-Christmas sale at Target) and appreciated that we only had to haul it home once (having a small car, the notion of dragging home a big real tree each year was a little daunting). And with a pooch we appreciated the no-dropped-needles thing. It can’t be argued that a faux tree looks better than a real one, but somehow when we loaded it with lights and ornaments we still loved our faker year after year.

Here she is back in 2007 (when we had a terrible camera and our blog photos were smaller):

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And in 2008 (with the same white and silver scheme):

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And in 2009 (when we went crazy for citrus, and even dried fruit to make ornaments):

Christmas Tree Citrus Decor

Christmas Orange Ornament

Christmas Citrus Tree Decor

And in 2010 (with green, pink, and silver shimma goin’ on):

Tree Most Of It

Tree Color Pink Scheme

And since experts continue to debate whether a faux tree or a real tree is more eco-friendly (apparently it’s a really close call when it comes to hauling emissions and cutting them down every year vs. reusing a faux one for a while) we knew the most eco thing that we could do after purchasing a faux tree was to use it as long as possible. So we’ll still be setting up our full sized faker in the dining room to enjoy with some Clara-safe ornaments (bonus: everyone driving by will see it glowing in the window). Better get on that though. Eeks, is it really the eighth already? Better get crackin’.

Have you guys been decorating? Any other tabletop tree folks out there? I can’t believe it has taken us this long to give one a try.

Update: You can check out all of our favorite holiday decor finds here – many of which are under $15! 

Comments

  1. Stephanie Phillips says

    We did a very similar set up this year. A shorty on the built-ins for my 23 month old daughters to look at and then our large tree in the addition so that it’s visible through the bay window. It’s win-win for me since I got to keep my theme going-on!

    Reply

  3. Kristen @ Popcorn on the Stove says

    I love the mini tree! It’s so cute! Plus, you’ll get that Christmas tree smell which I love oh so much.

    We’re going to get a real tree this year and we’ll see how it goes. I’m very excited because it’s the first time I’ve had a real tree on who knows how long, but I’m missing the faux tree (since we could have already had it up and decorated).

    Reply

    • Kim says

      Amanda and Sherry – I just love all of your handmade ornaments! So cute and so inexpensive! So many of the bought ones today look so cheapish. I’m so inspired by you both to make my own this year and give out as gifts as well as keep for myself, so thanks!!!!

  5. Claire says

    I have three kids under 6, and the youngest is just about Clara’s age. What we do with the big tree (we have a fake one too- we’re rarely home through the whole holidays and I worried about the fire hazard of a real tree left unattended) is put the breakable ornaments up high where little exploring hands can’t reach them. I have a ton of ornaments because my family tradition was to get an ornament every year on Christmas eve (the only gift we opened on Christmas eve, it was wrapped at our place at the dinner table) and I have a TON that have sentimental meaning to me… and are breakable.
    So the non-fragile ones are on the bottom where they can be taken off and carried around and repositioned by the kids and the top half of the tree is for me. It might not be the prettiest, sometimes the bottom gets really bare lol, but it’s a nice way to display fragile ornaments without having to worry so much.
    Enjoy your first “real” Christmas in this house!

    Reply

  6. Melissa says

    We went to a local home center yesterday to pick up a few holiday supplies and were totally dismayed that the store was already consolidating Christmas and bringing out their lawn and garden patio products. I need to make a mental note to start shopping for Christmas in October.

    Reply

  8. amalisa says

    We’ve always had a “little” tree in our house. They do indeed smell great, are easier to decorate and it is nice having some “real” in the house. Regarding the potted tree, I sometimes see them at grocery stores in my neck of the woods. Maybe one near you would have one.

    Reply

  9. John@Our Home From Scratch says

    I really like the idea of a small-real tree! We have a couple fake trees (or faux as Lisa calls them) because of the baby, but mostly because our Schnauzer likes to drink the tree water and rip-and-run away with the branches.

    You just can’t beat the smell of a real one though!

    Reply

  12. Allison says

    We have a tabletop tree–it’s a faker though. I bought it my last year of college and we pull it out every Christmas since. We just recently bought a big, artificial tree this year and, I agree, once you load it up, you can’t tell.

    Reply

    • WSquared says

      Totally took the words right out of my mouth re A Charlie Brown Christmas! But for a real Charlie Brown effect, you’d have to switch out that gray pashmina for a blue one! ;)

  15. Brianne says

    You may have some luck at a grocery store next year for a small plantable tree. Big Y had small potted ones advertised. I think your cut one looks great though!

    Reply

  17. Wom-mom Ethne says

    FYI on the paint-swirled glass bulb ornaments: my kiddo knocked my box of those down the stairs this morning and one busted open. The paint is still wet in there, even though I left them open to drain/dry for several days. This means paint and paint-smeared glass got all over the place. Other than that, I am loving every bit of this Holiday prep.

    Reply

  20. laxsupermom says

    Cute tree! We always cut down our tree, but it gets dragged out for the birds and squirrels(there’s usually some popcorn and cranberry garland still on it,)then becomes mulch and compost each year. I also keep a rosemary tree in my kitchen at Christmastime that I decorate with cookie cutters.

    Love how your pinterest challenge ornaments look on your tabletop tree! Thanks for sharing.

    Reply

  21. Angela says

    We’ve done the tabletop before when our oldest was just over a year old. We haven’t done much decorating this year other than having our 7 1/2′ tree up because we are about to move from Florida to Indiana (our home state) within the next couple of weeks, YIKES!

    Reply

  22. Tracey says

    1st: Love the videos… if only decorating could go that fast! LOL. 2nd: Love the music you guys always select in the background! The sitar/instrumental Jingle Bells song was awesome! 3rd: ROFLOL at watching Clara at lightning speed on John’s lap. She looks so animated and cute at warp speed! And I love how she keeps trying to eat every single ornament! Too funny! I put up four faux trees this year (usually five) during Thanksgiving. Being a stay-at-home mom rocks. I’m on top of everything for the first time ever! It’s making this Christmas so much more relaxed and enjoyable! The only stressful thing was our 16 month old trying to eat the lights off the tree. Yikes! We instituted a “Look, but don’t touch! It’s pretty, but we don’t touch it” rule! ;)

    Reply

  23. Allyn says

    I seriously start squealing every time Christmas comes close. Same with my birthday.
    I’ve now decided that King Kong is the answer to my tree topper search. I tend to hate them all, but if I could find an awesome gorilla ornament and put it up top every every year, holy muffin top, AMAZING!

    Reply

  24. Lacy @ downMODERNhome.com says

    Very cute! Many props for accomplishing some decorating (which I have yet to do, even though it is constantly on my mind). We waffle between real and fake trees. We have a 7 foot tall fake one, which was great when we lived in a downtown loft. The real tabletop ones have made an appearance in our house too. Although, last year they were really expensive, so we put together half of our 7 foot tree (needed to see how the cat would respond to it), which worked out so great.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Yes! This year is a first!!!! More details as soon as we have a moment to snap pictures (it was raining like crazy last night when we wanted to take those).

      xo,
      s

  27. Lindsey d. says

    FOUR trees up in my house, scattered throughout three rooms — one is a full sized WHITE faux tree that I love more and more each year, one is a 3-foot green faux tree decorated in my alma mater’s colors and ornaments (Geaux LSU Tigers!), and then two two-foot tinsel-y trees with small ornaments on table tops. (Like this random Google Image search result – http://www.flickr.com/photos/craftybeaver/2101698853/)

    I plan to grab a couple more of the tinsel-type trees after the holidays to create a pseudo-mantle next year (no real fireplace, but I do have a piano).

    Reply

  28. Heather says

    Too cute! Living in a small studio apartment, my boyfriend and I opted for a small (faux) white tabletop tree for our first Christmas living together! It’s really cute and came pre-lit for a whopping $10 at Wal-mart. We debated on trying a small real tree but also weighed the pros and cons of living with 2 four-legged family members. (Talbot our 9 month old Maine Coon cat and Tyco our 4yr old Pomeranian/Sheltie) So obviously the small faker won. It sits so pretty on our breakfast bar. (Away and out of reach from all animals) with it’s pink and purple ornaments and tree topper. (Yes, my sweet boyfriend was perfectly okay with a girly tree…with wrapping paper and bows to match)Yours looks so warm and cozy with the home made ornaments, I think I’ll give it a try next year!

    Reply

  29. Katie Kerr says

    Is it me or is the rug different in the family room? Did you change that in a past post and I missed it somewhere?

    Reply

    • Heather says

      I was wondering about the addition to the drapes…did you always have the white? Or was that added due to sunshine in the afternoon? Did you put up a second pole for them to hang from? BTW: LOVE LOVE LOVE the new rug…like…LOOOOOVE.

    • YoungHouseLove says

      They’re all on the same rod, and really not for function- just for fun (they were super cheap sheers at Ikea, and I love a breezy layered look so I couldn’t resist).

      xo,
      s

  32. Rachel says

    I love the mini tree! So adorable!

    I’ve decorated the house, but we still don’t have a tree. Its been raining or snowing on the days we were free to get one so far. Hopefully we’ll go tonight. I can’t stand going this long without a tree!

    Reply

  33. heather says

    A real tree is one of the perks of living in Maine. Talk about almost zero emissions from cutting and hauling. The first year we lived in our house, I walked over the back 40 into the woods, found a small tree, cut it down and carried it back home over my shoulder. I refused to let my husband (then boyfriend) carry it haha. We do a thing called “Thanksmas” every year now where we all (about 20 of us) get together at an Uncle’s farm, where there is a way overgrown tree farm, and we cut down our trees. This year we each chose and hauled them back to the house with a small working horse (yes, a horse). Then we all ate tons of amazing food, let all the dogs run around, and sat around the fireplace and had our first annual “Young Cousin’s Wine Tasting”, where we drank my uncles homemade wine and at chocolate soaked chocolate cake. Then we put the tree in the back of the pickup and came home.

    I kind of love it. I’ve never had a fake tree and I can’t even picture it living here.

    Reply

    • heather says

      Oh – and I love your table top tree. It’s absolutely adorable. I say buy a couple evergreens yourself to plant in the yard, and then when Clara is old enough you can go into your yard and just cut down your Christmas tree. :)

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Ooh I love that idea! Although I’m sort of a wuss, so I can see myself growing so attached to those trees that we’d feel bad cutting them down! Haha.

      xo,
      s

    • heather says

      haha, I guess there are so many around I never get attached to them. It would be so so cute though. You could even plant them in rounds, so you’d be sure to have one ready each year (after the initial 5 years or so). Clara would be about 6 years old when you get to cut your first tree if you planted it next year. I’m totally loving this idea. I mean, worst case – decorate it outside haha. Actually, don’t. If the animals are anything like the ones around here the squirrels will take everything off of it for nesting and just because they can.

    • heather says

      (and be careful of spruces, some varieties, I think white mainly but some blue – smell fine in the cold but when they get warm inside they will smell like cat urine. Nothing more festive than that). I’m done now. Haha.

  34. Kyle says

    Our Safeway (grocery store) has a ton of potted ones outside for sale. I’m in Northern Va though. (Also, most of them look more like Charlie Brown Christmas trees.)

    Reply

  35. beth in dc says

    Looks so pretty in the dark. I’ve been meaning to ask: Are you guys feeling like you have oceans of time since you got the book in–even with all the kitchen stuff going on?

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Sadly we’re still doing projects and coordinating photoshoots for the book, so we have zero time! I feel so late with everything (don’t even have our big tree up yet- still have to finish Christmas shopping for everyone in the family, etc). I can’t wait until the spring/summer of 2012 which is hopefully when book stuff will actually be done (writing it was easy compared to doing all these secret projects and shooting it, haha).

      xo
      s

  37. Robin @ Our Semi Organic Life says

    As a young married couple we got our first faux tree at an after Christmas Target sale too! It’s still our only tree but I grew up with real ones so one day I’m sure we’ll spring for the real thing. There are still some living (now very tall!) trees at our old house (which my parents own but rent out) from when we got live ones as a child.

    Reply

  38. Kate says

    We did the same thing, right down to the pashmina skirt! I have been lobbying for years to buy a real tree, but because we travel for the holidays, we usually stick with our big, pre-lit faker. It’s beautiful, but I have missed the smell of a real tree in the house. This year, as we were wreath and garland shopping, my husband spotted the cute little tabletop trees and grabbed one for me. It looks perfect on a little table in our front window, and seeing it makes me so dorkily happy. Best holiday purchase to date!

    Reply

  39. Lindsay says

    Love the little tree. It makes made me think of the perfect theme song for your tree, and one of my now favorite christmas songs. Guster’s Tiny Tree Christmas!

    Reply

  41. Gavin S. says

    This is the first year I haven’t had a real tree in my condo (I’m okay with it because I know my parents will have one when I go home for Christmas). My faux tree is super unique, though, since it’s made out of crab pots! I’m from the beach so it’s really meaningful to me to have a piece of home at my current house in the landlocked part of NC. The best part about crab pot trees is that they come pre-lit, can be folded flat, are interior/exterior, and can be decorated or left plain! I’ve got a starfish at the top of mine and a crab net and lots of seashells at the base. I don’t have a picture so you’ll just have to use your imaginations, but check out the link:
    http://www.crabpottrees.com/

    I love your little table-top tree. Glad you’ve got a bit of that pine fresh scent to fill your living room this holiday season!

    Reply

  42. Debbie says

    we plan to cut down on a tree on our eight acres at our MN log cabin this weekend. when you divide your time between five homes in four different states, its hard to know where to concentrate your yuletide effort, if any. we decided on our log home this year for the sole reason that we have that 16 foot wide floor to ceiling stone fireplace in our great room w/ 36 foot (at the tallest peak) tall ceilings w/ log timbers & floor to ceiling windows overlooking the snowy lake. tell me that room isnt just BEGGING to be holiday bedazzled.

    Reply

  43. Nikki Kelly says

    Yes!! I’ve been a decorating fool for Christmas this year. So far I’ve made some paper ornaments ( http://theambitiousprocrastinator.blogspot.com/2011/11/pinspired-by-paper-ornaments.html ) decorated not 1 but 2 trees {fakies} ( http://theambitiousprocrastinator.blogspot.com/2011/12/house-divided.html ), and just this weekend I finished making a Mounted Rudolph Head ( http://theambitiousprocrastinator.blogspot.com/2011/12/diy-mounted-rudolph-head.html ) complete with lit up nose!

    The baby tree looks great btw, and I
    m sure fills your house with that real Christmas tree smell. And as far as fake vs real, I love fake trees!! No mess to clean up all month, nothing to throw away/recycle, nothing to lug home, and best of all it just gets boxed back up when we’re done.

    Nikki @ the ambitious procrastinator

    Reply

  44. Melissa says

    Love the idea of a table-top tree! My boyfriend is a pretty strict vegan and the thought of having a real tree that was cut down in our house drives him bonkers haha. I grew up with real trees my whole life and while our fake tree looks amazing I miss the smell of the real trees the most. I think next year I’ll have to bring in a mini tree too! Sounds like a fair compromise to me :-)

    Reply

  45. LIsa P says

    I love your mini tree and can’t wait to see how you decorate your bigger tree! We have a 15-month old daughter, Giovanna, and this year we went with shatter resistant ornaments. They look great and she was able to help decorate which was fun!! My friend told me about your blog two years ago and I have been hooked ever since!!

    Reply

  46. em says

    A thought on table-top trees. You could have purchased a Rosemary bush. Wholefoods has them shaped like wee Christmas trees and I bet in Richmond, especially if you covered it in the snow, you could have it planted outside all year long (and have yummy fresh Rosemary!) I realise its not a real pine tree, but it also makes your house smell lovely.

    Reply

  48. Teresa says

    I love the tree :) And I loved that you used all of your “pinterest” ornaments on it! Super cute!

    We did tiny real trees(potted, but lots smaller than yours) last year for the kid’s rooms…they had fun stringing mini lights on them and decorating them. Sadly, they died before Christmas even arrived, so we didn’t get to plant them.

    Reply

  49. Jenny says

    The Home Depot in College Park MD had a ton of living trees in pots, some as small as 18″ tall. Maybe next year they’ll do the same in Richmond. I bought a 3-footer which I decorated with white lights and am leaving outside (we can see it from the house). Maybe next year I’ll get a tabletop version and bring it inside, although I read online they don’t do well in a heated house for very long.

    Reply

  50. Erin says

    The mini tree looks fab and isn’t the smell of a real one yummy?! Love love love the new ornaments! Great modern revamp on some classic items:)

    Reply

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