We’re back to share the second half of our tree-decorating adventure (sped up with a bit of festive music to get you into the spirit). We last left off with this video of us setting up our pre-lit artificial (faux? reusble?) tree only to discover that a strand of lights in the middle of the tree was out. But fixing it was as easy as listening for the buzzing bulb and replacing it with one of the extras they included along with our tree. Then it was time for the ornaments, and this year we decided to deviate from our usual white/glass/silver scheme (seen here). Maybe it was a weird citrus-pregnancy-craving-inspired decision, but out of nowhere I was jonesing for bright oranges, lime greens and lemon yellows… and a new color scheme was born. So here we are hanging some store bought ornaments mixed in with a bunch of DIY ones that we whipped up on the cheap. Oh yeah, and there’s a quick shot of baby belly at the end for everyone on bump watch:
And because we like to include a little video rundown for those at work who can’t just push play, here’s a shot of our tree all citrus-ified thanks to a ton of orange and lime green ornaments we picked up (on clearance at Michael’s) along with a bunch of DIY ornaments that we made to really hammer home our love of all things lemon and lime (after all, it was the theme for our backyard wedding). And adding pops of orange really complemented the green tree for a super festive and fun finished product.
We mentioned that beyond the glittering store-bought ornaments we jumped at the chance to hand make a few “natural” accents, so John came up with the idea of drying slices of oranges and lemons and turning them into ornaments. Love it. He’s really the brains of this operation in case you guys haven’t noticed.
Not only was it a fun and unexpected way to bring more of that festive citrus color to our tree, but it merely set us back a few bucks for two oranges and three lemons at the grocery store.
And luckily when we googled “dried citrus” we actually found a few tutorials (woo hoo!) and were thrilled when we pulled one up that was beyond simple. Step 1: cut citrus into quarter-inch slices.
Step 2: bake in oven on cookie sheet (actually a cookie rack if you have one, but we didn’t so we made do) for 2-3 hours at 225 to 250 degrees, checking often to be sure nothing’s burning. It helps to crack the oven door from time to time to release a bit of the built-up heat to encourage drying as opposed to singeing.
After a few hours (and a bunch of checking) we ended up with gorgeously dried orange slices that we couldn’t wait to add to our tree…
… and marginally less gorgeous lemon slices (they cooked less evenly and the seeds were a lot less attractive, so we’d recommend oranges over lemons for those of you looking to do something simple and stress free). Of course there were still some pretty lemon slices that we used as well (the good ones actually looked like stained glass when they dried) so they weren’t a total loss.
Then we just popped them onto pretty silver ornament hooks snagged for a few bucks at Pottery Barn (they’re a smidge cuter than those green wire ones from Target or CVS) for a delicious looking end product that’s especially eye-catching when it’s illuminated by the lights on our tree (so we learned to hang them a few inches in front of a white bulb for that sweet “glowing” effect). Favorite project ever. And we ended up with dozens of ornaments for just a few bucks.
*Bonus: we’ve heard that citrus can be used to discourage curious cats from climbing your tree, so if you have a faux or natural tree at home that you’d like to protect from a cat attack, these dried citrus slices might be just the thing.
We also turned three dozen faux lemons (we grabbed two large plastic tubs of them for $8 each at Ben Franklin) into “ornaments” by wiring them onto the end of a bunch of branches on our tree- just to inject more hits of yellow and add to our quirky citrus theme.
It was as simple as sticking “v-shaped” green wire (we purchased a spool of it for 99 cents at the craft store) into each of the foamy faux lemons so we could wind it around each branch to secure it. It was also a nice complement to all the hanging ornaments since we now had a bunch that appeared to be “sitting” on the ends of the branches. Easy and almost mouthwatering, no? Again, maybe it’s a pregnancy thing, but I could eat an entire lemon every day of the week.
We also picked up some pretty green pears from Target last year (during an after-Christmas sale) that were meant to be used as vase filler (see the little pear in the bottom right corner of the photo below?) so we just tied a loop of glittering silver ribbon to each of the stems to create a way to hang them up on the tree. Sure they’re technically not citrus but they work with the whole edible theme- and they’re perfect for our playful green, orange and yellow color scheme.
So that’s the tree-decorating rundown for ya complete with all of the homemade “ornaments” that we fashioned from things like vase filler, faux fruit and real fruit alike.
We love the punchy colors (which actually fit right into our living room thanks to the lemon-yellow rug) and the happy vibe that it brings into our entire home for the ho-ho-holidays. Oh and stay tuned for more seasonal decorating posts along with our favorite roundup of cheap-o holiday gifts coming soon.
But enough about us- we wanna hear all about your holiday decor. Do you have a new color scheme that you’re dying to break out this year? Or a tried and true “theme” on your tree that makes you smile every year? How about those whose theme is to have no theme at all? Anyone with a penchant for popcorn garland or edible candy cane ornaments? Do tell.
Psst- Looking for more holiday decorating and entertaining ideas? Check out this post, this post, this post, this post, this post, this post, this post, this post and this post to tide you over until we share even more in the coming weeks.
Update: You can check out all of our favorite holiday decor finds here – many of which are under $15!
Laura says
Love it! Really, really pretty.
Katie B. says
You have quite the bump there little lady! I’d have to say thats probably because you’re shorter and I’m taller…I’m a week further along then you..but with my longer torso and 5’7 height–I guess I didn’t quite pop as quick. You look darling by the way.
I just put up pictures of my bump on my blog..if interested. Due may 8…
http://katieballa.blogspot.com/2009/12/signs-of-motivation.html
Kaethe says
We don’t have a theme to our tree, just a lot of random ornaments picked up on vacations and made by children. We did retain a touch from my pre-married days. One spring I went to Mardi Gras and came back with a lot of beads. That Christmas I discovered that I could break the strings easily and attach them together. Those twenty-year old garlands have been joined by others (red wooden beads like cranberries, shiny metallic braids with tassels) so our tree ends up looking rather Victorian.
April says
Your tree looks great! I would never have thought of using orange slices. My tree has black, white and silver ornaments and this year I made some of my own. Little owls made from a candy mold with plaster of paris. Another easy peasy way to do ornaments, and pretty darn cheap too.
I’m due in March with my second little girl and until recently I too could eat lemons daily. I was the same way with my first one too! It’s a wonder she’s as sweet as she is!
Vonda says
It looks beautiful. I love the colors!
We changed ours up a bit this year as well. We’re using black ornaments that are new and then added silver and white or then for a splash of color, purple and teal that we already had. I had a gold star for the topper but I got some cheap black and silver glitters and changed that up and added a black bow. It’s pretty cool looking. It would probably look awesome on an all white tree, but since we just bought a new prelit artificial tree last year, another new white one is not an option!
Krissy says
Where did you get your sleek stocking hangers? The only ones I have seen are fairly big with houses, reindeer, and the like on the part that sits on the mantel.
Love your site. Thanks!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Krissy,
Those babies are from Target (just $4.99 each purchased a few years back). Hope it helps! We actually have more holiday decorating details in the pipeline (including our mantel makeover among other things) so stay tuned…
xo,
s
jenna says
What a beautiful tree and a fun way to make it creative with the oranges!! Cute Baby bump!!
Sunny's Life in Rehab says
If anyone else without a Ben Franklin went bananas over the faux lemons, they sell them online http://www.benfranklincrafts.com/servlet/StoreFront
and they’re on sale, or JoAnn’s Fabric has them as well. And I’ll be popping by there on my way home from the office…
Karrie says
Cute tree (and ideas)! You didn’t mention anything about the fragrance, so I’m curious–do the fruits still smell after being dried? If so, I bet that is devine!
I found some pretty red balls (mixture of matte and shiny) back when I was in college and couldn’t resist buing them (even though I don’t usually like the color red, go figure!) and have been using them ever since. I still have plenty of silver and white on the tree, but the small pop of red is nice. In vases and bowls around the house, I use a mixture of teals, blues and lime green.
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Kerrie,
Yup, there have been lots of questions about the smell! They smell amazing when you’re slicing them and baking them and afterwards they have a subtle scent- like an all-natural potpourri. Very pretty and nothing too overwhelming. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Karrie says
*buying*
Jamie-Lee says
What does Burger think of these new ornaments? They’re very cute but our dogs would eat them for sure!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Jamie-Lee,
We’re blessed with a pooch who doesn’t eat anything that’s not handed to him and called a “treat” so he totally steers clear of our tree as a whole. He’s never been much for fruit anyway, maybe if they were meatballs or Wheat Thins…
xo,
s
Jasmine says
WOW what a fun and colorful way to decorate a tree! Good job you two!!!
I’ve always longed to try a ‘themed’ Christmas tree but since I give ornaments to my Husband and kids every year as thier one ‘Christmas eve’ present our tree decor consists of a star (which I’m replacing this year), white lights, a couple of ‘filler’ store bought ornaments and our many memories hanging from the tree… Baby’s first Christmas, ornaments with photos, a replica of my daughter’s Clarinet, my husbands favorite sports teams, you name it! When I think of NOT putting our treasured ornaments up on the tree to do a ‘themed’ or department-store-like tree it makes me sad. My goal is to one day have the tree filled with just personalized ornaments, none store bought, so we may remember our many happy holidays together with each one that we hang. =D
P.S. Maybe one day when we have a house big enough we can do two trees and one can be the ‘fancy’ one! ;)
Amanda in Boston says
We used to have popcorn and cranberry garlands around the house or on the tree. And we have lots of homemade cinnamon ornaments, but since we adopted our crazy dog none of that can be put up. Its so sad! Once we have kids and the ornaments are only on the top 1/2 of the tree it will be even more bare! Oh well, what can you do? We switched to a lime green and red ball theme so at least there are some pops of color!
Kelly says
You guys are on the Apartment Therapy main page!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Kelly,
Wahoo! Thanks so much for the heads up. Off to check it out…
xo,
s
The Other Tiffany says
Great color scheme! I totally changed this up myself this year. I decided that if I was doing “faux” I wanted it to be really fun. I ended up with a white tree and turquoise, lime green, and orange color scheme. It’s fun and modern and I love it!
BTW, love the baby bump Sherry! You’re going to have one very stylish baby ;)
Eileen says
Love the tree – so pretty! What are you using for a tree skirt? I’m trying to find something simple and elegant for under my tree.
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Eileen,
We use two faux sheepskin rugs from Ikea to create a fluffy and luxe little DIY tree skirt of sorts. The great thing about them is that we can use them throughout the other seasons as well (tossed over a chair, the sofa, a bench, or on the floor of course) so they never have to be boxed up and stored like a traditional tree skirt would. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Rachelle says
We usually do color, but this year we went with all gold tones and hints of red. I.LOVE.IT. I don’t know if I’ll ever go back to color! :)
On a totally different side note, I don’t know if you remember my kitchen makeover I sent you a couple months ago? Anywho, Kitchen & Bath Makeovers found me and are featuring it in the Summer edition. I most definitely gave you a shout out for all the inspiration! You guys rock!
Have a Merry Christmas!
Rachelle
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Rachelle,
We’re so excited to hear about your upcoming spot in Kitchen & Bath Makeovers- and of course we remember featuring your kitchen makeover! Thanks so much for the shout out! We’d love to hear from you when it’s out so we can grab a copy and check it out in all its glossy glory! Congrats again!
xo,
s
Sara says
You have done it again… :)
Gracing apartment therapy’s blog.
Love the orange/yellow theme.
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/chicago/tips/fabulous-fragrant-fruit-decorations-103533
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks so much for the heads up Sara! We’re so excited!
xo,
s
renee says
Once again, you two have the left-of-center, affordable style that ignites a whole lotta people to try new things. Thanks for the brainpower!
By the way, I think YHL should start a new page called
“You know you’re a YHL fan when…”
I’ll go first:
“You know you’re a YHL fan when you shop at IKEA and find yourself saying, ‘Sherry and John have that…and that…and that…etc!”
YoungHouseLove says
Hahaha, we love it Renee. Maybe we’ll start a thread on Facebook so people can chime in. I’m sure it’ll include lots of references to ceramic animals, “high and wide”, jute rugs, bamboo blinds and other objects/terms that we know and love (and love to use).
xo,
s
Kim says
Love your tree! We just finished decorating ours last night. It’s our second Christmas as hub and wife so last year was our first time buying our own ornaments. We got most of ours on sale at Michael’s too. We use gold, green and blue. (Our sofa is orange so I didn’t want to use red.) How I wish I had found some of those orange ornaments you have last year!! I might have to go buy a few now. :)
Thanks for the great ideas!
Kim
Holly Bascope says
I like the picture on the wall by the tree. I believe it says you & me right? Is that something you guys created or purchased?
~Holly
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Holly,
Here are those poster details for ya: https://www.younghouselove.com/2008/01/you-and-me-baby/
xo,
s
Melissa says
Great idea guys!
Our very first tree ever will have golden origami swans, to match the gold and red decoration. I am still debating if I should hang the swans (like your oranges) or “sit” them (like your lemons). Any suggestions?
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Melissa,
Why not try one each way and see which one you like? You can also alternate a few hanging and “sitting” if you like the way they both look. We’re all about trial and error. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Marcie says
You surprised me. I was sure you were going to reveal a blue or a pink theme and thus bean’s gender. But I love the tree anyway.
Lynn says
Themed christmas trees are lovely.. in other people’s houses. For me, I love pulling out every old battered homemade ornament and remembering where it came from, who made it, etc. Our tree is always a big hodge podge mess of memories, and even more so now that I let our two year old decorate it (I was thrilled the find those cheap plastic hooks actually, because they’re so toddler friendly). Your tree does look beautiful, though!
Melissa says
so cute!
Jessica Pieri says
Beautiful Tree! I bet the house smells wonderful from all the lemons and dehydrated oranges. P.s. Sherry, your baby bump is adorable!
Meghan says
Your tree looks magical! I love the natural elements. I think I may have to steal this idea for next year’s theme. I hope you guys are enjoying the holidays so far. Sherry, the baby bump’s adorable. :)
Betsy says
LOVE it!
Krys 72599 says
LOVE your citrus tree!
But as much as I love it, I find myself reverting to my old standard – white lights and all the myriad colored ornaments of every size and shape that have been accumulated since I was a child!
I’ve done the all white and silver tree, the all metallic tree, the all red and gold tree, but the oh-so-colorful tree of my childhood “says” Christmas to me!!!
And by the way, if it ain’t nailed down, it’s getting decorated!!!
Donita says
SHERRY’S baby bump is just the cutest ever!!! Your tree is delish ;-)…..love it, so pretty and elegant looking. The colors are great!! There is just something about lemons and green pears….I have faux heavy GLASS lemons that stay on my microwave year round. ;-) DIY hint: you can also dry the orange and lemon slices in a dehydrator….we have many times, and it makes your house smell soo good. Another hint, before drying sprinkle just a SKIFF of cinnamon and cloves on them. MMMMM smells like a piece of heaven. ;-)
Thanks for sharing, LOVE IT!!!!
YoungHouseLove says
Mmm, you’re making my mouth water Donita! Great tip!
xo,
s
D says
I think I may use this dried fruit idea in my holiday wrapping!
Melissa says
My theme is red and snowmen. Our living room Christmas tree consists of red ornaments (balls,icicles, and stars) and glass snowmen. We use berry garland and the topper is a red bow with red glittery picks.
Our daughter’s tree is white with all kinds of funky ornaments in lime green, teal, pink, and purple. She also has her hallmark ornaments as well.
We also have another slim line tree in our bedroom. It has red berry picks and stuffed snowman ornaments.
Emily says
I did that same citrus thing a few years ago with our first tree because I needed some filler ornaments. I used the dehydrator and did oranges and red grapefruits. They were beautiful. Like little stained glass windows when the twinkle lights hit them right. Great job!
Donita says
P.S. You said that you LISTENED for the light that was bad. I have never heard of that. We have a Martha Stewart pre lit tree, we love it, but every year it seems we have some that are out…..MAJOR outs, like one whole section will be black. I did not realize you could actually HEAR the bad one. WOW here I was pondering taking ALLL the pre lit ones off this year before putting it away. ;-)
P.S.S. From the time our kids were born, every year we bought them a special ornament. Their grandparents and Aunts and Uncles bought them one too, many years. When the kids were old enough to leave home, they each had a box FULL of ornaments for their FIRST tree away from home. They STILL have them, and put them on every year, and show them to their children. They get new ornaments for their wee ones now. Just a tradition I wanted to pass along. ;-) They are able to tell a story with their tree!!! :-)
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Donita,
We’re not exactly pros at the light-outtage thing, so the fact that one of the bulbs was buzzing was a great tip off for us! We can’t guarantee that it’ll work that way every time with every strand but it sure was convenient in our case. It was like the poor bulb was trying extra hard to light up but failing miserably- so it was letting out this exasperated humming sound. Hope yours do the same!
xo,
s
Jennifer says
I like the idea, but it needs a big orange/yellow/nbow at the top, and maybe some wide wire ribbon wrapped around!
:)
Greg Smith says
I would like to know how many posts Sherry can write without using the word “super” to describe something.
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Greg,
This calls for an experiment. How many can I write? This should be super interesting…
xo,
s
Sarah K says
Sherry and John, you are singing my song with that orange and green! That’s how my tree is decorated, but I went for a wee bit more glitter! :) It was tough to find orange and leafy green for a while, but they’re showing up more and more in the stores…yay! :) I just put a couple of pics on my blog to spread a little more Christmas cheer. Enjoy!
Amy says
Such an interesting and unique idea- love it!
We are pretty traditional when it comes to our Christmas tree. My parents give us each a new ornament every year (as they did for my brother and I growing up). They also let me have about half of my old ones when I moved out. So we dont really have a theme… more like a hodgepodge!
http://housebuiltfor2.blogspot.com/2009/12/its-beginning-to-look-lot-like.html
Katie says
This is my first Christmas in a home that we own, so of course I am very excited about everything. I am doing deep reds and cream, in the kitschy/vintage way. I made some GREAT garland out of paper and wooden buttons. Best part is that all of my decorations have been super affordable, coming from thrift stores, Target, TJ Maxx and More, and a few local decor stores. Check out my garland at http://quirkykatie.wordpress.com/2009/12/03/spirit/ And Sherry, your baby bump is beyond adorable!
Roeshel says
Your tree is so pretty. I think you did a SUPER fantastic job. ;) I love the citrus theme and colors.
Sherry – you’re just so cute!
:)
Beth@321home says
I do have a new color scheme this year! Changed out all my living room accessories to a pinkish-plum color, and found some ornaments and wrapping paper to match! :-) So fun!
Here’s my link:
http://321-home.blogspot.com/2009/12/christmas-in-pink.html
--Deb says
Your house must smell so, so good!
Martha says
love your tree! Looks good enought to eat. I have a faux tree and was interested to read about the carbon footprint info. Fortunately we have had this tree for 10 years and it is still going strong (except for a strand of lights out at the bottom…I haven’t discovered the issue yet but will now listen for buzzing!) Our tree is always decorated with ornaments than mean something like homemade, gifts from friends and family, collections, etc. We also have tons of store-bought balls but usually use them as vase fillers or accents on wreaths and the mantle. I bought some Martha Stewart copper-colored balls this year and am using them on my gold-silver-copper themed mantle. Great job guys!
liso. says
gorgeous! last year my family went camping for christmas, so we took all sorts of natural and easy decorations that were disposable or edible to decorate an outdoor tree near our death valley campsite!
it was probably my best christmas to date – the tree was decorated with millions of orange slices, candy canes, cranberry garlands, some flat tin ornaments that were easy to travel with, paper chains, and popcorn garlands. it sounds a little empty, but boy did we have the prettiest tree EVER! … we even circled it with the snowflake-cut-out-brown-lunch-bag-candelarios!
Kelly@TearingUpHouses says
Love the oranges!
Kelly
Darby says
Seriously… I love y’all! I think that is the most fun tree on the planet! Would you both come help me get mine up… you’re so efficient, even with the bump! Which by the way is so WAY cute and just makes it so much fun to watch you run around like a little elf! I want to knock on your door one day and spend the afternoon, ok?
YoungHouseLove says
Oh Darby, just come over! And bring Erika if she’s free. We’d love to sip hot cocoa with you guys by the light of our citrus Christmas tree. And you can watch me run around like an elf with a belly full of baby while I desperately try to play hostess and find something tasty to serve. Screwdrivers and wrenches we have. Appetizers… not so much.
xo,
s
Aimee says
While I ADORE the look of a themed tree (maybe I’ll have a second tree just for themes someday), we have too many sentimental ornaments to even consider it. Not only do we buy the kids each a new ornament every year, we pick up a fun ornament on most of our family (and Mom-and-Dad-getaway) trips.
This year, though, I did spruce up the mantle with a gorgeous garland, and I pulled all of our brass (or anything near having a brassy color) ornaments off the tree to put on it, and it looks fabu!
Christina says
I LOVE your totally original christmas tree! And it is sort of personal – even better! Can’t wait to see more decorations I always loved your past years decorations :)
rachael says
Very different, ive never seen this before. Do you do something different every year? (i havent watched the video or read your entry yet, so if you’ve mentioned it, forgive me:) I like my tree traditional -colored lights & ornaments that ive collected over the years from my childhood.
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Rachael,
We usually do a more neutral tree (with white, silver and glass ornaments layered for texture and glimmer) but this year we just wanted something more colorful and fun. Here’s a link to last year’s tree so you can check it out. Who knows what we’ll be in the mood for next year?!
xo,
s
Jillian says
The tree looks great! Also, it is hilarious in the beginning of the video when you both pop your heads out from behind the tree — that cracked me up!