urbanchristmas decorating ideas

noreply@blogger.com (urbanchristmas) — Sun, 19 Jun 2022 02:24:00 +0000

Boho Ornaments with Flair

These pictures are of ornaments I have made in the last couple days. One is done using a fine thread that normally people use to make macrame jewelry. It took me about five hours to do this one. It's very fine and a little difficult to work with. Also, since I have only been doing this a short time I'm a little slower. Hopefully I'll pick up the pace eventually. I am having a fun time doing it because I find it relaxing. It's got the same effect as popping bubble wrap for me.

The second ornament is made with a thicker thread, and larger beads. Because of this it is much easier to work with and I finished it in about one and a half hours. They don't seem to be as popular, but I think they would be great on a themed tree such as farm house Christmas tree or a garden Christmas tree. You could use a off white ribbon or a mix of ribbons Blue plaid would look great too! I added a little ribbon and some glitter inside to glitz it up a little. Use lots of greenery and these types ornaments would look great.

This last ornament was very popular. Again because of the thread it took me about five hours. I think it would be pretty with nothing inside, but it also looks great with sea foam netting. I also added some of the beads that are on the outside to the inside. Here are the videos showing it both ways.

I hope you enjoyed this blog and maybe look at some of the other blogs I have written. There is a lot of information to facilitate in Christmas decorating. Thanks for reading.

noreply@blogger.com (urbanchristmas) — Wed, 15 Jun 2022 16:31:00 +0000

2022 Handmade ornaments!

So, I showed you a video of the tree I made for my daughter. Well, the ornaments on that tree were hand made by me. Talk about learning new things. I haven't blogged for a long time before this because I was very busy being a third grade teacher. I still am teaching, but when my daughter said she wanted a boho Christmas tree, well I started having some me time. During that time I researched what she meant by boho. LOL! Well, since then I have learned a lot. I watched youtube videos to find out how to macrame. Then I thought they were a little bland, so I started sprucing them up. This has all happened since after Christmas of 2021. You can find me on https://www.instagram.com/holidayknights/ to see all the ornaments I have made. These take a lot of time to make. I'm adding some pictures on today. For more visit me on instagram and you can see them all. The good as well as the not so good! As a teacher I have always thought it was great to learn something new everyday. It's really happening for me now. I'm glad I love making things so much!

I hope you like the pictures and thanks for reading!

noreply@blogger.com (urbanchristmas) — Sun, 12 Jun 2022 18:15:00 +0000

Christmas Tree 2022

Finally finished my daughter's tree! I used some of the ornaments I made last year and more of what I made this year. She wanted a boho Christmas tree. I wasn't even sure of what that would be when I started. I searched for boho and found a lot of stuff with macrame. I think I may have made a macrame pot holder when I was a teen (Years ago). I watched a lot of macrame tutorials on youtube. I wasn't completely satisfied because there were not that many varieties of ornaments and they looked very similar. That made me get busy and start creating. I started out making the ornaments with white string and wooden beads. Those are on a previous post. Today I will share a video of the finished tree. And then I will add pictures and videos of other ornaments I have made. I has been a learning experience. I actually really enjoy making them!

You can find me on instagram too: holidayknights

Hope you enjoy!

noreply@blogger.com (urbanchristmas) — Sat, 28 May 2022 02:57:00 +0000

Christmas 2021 Ornaments

I decorated a tree for my daughter last Christmas. The tree was done in silver and red. I also wanted to make some ornaments that would be special for her. We also added on some Cherished Teddy ornaments that she had since she was little. This was a lot of fun for both of us. I wanted to share this before I went any further with the tree I am planning for her this year. I hope you enjoy.

And here are a few more including the Cherished Teddies.

Here are some pictures of the finished tree. I love the red and silver together. It really pops!

If you would like to see more of my work, I'm on instagram

https://www.instagram.com/holidayknights/

Hoping soon to have stuff to sell on etsy.com

Thanks for reading!

Boho/Macrame Christmas

noreply@blogger.com (urbanchristmas) — Sun, 01 May 2022 21:13:00 +0000

Here is a video of the ornaments I have been making for my daughter's Christmas tree 2022. She likes macrame and boho look, so I'm putting that together in a natural looking tree for her. I will be using white, silver/grey along with natural looking ornaments. They will have macrame and use natural looking beads and ornaments. I can't wait to get started putting it together. I watched tutorials on how to macrame, so these might not be the finest! I think they will look good on the tree through.

I have been making all kinds of ornaments using different kinds of thread. I put them in a video on instagram and they were well received! I want people to know they can have these types of decorations up all year. They look great with indoor plants!

This one was also quite popular!

Well, I hope you enjoyed this blog. Stay tuned for more to come.

Making boho ornaments for a Christmas tree.

noreply@blogger.com (urbanchristmas) — Thu, 28 Apr 2022 01:20:00 +0000

It has been a while since I posted. I have been teaching and that takes a lot of time. I have started a hobby though which I want to share. I have started to do macrame and have started to cover clear glass Christmas ball ornaments. Here are a few I have made. I really find it enjoyable and relaxing so I think I will try to make time to do this occasionally. I have never done this before so I feel quite proud of what I have done so far. I know there are many people better, but I think the idea is a little unique. I will try to add more as I go. Thanks for reading and looking!

Here is a couple that I made for fun and can be used any time of the year! Hope you enjoy!

Using Bead Garland in Your Tree

noreply@blogger.com (urbanchristmas) — Thu, 01 Jan 2015 17:01:00 +0000

There are many ways to use bead garland in your tree. I wrote a blog about it, and now I'm writing another blog about it with video's. A picture is worth a thousand words, but video is even better. First, here is a link to view some of my Christmas trees. Notice how almost all of them have bead garland. Bead garland just adds to your tree. It adds color, shine, and elegance. Here's the link to my Flickr channel:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/63808310@N08/ Take a look at these and then read this blog: )

There are many ways to put garland in your tree. One way is to twist it. You can use a single color or several colors of beads to do this. You can make thick ropes of garland or thin ropes. I show it several ways in the following short clips.

In this clip, I used bead garland that is 18 feet long. I found the half way point, used that as one end and started twisting there. This is a very thick rope garland. I used two gold, two silver, and two iridescent strings.

For this garland, I only used two green and two iridescent strings. The rope garland is much smaller but still very elegant.

In this last twist video, I used red and green garland. I made a thicker rope. When you use garland to make a thick rope, you should tie it to sturdier branches in your tree. The sturdier branches can support the weight of the heavy bead garland.

Another way to use bead garland is to braid it. Yes, just like you would braid a girl's hair. Choose your colors and braid. Again you can make it thin or thick. To make a braid thicker just increase the number of bead strands you use.

The first thing you do is find a place to secure your strand. I find the knob on a chair works, when you can't find a person to hold the end. In this video, I used four strings of red and two strings of green. This makes a thicker braid. You can use any color combination you wish. I used 6 strings so that each strand would have two strings. Braid the garland until you run out of bead garland, then you can use wire to tie it closed at the end.

This video is part of the first clip. It just shows the braid more finished and close up.

These next two clips are showing how to make a Swag. Think about how a lady might wear several gold chains around her neck. She wants them to be slightly different in length so that each chain may be seen. Well you can do the same thing on a tree. I don't like to put the "swags" on the tree so that it looks like a cake. I go a little crazy with the "swag". I may tie one end and have a long swoop with a short swag. Do this all over the tree and it looks elegant. Remember, don't tie the "swag" off, swoop it, and tie off again on the same level, tie it off on different levels of the tree. By levels I mean tree layers. The tree has all it's branches put on in layers, except the very top of the tree.

These next video clips are very easy and pretty self explanatory if you watch the video.

This first video is "tying the knot". If you use "tie the knot" and "swagging" at the same time...your tree will look absolutely elegant.

This next video clip shows how to add a string of lights to your bead garland. You might want to use white strings if you add to gold, silver, and white. I didn't have any on hand so you can see the strings. Or use the green strings, but use green and red beads. Anyway, I think you know what I mean.

This last video is how to combine bead necklaces to make a garland with a "knot". Putting these on the tree with a swag would be very nice. So if you bought a ton of bead necklaces and don't know what to do with them...watch this.

Well, that's all I have for now. Maybe this next Christmas I can show you how to put these on the tree. Till then...Happy New Year!

2014 Christmas Tree

noreply@blogger.com (urbanchristmas) — Wed, 31 Dec 2014 20:05:00 +0000

2014 Christmas Tree

Well it's been a while, a year in fact since I have been here to blog. Let me start by saying that I miss writing about Christmas. But since it only comes once a year, I'll have to be happy with it for now. Next year I hope to do more.

I like to change the look of my Christmas tree every year...but I don't like to spend a lot of money doing it. So far I average around $25 every year to give it a new look. I don't change the ornaments, because those are special and I put them up year after year. The basics on the tree is what I change. This year instead of just showing pictures of what the tree looks like, I have decided to go through the process of decorating this tree step by step.

To begin, I set up the tree (pre-lit) in the area where I want it. This year because I wanted a different look, I went and bought about 2 sets of green mini light sets. I added about 200 green lights to the inside of my tree. I just wind them up and down through the middle of the tree. This helps to add depth to the tree.

After I have added the colored lights, next I put in some colored bulbs. Other years I have added glass bulbs. I find that older glass bulbs start to lose their color, and they don't look as good the following years. I found some plastic bulbs in assorted colors a few years back and they have stayed nice. They are what I use now.

These still look great even after 5 years of use. Well I add these bulb ornaments throughout the inside of the tree. Along with the green lights, having these on the inside added a lot of depth to the tree. After all the lights and bulbs you want to use are distributed throughout the tree, I was now ready to put on some time of garland. I like the sparkle of bead garland in a tree. I also wanted to whole color scheme of my tree to change. I know that Poly Mesh material has become very popular for people to use in wreaths. I decided to use it in my tree this year. Walmarts had them for $4.77 for a roll. I think that's a great price. I bought a couple of rolls. I liked the green and white striped poly mesh. I twisted the mesh as I unrolled it. Then I added bead garland which I twisted around the mesh. I wrapped this through the tree from the top to the bottom. I used the left overs for a tree skirt.

I used two green and one iridescent bead garland strings. I found them at Sear's black Friday sale. They were priced at $2.99 and they were marked at 50% off. I found more at Walmarts after Christmas sale. They were $1.99 marked at 50% off. Needless to say, I bought quite a few in different colors. These bead garland were 18 feet in length. I will be doing another blog about bead garlands and how to use them. Look for it along with videos. After the garland was put into the tree came the next part of creating a different look. I like to put large items in the tree and throughout the tree to give it a theme. This year I used 18" diameter snowflakes. I found these amongst a bunch of stuff that was donated to the teacher at the school where I teach. I pulled about 23 of these snowflakes from the pile of stuff. One of the other teachers asked what I was going to do with all those snowflakes. Put them in my tree of course!

These are the assorted snowflakes that I used in the tree. I put 10-12 of these snowflakes into the tree. The lights of the tree made them glimmer and shine. I added some acrylic frosted reindeer to the tree using the snowflakes as a back drop. This gave the tree a woodsy look.

After I placed these snowflakes around the tree and on the tree top. I added my usual ornaments that I use every year. After the glass ornaments, I put the special ornaments that mean something to the family. These are ornaments my daughter made when she was young. Special ornaments that were given as gifts, and picture ornaments that have pictures of people close to us.

These are the same ornaments that have gone on my tree for 15+ years. Everyone should have ornaments that are special for their tree. They are memories and keepsakes. Finally, the last thing I put on the tree was tiny snowflakes. I put about 3+ dozen mini snowflake ornaments all over the tree. They were less than $3 for a box of 12 at Walmarts. I bought probably about 5 dozen, because I will use more of them throughout the house in other displays.

These snowflakes put the final touch on the tree. I call them fillers. (Read my other blog about fillers.) These tiny snowflakes had glitter on them that just set the whole tree alight! I think this tree turned out to be my husbands favorite tree. Here are a couple of pictures. One during the day and one at night. This new look cost about $25 and I had a tree with a whole new look.

Day Time Night Time

This is my blog about my 2014 Christmas Tree. Hope you enjoyed it.

2013 Christmas Tree

noreply@blogger.com (urbanchristmas) — Sun, 22 Jun 2014 15:42:00 +0000

Sometime you might feel like, "Gosh, I hate the tree ornaments I have...they're the same old ones I've been putting up for years." Well, at least I feel that way. I used to decorate 20 to 30 trees a year. Now I only have time to do one (my own). I started teaching a few years ago and that takes up most of my time. I love teaching, but every now and then I feel like doing something creative with arts and crafts. So I put a lot into decorating at Christmas. After I'm finished remodeling the house, I'll be able to do more. So, here are pictures of my 2013 Christmas. I didn't throw out the old ornaments and get new...who can afford that. I did change the theme a little bit. If you were to look at the last three years of Christmas trees, you would see that I kept the same colors but changed the look by changing just a few items on the tree. If you keep this in mind and shop after Christmas when items are marked down you can get a new looking tree for just a few dollars. Make sure you buy enough to decorate other items with the same theme. It makes your house have a classy rich look during the holiday season.

I bought red poinsettia flowers at Walmarts after Christmas in 2012. They came in a bunch and they were $5.00 each. Each bunch had six large beautiful flowers. I used wire cutters so cut the bunches apart. As I made a garland with bows out of ribbon to put on the tree, I added poinsettia at the same time. Some are around the bows and there are also some single poinsettias throughout the tree. This changed the look enough on the tree that I felt like I was putting up a different tree.

At the top of the tree I put three large bows. In and around the bows I put three or four poinsettias. The bow at the front has a very long tail, so I loosely swagged it down and went right into another bow. This is the garland I used to go around the tree. I also bought some new balls. They were red with a matte finish. Some of the older gold balls I placed close to the bows so that they brought out the gold edge on the ribbon.

These two pictures show how the bow garland looks as you put it on the tree. I didn't go around the tree so much as I swagged the ribbon and went from top to bottom. Make sure you have at least three ribbons going down your tree.

I didn't do this but, the tree would look pretty if you added red berries, or gold berries. Just add them in any were around the poinsettias. Some dried flowers that painted gold would look great as a filler.

I added the poinsettias to other places where I put decorations. Here is a hutch where I point Christmas decorations to carry the theme into the dining room. It doesn't have to be a hutch it can be any type or piece of furniture.

I used single poinsettias to go across the greenery in back which helps to give depth. I arranged the Santa and other items in front.

I found poinsettia flower candle rings. I bought three. I put two of them in the light as you come in the front door. Cut the ring in one place. Gently place it around the pole holding the light. I will just rest around the lights. Make sure non of the flowers touch the lights. They might melt if touching the hot light bulbs.

Well, this is what I had time to do for Christmas 2013. For 2014 I may go back and use Candy canes, or perhaps something brand new. If you the public have any ideas, let me know. Take care and see you around Christmas. Urbanchristmas

Christmas 2012

noreply@blogger.com (urbanchristmas) — Wed, 03 Jul 2013 17:28:00 +0000

Hello everyone,

Teaching is a busy profession so it's been a while since my last blog. I would like to share my Christmas tree 2012 with you. I will be using pictures like always, but also, I am trying something new. I will be trying to put short movies on the blog. I won't have sound to go with it so it still requires you to read. So let's start off with a picture of my tree for Christmas 2012.

Let's start with how to start decorating your tree. I always start with a pre-lit tree. I add bunches of colored lights to the inside of the tree as well as colorful bulbs. This adds depth to the tree. This is all a repeat from earlier blogs. I did make a short video to show what I mean. I filmed this movie sideways, but you will still get the idea of how far into the tree to put your ornaments.

After I place the lights and inside ornaments, I put the ribbon garland into the tree. The biggest change again this year is the ribbon. I wanted something nice, but something that required less work. The ribbon is a shear soft rose/burgundy color with gold edging. The ornaments are Polonaise glass ornaments. I used gold glittered snowflakes, reindeer, and icicle ornaments to tie the look of the tree together. I used the ribbon as a garland with bows that wraps around the tree. Here is a look at how to prepare the garland ribbon for the tree.

You should make a bow, roll out about a yard of ribbon, then make another bow. (See my blog on how to make a bow.) The video shows a short piece of ribbon garland. It's easier to handle and you can attach them to the tree. Make sure the bows do not line up in any type of order.

After the ribbon garland place your ornaments on the tree. The ornaments used to tie the tree together...the gold glitter ornaments go on last.

Here are some close up shots of the tree.

Be sure to read my blog about making bows. I'm inserting a how to video. I am hoping for something new and nice for 2013. Thanks for reading, urbanchristmas.

Unique Displays for Christmas

noreply@blogger.com (urbanchristmas) — Fri, 29 Jun 2012 18:14:00 +0000

This first display is a display for snow babies. Not everyone wants to put them into a tree. For this type of a display just get an unfished book shelf. Paint it a dark blue. Lay snow across the bottom and place your snow babies where ever you want them. If you want some highter in the back, just place the box they came in under the snow and they are istantly lifted as if you used a riser. Pain tiny snow flakes or hot glue some snow flake ornaments as if they are falling out of the sky and your all set. Really cute display.

This next display is using old tree trunks as risers and tables off the floor to put your collectables on. It looks great with a tree next to it, and an old wooden door with Santa on the other side waiting to be let in. This display was for Dean Griff collectables. Figurines and ornaments both. This has a very out doorsy look.

Creating a Special tree just for you!

noreply@blogger.com (urbanchristmas) — Fri, 29 Jun 2012 18:03:00 +0000

These next two trees that you will see are unique in their own way. The first tree was made special for a client who came and asked me to decorate her tree. She happened to spot a ribbon we were selling that matched the fabric of her furniture. I thought surely she was mistaken but when I went to her home...sure enough it was a perfect match. She had some ornaments of her own and she bought some additional from the shop. Of course we used the matching ribbon. The colors in her tree are blue, burgundy, gold and a touch of green.

When you look at the curtains behind the tree, you notice the curtains were a perfect match also. She used a variety of large and small ornaments which gave her tree depth. The tree is a Blue Spruce 8 foot wide tree. This is a one of a kind tree for a wonderful one of a kind lady.

This next tree is a special kind of tree also. I have done many trees similar, but none of them ever come out the same. This type of tree is special for each home and person who does their trees this way. The ribbon is double sided. One side has gold lame' and the other side is like christmas scenes with ribbons, bears, and toys. Many items could be purchased from the store and used such as drums, dolls, bears, and assorted other items. What makes each tree different are the assortment of ornament that most keep as keepsakes over the years. This is the perfect kind of tree to hang anything on from pewter ornaments to picture frame ornaments. The tree holds them all...this is what makes each tree unique. I did this tree is my home when my child was young. I took clear glass balls that had an opening in one side. I filled each open ball with a Beanie Baby toy. I hung older not played with toys all over the tree. Tie the tree together with a matching ribbon, and add your favorite ornaments and your all set.

Using the color Blue in Christmas Trees

noreply@blogger.com (urbanchristmas) — Fri, 29 Jun 2012 17:46:00 +0000

As I look over the many trees I have decorated, some of the trees that stand out the most are the trees with the color blue in them. Not a pale blue, but a rich dark blue. Blue and gold trees make a statement. BOLD! The color blue is considered a cool color, but if you mix it with gold or burgundy it warms right up. Here is a link to more trees with blue.

Egyptian blue

Furniture with blue

This tree has a distinctly warm look. I used dark blue ball ornaments as well as dark blue ribbon with gold stitching through it. The Ornaments were all gold and the Santas on the tree were off white with gold trim. This tree will stand out in the evening with just the twinkle of Christmas lights and during the day with the lights off. A dark blue bow adorns the top of this tree.

Although this tree has blue in it, it looks cooler because the complimenting colors are silver and white.The color silver is a cool color so mixing blue and silver together is a great combination when you are looking for a cool look. The outstanding ornaments on this tree are the hand painted balls. The painting is all on the inside of the ball. These are beautiful additions to any tree. An angel was used for the tree topper. There are cool white snow flakes all over the tree helping to give a cool look.

More Easter

noreply@blogger.com (urbanchristmas) — Fri, 29 Jun 2012 17:05:00 +0000

Easter is a special time of year. It's a celebration of Spring. Here is an Easter display featuring a running water fountain. The local greenhouse graciously gave us a water fountain on loan. I put a plaque up so people would know where it came from and they sold out twice! Again, in this picture, note that I laid brick down and used moss and fake dandelions between the bricks. I arranged a variety of Easter trees behind the water fountain. Overhead I pulled apart grapevine wreaths and used more moss hanging down. It had the feel of deep south state. This picture was taken with an instant camera so the quality isn't as good (sorry).

This next picture is of a Christmas tree, but because of the look and coloring, could be used for Easter and Spring. The ornaments are moss houses. There is a lot of silk flowers, pine cones, moss and ribbons in the tree. If you look on the wall left of the tree you will see an 8 foot long flower garland. I made that garland and that's what you see on the tree. The flower garland had so many flowers and berry sprays mixed in it retailed for about $100 per garland. You can use any colors you like. It's held together using floral tape. For the garland on the tree I wove in an extra string of light. This tree was fun, but a lot of work.

Decorating for Easter: Not to different from Christmas

noreply@blogger.com (urbanchristmas) — Thu, 28 Jun 2012 21:26:00 +0000

Well, it isn't Christmas anymore. It's June, and 98 degrees outside. But I'm writing about Easter. Easter is a great holiday to decorate for. In this picture I use two kinds of trees. One is a white Christmas tree and the other is called a twig tree. Make sure to use lights with white cords when decorating for Easter.

I like to use novelty lights in the trees also. When decorating the trees, you can follow the same directions as for the Christmas trees. I use ribbons with more pastel colors. All the easter egg ornaments that are made for outside can be hung on the trees inside. I put Easter baskets right into the tree. If you can't find Easter figurines to put in the tree looks for some plush easter animals that are sold around Easter time and put those in the tree. Under the tree for a skirt just put a soft colored material in pink, yellow, blue or any other pastel color. For any Eastery affect, lay some Easter grass on top and throw some decorated eggs under the tree. I have used paper ribbons in trees for some usual affects. The other thing I like to use if silk flowers and moss. In some of the next photos, you will see where I actually laid brick and used flowers and moss for an outdoor look. Just lay plastic on the floor to keep you carpet from getting ruined.

If you want the trees to be different heights, just use a box with material on top to make them higher. Another way to add height is to use a prop. The next photos shows what I did one year to make an unual display. I used an old fashioned sleigh. I wrapped material around the bottom so the bottom wouldn't show. Then I took old wagon wheels and hooked them on to the sleigh and made it look like a wagon. Place the trees on top and decorate all around the wagon

Here are a couple more pictures of various Easter displays. I hope they give you some good ideas that you can use yourself.

Re-using Halloween Trick-or-Treat Baskets

noreply@blogger.com (urbanchristmas) — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 16:23:00 +0000

Don't throw away those old Halloween trick-or-treat baskets and bags. Re-use them. Here is one I designed this year. This basket is a little nicer basket than usual and I couldn't throw it away and didn't want to sell it. This first picture is the basket and what I plan on putting in it.

The first thing I did was place the 1/2 Styrofoam ball into the basket. I never glue anything down if I can help it, because I like to change things around every so often.

After I place the Styrofoam in, I add the flowers. I bought the flower in one bunch, so I used wire cutters to cut them away from the main stem. I push them into the Styrofoam which holds them in place.

Lastly, I put in the scarecrow on a stick in the basket. Because it was on a stick it pushed into the Styrofoam just as easily as the flowers. This is quite easy, and very cute to use in a Halloween display and continue it over into Thanksgiving.

After the holidays, you can cover this with a plastic bag and keep till next year, or take it apart and remake a different variation for next year. Fun and cute!

2011 Fall Wreath with matching floral arrangement

noreply@blogger.com (urbanchristmas) — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 21:50:00 +0000

Well it's been a little while since I added anything new to this blog. I have been working at a new job and haven't had as much time. I did decorate a little for Halloween and the Fall season so I went ahead and took pictures as I worked. Completely new this year is a Floral fall wreath and matching flower arrangement.

To make this wreath I used a grape vine wreath I purchased at Wallmarts. I believe it ran $3.50. In fact, everything on this wreath is from Wallmarts except for the ribbon. The flowers were on a large pick. The leaves were also. I used wire cutters and cut off what I needed in the wreath. The first thing I did was wrap one of the ribbons around the wreath. Next, I put in the eucalyptus leaves. They came in fall colors and it was $5.00 for the batch. After the eucalyptus leaves, I put in some silk fall leaves, both maple and oak.

After the fall leaves I put the flowers in. When you use a grape vine wreath, you can push the flowers and leaves right into the wreath and they will stay put. Hot glue is not necessary. I left an area right in the middle for the bow. I used two ribbons and made one bow. To learn how to make a bow you can find directions on my blog http://christmasknight.blogspot.com/2011/08/decorating-for-halloween-making-bows.html Finally, you can put a wire on the back of the wreath so that you can hang it up. I spent approximately $20.00 for the supplies to make the wreath and flower arrangement (with the exception of the ribbon, which I already had).

After the wreath was finished and hung up, I took the left over eucalyptus, leaves, and flowers and put them in a large crystal vase. I made a matching bow, tied it to the last leaf I pushed into the vase and voila, I was finished. Here is a picture of the flower arrangement.

I hope you have enjoyed this blog and it probably took me as long to write and publish the blog as it did to make the wreath and flower arrangement. They both are extremely easy to make and bring a Fall look to your living room with class.

What goes under the Christmas Tree? Not just Presents!

noreply@blogger.com (urbanchristmas) — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 19:50:00 +0000

Visit urbanchristmas on youtube.com

What goes under the Christmas tree besides presents? Many different things. Just think outside of the box. These pictures will show what I used to decorate under the Christmas trees to give them a unique look. In previous blogs you may have seen some of the same things, but as you decorate a tree you can change the look just by what you put under the tree and behind the tree. I will address the "behind the tree in another blog".

This is very basic for under the Christmas tree. I had a wooden box made that was approximately 4 foot by 4 foot. It was about 1 1/2 half foot in height. This is done to make the tree appear taller than it actually is. The tree used in this display was a 7 foot American fir tree, but once it's placed on the box it get a lift to almost 9 foot. There was a lot of gold in this tree so I used gold Lame fabric to surround the box and be the tree skirt.

This tree had decorations on it that were harvest ornaments. To tie the tree into a theme, I used ribbons that matched in color (burgundy and gold). I added in some harvest fruit in assorted colors and for the bottom of the tree, a large horn of plenty filled with the same fruits as were put in the tree. The bottom of the tree turned out to be the focal point instead of the top. To add to the harvest look, I used real pine cones in the tree. If you liked this tree well and used the same ornaments for several years, just place the horn of plenty in different places in the tree. It would be quite beautiful in the center.

This tree had a very distinctive country Christmas look so I placed it in an old barrel. The tree had the colors of pink and red. There are red wooden apples and cinnamon stick bundles with pink ribbon. Tie in some pink and red paper mache Santas and other country looking ornaments and you are finished. This is a very country Christmas looking tree.

This tree had ornaments the signified the twelve days of Christmas. The ornaments were made of wood and are very collectible today. Red poinsettias were placed all over the tree, and a tree skirt with the twelve days of Christmas design is used under the tree.

This Christmas tree was one that was placed in the entrance of the Christmas department. It was a tree representing the harvest. I mixed Angles with the same colors in with harvest ornaments. To make it feel real grapevine wreath was made into a garland and placed hanging from the ceiling and around the tree itself. To give the feel of the tree sitting in the outdoors a brick patio was placed under the tree with green moss placed to look like grass growing up through the cracks. So as not to ruin the carpet, be sure to use a heavy plastic tarp like painters would use under the bricks.

This wasn't one tree but many used to create a whole rustic Country Christmas scene. Here I used 5 trees of various heights. To increase the height and dimensions, I placed some on top of barrels, and stuffed some in behind barrels and wagon wheels to create a variety of heights. Old barn window and siding are used behind the trees to give a rustic look. Large stones were brought in and added around the bottoms of the trees, and matching garland was wrapped around the bottoms of the tree and through the wagon wheels. Rustic wooden ornaments and painted wooden Santa faces make the trees festive. Lots of ornaments made from mushrooms and mushroom picks are used in the display and well as lots of sprinkle snow. When you look at this display you really feel like your in the great outdoors.

This is a small 5 fit slim tree placed in a black planter that looks like an urn. The tree had lots of Angels with glitzy burgundy ornaments with gold icing trim. It's hard to see but there are two large Angels at the top of the tree that look like the Angels are placing the tree into the urn. The urn helps to lift the tree making it look taller than it is. This is a very beautiful tree to fill a very small space.

If you haven't read the blog about my signature tree, then you haven't seen this tree. You can read the entire blog at http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=5339108141972402843&postID=966573295112014709 What is unusual about this tree skirt is that I used the same material to make the tree skirt as I used to hang on the wall behind the tree. This was also the main entrance tree to the Christmas department. You can see that I also hung the same material in the door frame to frame the entrance to match the tree.

This last tree again used an urn under the tree. To give it an usual look I brought the ribbon garland and bead garland right down out of the tree onto the floor. Along with the ribbon and garland I added in some beautiful cream and pink poinsettias and brought the lighted candles down to make an arrange right on the floor below the urn. This picture doesn't do the tree justice...it was quite beautiful, one of my favorites.

As you probably learned from reading this blog, you can place anything under your tree. I placed a tree in an old fashioned covered wagon without the top. Look for it in upcoming blogs about decorating for Easter.

Decorating for Halloween (inside and out) Part II

noreply@blogger.com (urbanchristmas) — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 23:16:00 +0000

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Okay, so in the first post of decorating for Halloween (inside and out) I was getting tired so I left out the outside part. So, here is part two that will show some unusual things to do outdoors. I am one of those persons who absolutely hate waste. I also hate throwing anything away. Well, there are lots of old Halloween costumes hanging out around the house that are to small for anyone to wear. These are a couple of ideas I had for giving them new life.

For this Halloween outdoor decoration, I used an old rubber mask to cover up the lamp post in the yard. I used a coat hanger to make a small vampire cape look like it was covering a body. At night with the light on it looked like a scary light up monster.

For this yard decoration, I just hung a skeleton on one side of the awning. On the other side I used a Scream mask and outfit (again on a hanger ) and hung it under the awning. The spooky candle holders are inside the house, but can be seen in the window.

For this yard decoration, I used an old vampire costume with hood. I used a skeleton mask and a bloody chest plate and put them on a tree. I used green iridescent spiderweb to make it glow and attached lots of spiders scurrying all over the tree.

This yard display is different because many people use electric light-up decorations. I used Halloween candle decorations. If you use scented candles your yard not only looks pretty but smells nice too. Hang Halloween decorations from the roof and a few yard signs and it's a cute simple decorative yard.

This is a closer look at some of the yard candles.

Making Bows, Bows, and more Bows!

noreply@blogger.com (urbanchristmas) — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 12:40:00 +0000

The last blog explained the basic how to for making bows. After learning to make a regular 4 loop bow, and getting really good at it...it's time to have fun! Let your imagination soar. There are so many different kinds of bows and loops you can make from ribbon...the only limiting factor is your imagination. Here are a variety of ways I have used ribbons and bows in Christmas trees and arrangements.

In this first picture I wanted to use ribbon in the tree but not bows. I wanted the focal point to be the Easter baskets. I used pink raffia ribbon (paper) and just made a bunch of loops. Each loop larger than the last, with 5 loops and then placed them at strategic points in the tree. By doing this...the tree didn't blend in all the ornaments together. The variety of ornaments and baskets stood out from each other. This is a way of adding dimension to the tree.

In this tree I wanted the bow to be the focal point. Most people think of a tree topper going at the top of the tree. I sometimes decide to move the tree topper (the focal point) to the middle of the tree. This affect makes the tree look like a Christmas package. A different look that's glitzy and elegant.

This is a very simple stairway decorated for Christmas. The bow on the newel post is made using three different ribbons. The more ribbons you use the harder it is to make, but well worth the effort.

Although there is no lack of ribbon on this tree, there are no bows. I wanted to create a unique look for this tree because the ornaments on this tree were exquisite. I used an assortment of lighted Angel tree toppers going down the tree in a spiral. Under the spiral of Angels I used three different ribbons. One wide cream ribbon, one regular sized ribbon with a gold and cream pattern, and a tiny gold ribbon that looks just like a bead of garland. I strung them together to form a horizontal loop, and then a vertical loop all the way down and around the tree. The most difficult part of this is keeping the ribbons tight so they don't droop to much and loose the effect. I think it was well worth the effort.

The bow is made from french ribbon. It's very easy to work with and very flexible. This bow is a bow with a center button. The loops are varying lengths and there are two nice long tails. It really added to the Christmas basket.

Just remember, most of the ideas here can be used with an assortment of different ribbons and made in all sizes. You can take any idea, tweak it and make it you own.

Decorating for Halloween: Making bows!

noreply@blogger.com (urbanchristmas) — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 20:11:00 +0000

In this blog I want to show you how to make a bow. The photo's I am showing are photo's of how I made two different bows, placed them together. It may be difficult but keep trying. It's like riding a bike, once you learn you never forget. The more practice you have the better you get. So...on to the bows.

Making bows are easy if you know how. There are many different types of bows, but they follow the same basic rules for making them. They can have a button in the center. They may not have a button. They can have from two loops to 10 loops. You can use one ribbon or more. I know I said this before but your imagination is the only thing stopping you from making some very beautiful and unusual bows.

Choose ribbon with wire edges. This is much easier to use to make a bow.

If both sides of the ribbon are the same there is no front or back. Make one loop and pinch between your thumb or forefinger. If you twist the ribbon once it is easier to hold.

Make your second loop going the other way and again pinch or twist between your thumb and forefinger. Repeat this until you have as many loops as you want for your bow. I would suggest starting with two or four loops until you feel more comfortable with your new skill.

After you have your loops finished (keeping them on the correct sides), push a green floral wire to wrap around the ribbon loops in the very center where you have pinched or twisted the ribbon. (Make sure you are in the center or your loops will be smaller on one side than on the other.) Twist the wire so that it is tight. Be careful not to break the wire or your bow will unravel.

The last step is to pull and fluff your loops to where you want them. Now you can use just this bow in an arrangement or you can go a little further. Make another bow slightly smaller and place it the center of this first bow and place it in your arrangement. Here are a series of pictures in which I made a four loop bow and added another. I didn't fluff the loops out to much. This is a smaller bow. The same principle for making the bows remains the same no matter what the size.

Stay tuned for upcoming articles showing and describing a variety of bows.

Hi, it's 2 years since this blog...I'm inserting a how to video. No sound, but with written directions from above and a video you should be able to make a bow! Feel free to turn sound off. Hubby was making me nervous.

Adding a little Christmas to your furniture!

noreply@blogger.com (urbanchristmas) — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 19:32:00 +0000

Not only can you carry Christmas throughout the house using wreaths, mantels, and stairways, you can decorate your furniture with Christmas. Antique furniture looks beautiful when decorated for Christmas. The secret is to leave room so that you can still use the piece of furniture the way it was meant to be used. If it's a piece of furniture that sits up against the wall even better. Then you can add lights. Nothing looks more sparkling and elegant than a room lit up in the evening with Christmas lights. Turn off those lamps and plug in the Christmas lights, and savor an entirely different atmosphere.

This piece of furniture was located in a bedroom of a bed and breakfast. There were not enough pieces of furniture to have surface areas for use so I kept the decorations at a minimum. Here I used blue spruce with sprays of tiny pink roses for decoration. Some feathered bird ornaments add a natural look, and a white and gold santa (to match the gold candlesticks) is present for the holiday. Tall pink candles the exact shade of the roses are in the candle holders. Simple but elegant look that still leaves the furniture functional.

This is an old study...this piece of furniture didn't really serve a purpose so it had more elaborate decorations. This piece of furniture was located in one of the dining rooms. The decorations used were the same as those on the tree. Victorian sants and doves are used along with matching pink balls. A variety of silk and dried flowers were used in this arrangement adding to the victorian look.

This is the same piece of furniture decorated another year. This year was one of my favorites. I used a variety of blue, green, and very dark (almost purple) blue grapes and berry sprays. To give it glitter and glitz... lots of blue glass balls are added. Again, notice the matching shade of candles in the candle holders.

This is an antique buffet used in a dining room of a bed and breakfast. This was kept simple because the top was used to hold dinner rolls and water glasses during the evening meal. I just used a beautiful pink crinkled ribbon. I placed a pre-made flower corsage in the center and place some greenery around and under to hold the flowers and ribbons and create a contrast. Again simple, elegant, and neat.

So, there are many ways of celebrating Christmas and sprucing up your living area without necessarily having a Christmas tree. Don't forget Christmas flower arrangements in baskets and pots that can be placed around the room at to the festivity of the season.

Giving Credit where Credit is due: My Mentors, Charlie and Bill

noreply@blogger.com (urbanchristmas) — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 19:18:00 +0000

Many people have asked me how I learned to decorate. This blog and the pictures are dedicated to my

teachers. I don't know if they knew they were teaching me at first or not...but I was like a sponge. My teacher's names were Charlie and Bill. I will not use last names because they are not around anymore to give me permission. Since those days, Charlie and Bill have both passed on. I do not know their family members to ask permission. In this blog I will refer to them by their first names and not show their facial pictures...only their work. I first met them when the gift shop I worked at decided to open a Christmas department. Charlie and Bill were the sales representatives for the Silvestri Company. They not only sold us the product from Silvestri, but provided the services of setting up all the Christmas trees and displays. At that time we only had one room in the department. It was about the size of a Hallmark store found in most malls. They waited until all the trees and lights were shipped and then came out for a day or two and taught the employees how to light christmas trees. This was before you could buy them prelit. They showed us how to light the trees and then left. The employees ended up putting close to thirty sets of lights on each tree. Way to much...but then we were new at it. They had us start at the bottom of the tree and wind the light cords around the base and up the tree. The trees looked great...one slight problem, we couldn't get the light strings off when they needed replaced. After about three years of having to cut light strings off trees so we could re-use the trees, I came up with the method of lighting each section of the tree. If you would like the directions, this is the web address. http://christmasknight.blogspot.com/2011/05/lighting-your-christmas-tree-so-you.html The employees had to have about 20 trees of various sizes lit for Charlie and Bill before they came back. This took about a month.

By the time the trees were lit and set up...the rest of the product had arrived. Charlie and Bill would come out for about a week. We started in the morning about 9:00am and sometimes work until 2:00 am (then come back and do it again the next day). They taught us how to make bows and unpackage enough merchandise for them to put on the tree. The employees put solid colored bulbs on the inside of the trees. Charlie and Bil lcreated the themes and decorated the rest. I watched and learned. At the end of every year those trees had to be taken apart and taken down. That was my job. By doing this I learned how they put their trees together. What did they use first? What came last? I learned all the secrets by dismantling the trees. By the third year the gift shop had opened a second even larger room in the Christmas department. At least ten more trees and a huge area for collectables was added. Charlie and Bill were no longer able to finish all the trees. I finally had my chance. I wanted to show what I had learned. Under the tutilage of my boss who was also very talented I started decorating what Charlie and Bill couldn't finish. With each tree I designed and decorated I got better and better. As Charlie and Bill came to visit to sell more product they would see my work and spent less and less time there. As the department manager, I saw a lot of waste and over-usage of product and made some changes. The gift shop brought in product from a larger variety of wholesalers and the days of Charlie and Billcoming to the gift shop to decorate came to an end. Although the gift shop no longer used their decorating services, it continued to buy product for as long as Charlie and Bill worked there. This is how I learned to decorate...the ideas for the trees that came later...I guess it was a gift. I feel blessed to have been able to do a job for so many years that I loved and was inspired to do. There was never a great deal of money but...it made me feel good about being able to create something beautiful. I would see it in my mind and recreate it with my hands. So, this blog is dedicated to Charlie and Bill, to their creative style and generosity in teaching others about their finest work. The photo's in this blog are the work of Charlie and Bill, and I will include a brief description of each. Although they are gone, the memory of their work lives on...Thank you Charlie and Bill

This tree was to symbolize marriage. They used an antique curio and used decorations of white and clear and lace ribbon. They used very tall white candles to give an elegant look to the tree. Beautiful.

This tree is an egyptian tree, they used Radko and polonaise ornaments. The sarcophagus was a collectable from another room in the shop.

This tree is done in red. Small red candles, Woodland red Santas adorn the tree. Grape vine wreat has been opened and wrapped around the tree. Eucalyptus is used as a filler.

This is the same tree as the picture above. Bird houses, bird nests, and birds are in the tree as well as pine cone novelty lights. A variety of moss was used to achieve a woodsy outdoor look.

This tree features snowbabies. These are some of the original pieces done by department 56 before they made so many figurines. They used large white snoflakes and red berries in the tree. It made a striking difference. Charlie and Bill were creative and will be missed. I learned so much just from taking apart what they made.

Decorating for Halloween (inside and out).

noreply@blogger.com (urbanchristmas) — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 19:47:00 +0000

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When most people think about decorating for Halloween, they think outside...yard decorations. The problems with just having decorations outside, is everyone else gets to see them but you (unless you sit outdoors every night). I do decorate outside...but I do even more inside. These are some decorating tips for the inside of your house.

One really unusual idea for Halloween is to decorate a tree. That's right...a tree. Use an upside down black tree. If you can find lights with a black cord, great! If not, use lights with a green cord. They blend in pretty well when the lights are dim. See: http://christmasknight.blogspot.com/2011/05/lighting-your-christmas-tree-so-you.html for instructions on how to light a tree. With this tree, just use the instructions backwards. Use purple and orange lights on the tree, this creates a dim spooky atmosphere to the display.

After you have lit the tree. Look for Halloween "fiber optics" scarecrows, pumpkins, witches or any other Halloween object, and place them in the tree. They should sit on the top of the tree nicely or perch in some of the lower branches. Use wire to secure them into the tree. If you have a lighted spider web, suspend it from the tree. Hang lots of spiders and a spider egg sack. I used an orange lighted orb for the spider sack.

If you want an eerie looking tree use some glow in the dark spider web to cover parts of the tree. Spread it very thinly, so you can still see any Halloween decorations you may put on the tree. After all this, now you can hang you spooky Halloween small items on the tree. Many lower priced items can always be found at Walmarts and Dollar General. There are also collectible Halloween ornaments from Christopher Radko and Polonaise and many other Companies.

Around the bottom of your tree, you can sit bales of hay, and lean some corn stalks up against the trunk. If you have life sized scary people they would be in this area. If you have a fog machine, hide in in amongst the bales of hay. Make sure it is secure and has enough air so it doesn't get to hot. It creates a very misty scary look to any display. Set it to go off every couple of minutes.

Another way to decorate for Halloween is to decorate the front window in the living room. I've never seen a living room without a front window. First you want to put up some type of greenery or a "base" to tie your decorations to (grapevine). I use a very sparse looking greenery with pine cones in it. Next I use some novelty lights. These are orange pumpkins lights and also a light that looks that flickering candles. Next, I add in some fall looking flowers and berries. I add a couple of bows, and some Halloween ornaments. Lastly, I set out Halloween figurines and candles and voila...It looks great and your now ready for a party.

Update on the decorating the window in your living room: Here is some changes I made from the first year. I had more Halloween items around the window. This year (2011) I have it have a more Fall and Thanksgiving look.

Don't forget, if you collect Halloween houses from Department 56 or any other company, get them out and displayed for Halloween. To see instructions on how to set up a really great village, see: http://christmasknight.blogspot.com/2011/05/christmas-villages-one-more-time.html :-)

Using Fillers in the Tree

noreply@blogger.com (urbanchristmas) — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 21:42:00 +0000

When I use the term fillers, I mean just putting in a little something to give the tree pizzazz! It's not the main decoration, or even the flowers or ribbon. The pizzazz, as I call it, is the little sparkle, or little something all over the tree that covers up some of the green undecorated spaces in the tree. To much makes it look over done. To little doesn't give it that extra pizzazz. It's like when you decorate a cake. It's done, but suddenly you add sprinkles. It gives it a fresh new distinctive look. What's nice about using fillers, is that every year you can give your tree a new look while still using many of the same ornaments. Just change the filler. Usually, it's the least expensive item on the tree.

Some of the fillers I have used are: eucalyptus branches, angel's hair, any kind of sparly dried flowers (tiny flowers, large branch or pick), sprinkle snow, dried fern leaves, and even tinsel.

Since pictures are worth a thousand words, here are a few showing how I used fillers. I am also giving you tree descriptions in case you like the ideas.

In this first tree I used gold Angel's hair as a filler. There are so many other colors on the tree already to anything but a solid neutral color would be disastrous. Gold is a neutral Christmas color. This Angel's hair brings sparkle and shimmer to the tree without detracting from the other items. This tree has a large assortment of Clothtique paper mache Angels. There are an assortment of gold ornaments. The ribbon was used to create a garland. It's a garland of loops. There are at least four colors of sheer shimmering ribbon used.

This tree has a filler of eucalyptus leaves. These are real and give off a wonderful ordor as you near the tree. This tree was named Golden Harvest. There are all kinds of ornaments that have something to do with the harevesting time of year. There are a variety of fruits, horn of plenty and many other assorted ornaments. There are a lot of cherub heads and instruments mixed in with this theme. The tree topper is a simple Angel. The eucalyptus give it a feel of realness. Some of the fruit looks so real, you can just about taste them.

This was a tree, from one of the very first years of my decorating experience. It is a simple tree, and the focus is actually not on the tree but the display of Department 56 houses under the tree and on the wall. It does demonstrate what I'm writing about very nicely. The poinsettias and birds on the trees were for sale. The sparkle branches are what caught everyone's attention. It offers a natural look with some added pizzazz. I also threw some sparkle sprinkle snow on and under the tree to add to the affect. Simple, woodsy and elegant.

With this tree, I added two fillers. One was a real dried fern leaf, and the other was silver Angel's hair to give it a shimmery look. If you pull the Angel's hair and make it as thin as you can it's very hard to actually see the Angel's hair. It just shimmers like the mornings first mist. In this tree it was necessary to use fillers that blended in because the colors in the ornaments and Santa figurines are pink and peach. It makes a beautiful combination.

This tree was created with a tree just for him in mind. Everything on this tree is from the woods. It's what you might see if you go hunting or on a nature walk. There are mushroom picks, pine cones and an assortment of birds flutter through out the tree. There are an assortment of berry picks and pheasant feathers in the tree. Blue paper ribbon was used so there wouldn't be any sparkle to the tree. Two different colors of blue give it depth. The filler in this tree is wild grasses. It looks like very tall grass has been chopped down and placed in the tree. This gives it a wild look and feeling. I didn't want any touch of the feminine in this tree at all. Although it was to appeal to men, many women appreciated this tree because of it's natural appeal. It's rather like bringing the outside indoors.