Miniature Christmas tree decorating ideas
Ideas for decorating miniature table top Christmas trees for any room in your home.
If you love Christmas, and decorating your home for Christmas, I am going to tell you how to bring a little bit of the holidays to every room in your home. This article is going to deal with miniature Christmas trees. These are wonderfully easy to use in your holiday decor, whether it be your kitchen, family room, or any room in your home, these small trees can be placed on any surface for instant decorating. They are also very easy to store fully decorated, to be used year after year.
These little artificial Christmas trees come in variety of styles and sizes. They can be purchased very inexpensively at department or craft stores. The best time to purchase them is generally when they go on sale, then purchase a few at a time. They can be rather addicting, so it is good to have at least one on hand, in case the decorating urge strikes. In this article I am going to give you some ideas on a variety of different trees for your home. At the end of this article, I will also give you some ideas on keeping a decorated tree out year round.
You also do not have to stick to a purchased evergreen looking miniature tree, a variety of items can be used. Everything from tree branches stuck into a weighted flower pot, to a Swedish wooden tree, which is basically a base, with a flat 1 x 2 attached to it, for the trunk, then there are branches, again 1 x 2’s attached to the trunk.
After you have purchased your tree, the first thing you will want to do is put the lights on it. While you can use miniature white Christmas lights, they of course they come in a variety of colors or a combination of colors. For the small trees a string of 50 lights should be plenty. Discount stores have these available for a dollar or two.
The next thing you will need to do, is decorate your tree. This is where the fun comes in. Let us work our way around the house with ideas for your tree. I am going to include lists of items that I would suggest putting on your miniature trees. You can take these ideas, and expand on them to make a tree to suit your decor.
KITCHEN– a kitchen themed tree has endless possibilities. Be on the lookout for miniature cooking utensils, the toy section at any store is a great place to look. Just string these toys on a colorful ribbon to hang on your tree. Gingerbread men and women are another great addition, while real home made cookies will work, you can also make applesauce ornaments and hang them from a ribbon on your tree. These can be made, then used year after year, by just adding a touch of a spiced oil, they will also continue to smell nice. Cookie cutters also make wonderful decorations on a miniature kitchen tree, again just run a ribbon through the cookie cutter and hang on your tree. Some miniature apple ornaments could be used also, while tying bows on the end of some of the other branches.
A dried fruit and spice tree is also an excellent idea for kitchens, simply dry apples, oranges, chili peppers and other assorted food items and add these to your tree, along with some raffia bows, cinnamon sticks and other dried herbs. Cranberry and popcorn strings will make an interesting garland for this type of tree.
Another idea for an interesting tree for your kitchen would be a candy tree. While wrapped candies could be added to any miniature purchased trees, what about making your own? All you need for this project is a cone shaped piece of styrofoam, straight pins and some assorted wrapped candy. Starting at the bottom of the cone, attach the candy using the straight pins, around and around until the entire tree is filled with candy. Just tie a cute bow of ribbon and attach, again with a pin to the top of your tree. This will look cute sitting on a counter in your kitchen, although if you happen to have candy lovers in your home, your tree may end up with a few bald spots.
SEWING ROOM– What about a sewing themed tree for your sewing room? First you will need to attach your white lights to the tree, now look through your old craft magazines and cut out some pictures of craft and quilt books. You can then make primitive looking little stockings out of cotton batting and homespun. Then put the little books in the top of the stockings and hang these on your tree. You can also hang old wooden spools of thread, miniature scissors, thimbles, bobbins and miniature quilt blocks. Lastly add a few bunches of babies breath to the branches, along with bows of homespun.
LIVINGROOM– When visiting craft shops, gift and department stores, be on the lookout for those adorable miniature birds, nests and eggs. Simply attach these items to your tree along with some dried or silk flowers and miniature bird houses.
You can create very elegant looking table top trees for your livingroom using a wide variety of florals. Choose some flowers in a color to compliment your decor, both silk and dried flowers can be used here. If you are going for a more Victorian look, add some pretty bows, a garland made from glass beads, miniature glass ornaments and a bit of lace. If you want a more Country look, start with some silk holly, add a garland of red beads, a bit of raffia or jute for bows, and some primitive looking items.
CHILDRENS ROOMS– Be sure to let your child help you with this one! Let them make paper chains, and hang some of their favorite miniature toys from their tree. You can also do themed trees for your childrens rooms. Do they like fishing? Make or purchase small fish and tackle and add it to the tree. Are they into dolls or stuffed animals? For those of you that have collected the miniature Barbies or Beanie Babies that were sold by McDonalds, this is a wonderful way to display your childs collection.
You can also make a fantasy type tree for your children. I would suggest starting with colored lights for this one. Several inexpensive Slinkys will make an interesting garland, and you can make your own larger than real life candies to put on this tree. By using plastic containers, a bit of cellophane and tin foil you can make your own candies. A large Hershey kiss made from foil, a lollipop by using the lid from a plastic container, covered with colorful cellophane with a painted dowel rod fo
r the stick.
If your child has her/his room done in the sun, moon and stars in various shades of blue and gold. Fashion a tree for their room by taking plain blue Christmas balls, and painting a gold crescent moon and stars on them. For this step you can purchase glitter glue pens. Simply draw the moon and stars onto the ball, then wait for the glue to dry. Then make some gold stars to add to their tree, along with a gold star garland and gold bows tied on the branches. You can also use a string of faux crystal and gold angel miniature lights on the tree, along with a set of blue twinkle lights.
LAUNDRY ROOM– This would be a great place for a cute angel tree. You will need to purchase a package of small gold jingle bells, to the tops of these you will attach a prepainted bead doll head. Now just glue on a little hair and some purchased tiny lace wings. Last attach a hanger to your mini bell angel and hang them on a tree. Be sure to add a lot of babies breath, you can also use miniature pearls for a garland, and finish off by tying white miniature ribbon bows to the ends of the branches.
There are miniature clothes pins available, try attaching some doll clothes to your branches with the clothes pins. Now add a clothesline for a garland along with some small coat hangers, perhaps a bit of lace, some miniature mittens or socks.
BATHROOM– Yes you can even have a tree in your bathroom! For a bathroom tree again start with a stryofoam cone. Purchase some bunches of eucalyptus, but you will have to like the smell of this, if you dont, this probably would not work for you. Next cut the eucalyptus in various lengths, you probably will need to stick the ends of your eucalyptus in a bit of glue before sticking it into the styrofoam. Starting at the bottom of the tree with the longer pieces of eucalyptus, fill in the entire surface of the foam cone. Now add a 15 light set of white lights, and a garland of miniature gold stars. Not only will this tree look nice sitting on the counter in your bathroom. But the warmth of the lights will release the scents of the eucalyptus.
Now on to keeping a decorated tree out all year round. I have one tree that is about 3 feet tall, that was purchased for my craft business to display Christmas ornaments on. Since, it is too big for me to store, it is left out all year round, and is decorated according to the seasons. If you happen to have a tree, and this similar situation, here are some seasonal decorating ideas for you.
For Valentines Day, put on a set of pink or red miniature lights, and add different heart ornaments.
For Easter, add a set of pastel lights. Now take about 50 of the plastic Easter eggs and poke a hole in one end. Next run a ribbon through that hole and knot it. Hang the eggs on your branches, and you now have an Easter Egg Tree.
A Fourth of July tree can be made by using red, white and blue lights. Try attaching miniature flags, and silver, red and blue tinsel.
The Halloween tree can boast orange lights, small plastic pumpkins, purchased spider webs and spiders.
During the time of year when the tree is not decorated for anything else, try making a tree that will compliment your decor. If you happen to have a kitchen that is decorated in an apple theme. Try covering your tree with white lights, apple ornaments, and red and green checked bows. A tree decorated to match your kitchen or livingroom decor will look really cute sitting in the corner of the room. Plus it will add a bit of light to a dark corner.
I hope this will give you some ideas on making miniature trees to decorate your home. Be on the lookout all year for various items to use on your trees, and remember it does not necessarily have to be something specifically for Christmas for this idea to work. Use your imagination and your likes to create the perfect decorations for your home.
