The Last of the Christmas Trees

 

Here are the last of the trees this Christmas!

A miniature tree has been “planted” into a pot and placed in the downstairs bathroom. It features a fun animal theme- dogs, rabbits, horses, bears, and ducks…. Everything a small child would enjoy. And this big kid thinks it is fun, too!

 

 

 

 

 

The tree, itself, is a miniature country style tree with skinny little branches. I wound a brown light stand on it to blend in with it and then hung some grunge candles for some warm lighting. Small wooden beads drape all around, as well.

 

 

 

This felt mouse has been around for many years- probably from one of my very first trees.

 

 

A resin soldier bear with angel wings.

 

 

Do you see the colored “light bulbs?”  They’re crafted to simulate the larger bulbs that were so popular when I was a kid.  The little mouse tucked into a stocking is a bread dough ornament.

 

 

A friendly canine is a must on an animal tree!  This guy’s bone is bigger than he is.

 

 

Where there are birds, there naturally come bird houses….

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This reindeer obviously scoots about on wheels!

 

 

Mr. Duck and Miss Bunny.

 

 

 

 

 

As kids, we always had a hobby horse to prance around on.

 

 

This one is mounted on a large cinnamon stick and sports a great mane.

 

 

Did one of the Beekman Boy’s lambs get loose?

 

 

I wonder if this could be Earl’s cousin…

 

 

Santa Bunny.

 

 

Mrs. Santa Bunny.

 

 

And to watch over all the little animals is this sweet country angel.

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Going with a specific theme does tend to limit you to keeping the same decorations from year to year. My brown and gold tree in the foyer has had the same natural theme for the past three years and looks this year’s tree looks almost identical to last year’s.  However, it did this get one small change this year – I added in some dried, brown hydrangeas.

I was suffering with a bout of insomnia when I took this picture very early one morning (about 2 a.m.- ick).  I flipped on the tree lights with the remote so I could see my way down the hall and into the kitchen for a snack!

 

 

 

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The tree stands at the end of the bannister in the foyer. It’s a six-footer and decorated with gold beads, brown and gold ribbons, feathers, and lots of shiny ornaments.

 

 

In keeping with a look of both bling and natural elements, this feather wreath adds a lot of interest to the tree.

 

 

 

 

 

These are day and night shots of the brown hydrangeas.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here is some of the glitz. Even these feathers are shiny and glittery.

 

 

A silhouette of one of the golden snowflakes.

 

 

 

I used sheer gold poinsettias to fill in bare spots.

 

 

Real feathers add to the nature theme.

 

 

Golden glamour.

 

 

My favorite ornament on the tree is the large glass ornament showing a rustic pinecone on it, along with its Latin name.

 

 

I always place it directly in front of one of the lights so the details are illuminated.

 

 

The topper is a glass bird ornament similar to my favorite pinecone one. A head dress of feathers forms the backdrop for it.

 

 

The way this tree glows in the dark is almost magical.

                                                                                        

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The largest of all of our trees is the very chubby 12-footer in the great room. It doesn’t look as if it it that tall because of its girth! Guess the same principle that applies to people applies to trees! Note to self- you might consider going on a diet and getting some more exercise.

This tree is pre-lit, but we add on red chile lights and red and orange bubble lights to give it some character. It’s done up in a southwest theme, complete with aspen leaves,a clay burro, barbed wire, and even a pair of cowboy boots. I’m a New Mexico girl at heart, and this reminds me of my home state.

 

Red, wooden beads were strung from top to bottom and filled in with wire garland. Red and blue cotton bandanas were tied to the ends of many of the branches to tie in the southwest/cowboy look.

 

 

There’s lots of color going on here. Brightly colored bandanas, red beads, glittery pinecones, colored water in the bubble lights, yellow aspen leaves…..

 

 

 

 

This is just one of a few cowboy boot styles hanging on the tree.

 

 

You can see the strand of chile lights in the background of the silhouetted cowboy on his horse.

 

 

It was difficult for me to capture the bubbles inside this bubble light, so use your imagination to see it bubbling away.

 

 

Behind the beads and aspen leaves is a pair of our son’s cowboy boots. He wore them when he was much younger. I wouldn’t want to try and place a size 14 boot in there now! 

 

Woven pouches with American Indian designs hang throughout the tree.

 

 

I nestled some wire garland with rust colored stars in among the branches.  Glass chiles hang all throughout the tree.

 

 

There are several aspen leaf garlands tucked in the front of the tree. Sure do wish I had ordered more- they’re no longer available through my source.

 

 

The zia motif is prevalent among American Indian art.  It’s even in the New Mexico state flag. Here, a zia shaped ornament features a bear.

 

 

 

If you look closely, you will see the outline of a steer’s head fashioned out of real barbed wire. Do you see it?

 

 

 

I used snow covered, glittery pinecones all through the tree. The southwest does, indeed, have dense mountain ranges, full of pine and aspen trees. When I still lived in New Mexico, we only had to drive about 10 miles out of town to be up in the national forest. I really do miss that scenery!

 

 

 

 

 

 

This roping Santa is quite a character!

 

 

 

I even have an authentic lariat on the back of the tree. I couldn’t fit in between the wall and the tree, so I shot it as a reflection in the mirror.

 

I bought this little clay burro carrying a pack of wood at a small art shop in New Mexico many years ago. He’s very rustic- you can see the artist’s fingerprints on him.

 

 

 

At the top of the tree is my Mariachi Santa. 

 

 

 

And standing watch at the base of the tree is this cowboy Santa. He is one of six different styles that I purchased at Kohl’s after Christmas last year.

 

 

In true cowboy fashion, he’s holding a lariat and has his saddle draped over his arm.

 

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And here is the tree that I procrastinated putting up until Thursday – the purple and lime green one.  What stymied me in the first place was that I had decorations but no tree. The tree I wanted to use had a broken base and I had to toss it out. It was identical to the kitchen tree, which also had a bum base!  I had a hard time trying to find a narrow enough tree to fit on the staircase landing; and this tree is not really what I wanted.  I think I want an alpine tree with a rustic wood trunk. But it will have to do for now.  Maybe an after-Christmas sale will yield me what I really want.

 

 

This tree just didn’t get the attention that I gave the other eight. By the time this one went up, I didn’t feel like hiding the light strands inside the branches. And the fact that I was working with only four strands, (one of which had the second half of it completely out!), just hindered me all the more.  For garland, I simply uncoiled the rolled ribbon and let it drape in alternating colors.

 

 

Purple poinsettias and sparkly green berries filled some of the empty spaces between the balls. The decorations were all from the Dollar Tree- I saw those bright colors and thought they would make a wonderfully fun color combination.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When night falls, this is what we are greeted with as we enter the foyer. Christmas-time certainly is magical!

 

So there you have it- the last four of my trees! Yes, that means I actually had NINE!  In the event that you missed the others, or if you’d like to see them again, you can click on on the following links to see them.

A Few of My Christmas Trees

More Christmas Trees

 

I’ll have some more holiday décor posts to show you within the next few days. Geez- where did this month go?   I think I still have some last minute shopping to do!

                       

 

 

                                                             

Linking this post to:

                                                                    What’s It Wednesday