While the rest of the decor this year was kept really simple and clean, I kind of wanted to get a bit crazy (for me) with the tree. Since it is in the entry, we only see a small portion of it most of the time, so I knew something loud and colorful could work.
I found these satin ornaments at the thrift store last summer and I loved the saturated colors. They reminded me of the Orangerie pillowcases I made for our living room chairs. $7 for all 3 bags? I figured it was worth a go.
I’ll admit it, I have a seasonal decorating problem. I can never do the same thing twice. So I have a lot of different ornaments. I began by clustering some of them on the ground to see what I thought worked together. 
I approached the tree like I would a room. I first placed my foundation of neutrals and then came back with the color. Some additional branches and sprigs add extra texture and depth to a fake tree. Then I layered in the neutral ornaments. I started with the gold, then silver and then the light mint color (it feels neutral in the space because it’s the same color as the walls).
Then I added the colors, placing all the blue, then all the green, then pink, etc. Once I got to this point, I felt like it still needed something. I had purchased several spools of bendable tinsel garland from Walmart, but just draping it traditionally wasn’t interesting enough. I wanted something that would feel a bit more fun, so I bent it into a zigzag pattern.
The zigzag and the colors kind of remind me of Charlie Brown.
And the kids really love it, which is important.
I took some of the same tinsel garland in gold to make a star for the top.
This is the view we see most of the time.
It’s more colorful, but at the same time more simple than I’ve done in the past, but I’m really happy I was able to create something my kids love without it feeling too juvenile.
I wanted to share with you a project that Micah and I started on this weekend. Our basement has a small storage area under the front door entryway and stairs. For about a year now we’ve thought it would be a fun space to transform for the kids (there is also a bit of selfishness in the hope that they’ll keep their messes in here and leave our stuff alone).
This weekend we finally cleaned it out, found homes for boxes and baby things, and Micah put up sheet rock and started mudding. Did I mention we hope to have it done by Christmas? Yeah, that’s 9 days away. We’re procrastinators like that. 9 days and only a few hundred dollars, I hope we don’t kill each other and I hope to have a reveal for you shortly after Christmas.
Have a lovely week!
Looks great! Love all the color and the zig-zag tinsel!
Thanks so much, Emmie! Merry Christmas!
love the tree! Looking forward to the reveal of your project!
your tree is gorgeous! the zigzag tinsel is such a fun and unique touch for sure. i'm having a fun Christmas décor linkup if you want to add your space! http://www.jadeoak.com/2013/12/design-in-your-home-holiday-link-up.html
— jackie @ jade and oak
Thanks so much Jackie! I just linked up to your party. Thanks for the invite! Hope you all have a Merry Christmas.
love the bright tree! good luck on your project…if anyone can do it, you can!
Oh, thanks so much, Emily!
Love the tree and can't wait to see the basement
Thanks, lady!
Love the zig zag garland!! Such a great deal on the satin ornaments too (love thrifting in the mid-west 🙂 Looking forward to seeing your project!!
Thanks, Sarah!
Such a pretty tree. Charlie Brown is exactly what I thought! And then I read that Charlie Brown is what YOU thought. And then I liked you a little bit more. If that's even possible. 🙂 LOVE those satin ornaments. What a great find! They bring such a nostalgic feel. So excited to see this new play space!
🙂 Thanks lady.
Love the zig zag tinsel, so cute. And my parents had those satin ornaments when I was a kid and I loved them. I managed to snag a few over the years and they hold up really well. I love your tree!
such a lovely tree!! I love the zig zag…and it too reminds me of Charlie Brown! We have a a nook in the attic that we also turned into a mini kid space and our daughter loves it. we completed it with paneled wood walls and it looks precious. I need to blog about it. I keep forgetting to. Thanks for the reminder.
That sounds lovely, Albertina! I look forward to seeing it!
Coming from the nester link up! Love, love your tree and I am an avid colour lover so I can appreciate the colours. Love the zig zag too; so fun!
Thanks so much, Stacey! I appreciate your kind words and love of color. 🙂 Have a beautiful holiday!
LOVE your tree! It's so cheerful, creative and fun! Your home is gorgeous and I really like that you're doing a playhouse under your stairs. We are too! I show a preview of it on my blog. We're hoping to have it done for Christmas for our four girls. Gotta get to work. Merry Christmas!
Thanks so much for your kind words and for reading, Tracy! I'll have to hop on over to check out your space!
That garland is super sweet! Love how the entire tree came out!
Angela @ Number Fifty-Three
Thanks so much, Angela!
This Christmas tree reminds me of the way I decorate my parents tree each year, using baubles they’ve had for years which are very similar to the ones you used. I love the visual affect through the banister. What is the paint colour on the wall – it looks more of a grey tone than mint?
Thanks, Barbara! It’s a custom color, but you can find the paint info in this post: http://www.themakerista.com/making-home-living-and-dining-spaces/. Have a great evening!