This is my living room tree and fireplace. I decorate this tree with a little bit of a Victorian feel. The reindeer on the fireplace are those brown papier-mâché deer you find at craft stores. I spray painted them gold, then decorated them with garland, ribbons, flowers, beads, and misc. (The cat is real, LOL)

I layer my Christmas trees, the first thing I do after putting my tree up, I cut up fake green garland and place it in the middle of the tree hiding anything that is metal, wires or plugs. The garland can be stored and reused each year. On this tree I actually used lighted garland (don’t cut it) and wrapped the inside of the tree, the additional lights adds another dimension to the tree. The next thing I add is the fabric. On this tree I used purple tissue lame, a multi colored sequin fabric and strands of purchased beads. I don’t like straight lines, so on this tree I draped the fabric at an angle creating little curves while circling the tree.

After the fabric layer, I add my flowers and stems.

The last layer is adding all the ornaments.

I have more elegant types of ornaments on my living room tree.

I found these acrylic candles at a small Christmas store a few years back. They have a little hole in the base so you place the candle on top of one of the bulbs on your tree, and then it illuminates through the acrylic.

Close up of a flower and leaves added to the living room tree.

Close up of living room tree, I just love colored lights on trees. I made the gold bell on my embroidery sewing machine using gold metallic thread in both the bobbin and top needle.

Close up of the living room tree.

This is an example to show a DO NOT DO, if you have cats, be careful what ornaments you place on the bottom of your trees. Cats love to bat things around, especially ribbons, fluffy things and sparkling ornaments. So think before you place your ornaments on the bottom.

This is the centerpiece on my living room fireplace. I made the mantle scarf out of Home Dec fabric and because it is heavy I use painters tape on the back side to hold it onto the mantle. The tape doesn’t show because I then place another runner of fabric on top covering the tape. Then I layer garland that I have added lights to, and different flowers, picks, pearls, stems, etc. Even though I use the same flowers for several years, it ends up looking a little different each year, depending on my creative mood at the time I am decorating. If you don’t want to change your look from year to year you can use hot glue to glue your decorations into the garland, I do not glue them so that I can change it. To store it, you start at one end and kind of roll it onto itself and place it carefully in a sturdy box.

This little Victorian tree means a lot to me on a personal level. I bought a plain little tree and hot glued dried flowers on it. The roses I used were from flowers that my husband had given me, I kept the flowers and dried them so that I could use them on this tree. The tree skirt I made from French Alencon lace that I hand sewed together to create a circle. The framed pictures on the right are Mirabilia cross stitch that I did on linen. The Christmas one also has beads sewn on it. If you like to cross stitch click the link and you will find Mirabilia’s beautiful patterns. The white church on the left, I made on my embroidery machine. It is from OESD and they have a whole Victorian Village that you can make.

These are gold glitter wired boxes. They are bought flat, I unfolded them and put colored lights in them. Before putting the colored lights in them, I wrapped the light wires with ribbons so that the wires wouldn’t show. CAUTION, be careful what type of lights you use. Make sure the lights DO NOT GET HOT, all lights are not the same quality and they can cause fires. I used GE Constant On lights. After arranging the lights in the boxes, I closed the lid, wrapped them with ribbon, like a gift and then added flowers, angels, birds, etc. Just be creative. These are absolutely beautiful when lit.

This wreath was bought with the lights already on it. I collect porcelain dolls, so I took one of the them and turned her into an angel. I hand beaded wings, made a dress out of lace and added flowers. The gold is a sequin fabric that I just weaved in and out of the wreath limbs. I have made all different types of wreaths; I have placed them throughout the house. I did not take pictures of all of them. Wreaths are easy to make, just buy a plain wreath, add lights if you want (most of my wreaths do not have lights), add flowers, stuffed animals, floral picks, toys, dolls, ornaments, or whatever you want to. You can do themes, if you want, like in my kitchen I found cookie ornaments that I used along with ribbon and baby breaths. It looks real cute in my kitchen.

The Parlor Stairway, this garland was bought pre made, I just added it to plain garland to add more fullness which allowed room to put lights on, and then added velvet stockings.

This Chandelier hangs over my stairway going downstairs. I temporarily secured a pole across the railing and hung the chandelier from it. The Chandelier is actually a lighted Christmas tree that I hung upside down. I decorated the tree by draping strands of pearls, using hot glue to secure the beads to the tips of the limbs. I then added an ornament to hang from the tip of the tree, that is upside down, and added garland with flowers to the bottom of the tree, that is is now the top. I made this Chandelier back in 1994 and it is still working. To store it I hang it in a storage space downstairs under the stairs.

Here is a partial view of the dining room and foyer. I decorate almost the whole house, even the bathrooms. I know I go a little overboard, but my husband and I love celebrating Christmas. Decorating the whole house was a gradual thing.  Each year I would add something new, and as I added new I might move things from one place to another.  Like an old mantle decoration might become a swag over a doorway the next year.  Every year just add something new and pretty soon you have the whole house decorated.

I use sheer fabric on the dining room table to simulate snow. When you place the fabric don’t be too neat with it. You want to create folds and curves so it looks like snow following the terrain of the land creating piles of snow as the sleigh is pulled through it.

When you buy a decoration like this Santa, if it doesn’t match your colors or the style you have in mind. Buy it and change it. I added the bead trim, flowers, stems, and berry beads to the tree and to the cone he is carrying. I also added a little bling to his belt. Be creative, change things you purchase.

My FAVORITE tree, it is in our master bedroom and I call it my “Boudoir Tree”. ” …a little bit of naughty is a little bit of nice…” (The pink fluff on the left of the chest is a cat bed.) The tree is so much prettier in real life, but I have tried my best to capture its beauty. I’ll explain what I have on it in the close up pictures.

The colored lights make the feather boas, that I use as garland, glow. The tree skirt I made back in 1976, only I made it as a table cloth, I sewed lace squares in between antique handkerchiefs that were my Great, Great Aunts.

The purple feathers are from a costume headdress I had. The red hat (no I’m not a member of the Red Hat Society), I made using a feather trim, a white flower, and a sequin floral trim all from my sewing stash. The black check is from a negligee that I cut up.

This tree is all about sparkle, fashion and seduction. I have several pairs of gloves on the tree that were from grandmothers on my side of the family and on my husband’s side.

I use hair clips and costume jewelry as ornaments to create sparkle and keeping with the fashion part of the tree theme.

Here is the little bit of naughty. The tree becomes seductive because I use several of my old negligee’s I have kept as decoration.

Another pair of gloves and a close up of the boas being used as garland.

A pretty close up view of the Boudoir Tree and the handkerchief tree skirt.

Close up showing the sparkly Floral leaves, beaded shawl, hair clip, and dress ornament.

I use beaded shawls and collars for added bling and elegance for the Boudoir tree. The colored lights really make them sparkle. I have to be very careful when I place these shawls and take them off so that they don’t get caught and torn from the tree branches.

Close Up showing more hair clips and how I use lace as a garland along with the feather boas.

I decorate the house by myself, but I learned years ago that it makes it a whole lot more enjoyable if I know I will have help packing everything back up. So I hire my girl friend’s kids. I started out with my granddaughter also, but now she usually has to work. I trained them on how to wrap the tree limbs up with plastic wrap so that the wires won’t break. As you can see the dog puts his weight into helping squeeze the tree box together so it can be taped up. After all, Rottweilers are in the “working group”. LOL

My little Santa Cat.

Merry Christmas!!!!!