"Take good care of myself and everyone I love, and do my best to be a positive influence on my social and ecological community." - Stepanie (Green Bay, WI)
Sport
"To get out at least once a month on either skis, snowshoes or hiking boots. " - Burnt (Gunnison, CO)
Consumption
"More exercise, better diet, less beer." - Jerry (On the banks of Yellowstone)
Self-Reliance
"Find a house closer to a wind farm." -Trekker (Fuel Dependent, USA)
Roughing It
"Trying to get at least one bag night a month" - Greg (SoCal, USA)
Admirable
"I will have to resolve to stay out of jail this year, as I seem to have lost my Get Out of Jail Free card." - Vincent (Salem, Oregon)
Gluttony
"To finish off the big ass bag of M&M's on my desk in record time." - Miss Dolittle (Longmont, CO)
Watercourse
"I plan to Hike, Camp, Fish, & Canoe more this year. I can't wait to Canoe and camp the Loyd Owens Canoe river trail in Alabama." - Mountain Goat (Grass Valley, CA)
Temper
" I think mine will be to not get pissed at all the people that show up at the gym as they make themselves feel better by going for the first 2 months of the New Year before they give up and return to the couch." - Mikey (Gold's Gym, USA)
Egoistic
"Kick my idealism habit - be more selfish and hedonistic." - Orygawn (Bend, Oregon)
That's all of it so I hope you enjoyed it. Now get ready for tomorrow when it will be all about wedding cakes. Yum!
I hope all you HolidayTree lovers have been busy thinking about your New Years Resolutions. If you haven't, hopefully these resolutions will get you motivated!
Self-Aware
"I don't have any New Year's resolutions. I have goals that are short term, medium term and long term. On top of that, I try to live every day in the best way I can - being active, taking care of those I love, playing a bit, working a bit, being charitable and making sure I take time for myself." - LaurieAnn (Ontaria, Canada)
(I say, 'Thanks for the non-resolution resolution')
Restriction
"I've got about 20 lbs to lose." - LameBeaver (Colorado)
(I say, 'You know what they say, the last 10...er, 20 lbs are the hardest.')
QUIT
"QUIT SMOKING! This is going to be a hard one. I've tried the pills, the patch, the gum, cold turkey, and even hypnotherapy. I've probably spent more money on quitting smoking than actually smoking. But my wife absolutely insists I do it for good this time." - Jason (Denver, CO)
(I say, 'Don't worry buddy, that's a hard one for everyone.')
Goal
"I resolve to become more goal oriented." - Turner (South USA)
(I say, 'Don't we all.')
FEAR
"It's more a goal than a resolution, but I'm going to overcome my wreck-instilled fear and ride my bike again on the road." - Sprout (Pittsburgh, PA)
(I say, 'You call it fear, I call it sense.')
More great resolutions through January 1rst!
Want to send me yours? Email me at holidaytrees@gmail.com
I've been wanting to put up a thread about outdoor Christmas trees for a while. However, I just don't feel like I have enough pictures of outdoor trees to constitute a thread. Instead I am posting this story about one person's outdoor Christmas tree.
Karla and her family aren't big into Christmas trees: "We didn't have a tree last year and we don't have one this year." This may be making you wonder how she got on a Christmas tree blog. Well it all starts, "a few years ago, gosh maybe 8 or 9 years now, I bought two little Arizona cypress trees in small pots to put by the front door."
Everything was going dandy until; "Last year, Hurricane Gustav got it pretty badly, knocking it over and such. We had to trim the branches and stake it for a year to stabilize it."
While it was in a state of repair they decided to decorate it with ornaments and bows. This is when the truly miraculous thing happened:
"We got a record (for south Louisiana) 8" of snow in one day."
Although the snow maybe have been stressing the already stressed Cyprus, Karla couldn't deny the beautiful Christmas charm the tree had and was possessed to take a few close-ups.
"I made all the bows, then added bells and stars, and a few suet feeders for the birds. "
While she was in awe with the circumstances her plants weren't exactly thrilled:
"Even though it was really amazing seeing so much snow this far south, I was mostly trying to save as many plants as I could. I have quite a lot of tropical plants that usually grow fine here, but they are not tolerant of snow and ice!"
Karla did a good job at saving most of her plants. Unfortunately, not all were so lucky:
"The papaya tree died after the snow - it couldn't tolerate weather that cold."
Sorry to hear about your Papaya tree Karla but thanks for sharing possibly the first and last snowstorm of Louisiana.
I found these trees while looking for trees that were made from crafty people. In my quest I found a beautiful quilled Christmas tree picture and was sent more quilled masterpieces when I inquired Janet (yorkshirlass49 from flickr.com) about her art projects. She was also more than happy to explain how the process is done and where it started.
"The art of Quilling that I do is an ancient craft," Janet says, "and it dates back to Egyptian times."
"Also French prisoners of war did quilling to pass the time whilst they were in prison." She adds. I can see how making that thing would pass the time. Doesn't exactly look easy. I also couldn't figure out what it was made of but Janet took care of explaing, "It is made with paper, they can be any thickness, but I prefer to use 3mm paper strips. " And no, it doesn't have to be frestanding:
"Quilling can be freestanding in 3D or just cards and pictures, the sky's the limit."Janet explains. So how exactly is it done? "You coil the strips with a tool, or by hand, until the strip is tight. If you want a peg shape (like the lights on the Christmas Tree) you glue it down straightaway, but, if you want to make shapes, you put the coil down and let it unwind, like a spring."
Using my own observations it looks like the tight coil is more commonly used. In any any regard Janet continues to explains, " Then you can glue the end and press into all sorts of shapes and create wonderful things."
Wonderful things indeed! I love it. Perhaps when I have the time of a french prisoner on my hands I'll get started on my own little quilled tree :-)
MERRY CHRISTMAS! Remember to send me your New Year resolutions!
If you are wondering what is going to happen with this website after Christmas is over, well...you haven't been reading my little note at the bottom of the page. Shame on you!
There will be a day or two dedicated to New Years resolutions that people have written to me. But what about after that? To answer your pondering - Wedding cakes! That's right, this blog will circle around wedding cakes much the same way it has circled around Christmas trees. There will be a cake of the day and threads featuring:
Your Classic Wedding Cakes
Lovely. Photo: sfegette from flickr.com
Your professional Wedding Cakes
Careful, your head will hit the screen if you keep leaning in. Photo: Lan Bui from flickr.com
Your Artsy Wedding Cakes
On the third tier, do you see a monkey or a purse? Photo: Thom Watson from flickr.com
Don't forget about the stories behind the wedding cakes!
Find out why these two look so awkward. Photo: Wymworld from flickr.com
What happens after wedding cakes do you ask?
Then it's on to Valentine's Day decorations! We are talking chocolate and flower bouquets. Photo: Sam Judson from flickr.com
I hope to keep on seeing the same people that have been keeping this blog alive.
Don't worry still lots more Christmas trees to come later today and for the next couple days. Then on the 30th we switch over to the resolutions :-)
If you have any New Year resolutions or pictures of wedding cakes, email holidaytrees@gmail.com . Hope to be hearing from you!
Can you believe that I missed these two extraordinary trees?! Both of these pictures can be accredited to non other than Anne-Marie (eg2006 from flickr.com). You can see her other shabby chic tree in part one. Now on to Shabby Chic Part Two:
Don't you just love big white fake trees? I think they're gorgeous! But this fact has nothing to do with any of the following trees. Why is that? Because they are real as Anne-Marie explains, "They are just noble firs that are flocked."
If you are like me you are wondering what flocking is. Well after doing some research (typical in a day as a TreeChick) flocking is a a procedure consisting of spraying a rotating tree with colored adhesive spray. It results in the white trees shown on this page but you can get it done in any color you want. Cool huh? Some people might not think so, arguing it's a pain in the butt and time wasted. Anne-Marie disagrees, "One of the reasons I prefer a real tree is that from as far back as I can remember, my dad and I went to pick out the family tree together. It's become a wonderful tradition that we look forward to and when I got married, my husband joined in with us."
You mean, you actually got a man to get into Christmas trees that have so much pink and ribbon they look like they are ready for a tea party?! Ah, not so much, "My husband and I both love Christmas so much we decided to compromise on the theme of the tree every other year." So while her husband loves the multi-colored theme:
(or as I like to say, "rainbow theme")
Anne-Marie loves the pinks theme:
You can guess whose year the shabby trees are from ;-)
Obviously, Anne-Marie is passionate about her Victorian, shabby chic, all done up and no where to go Christmas trees.
However, that doesn't stop her from enjoying years that aren't her style: "I look forward to the change. It keeps things from getting boring." That may be true. However, I like the idea of alternating to help make the shabby years all the more chic ;-)
Interested in seeing what her husband's rainbow themed trees look like? Pay attention to the CTOTD (Christmas Tree of the Day) for they will be making an appearance.
(UPDATE! I already posted this thread but I found out the last couple pictures of "silver" trees weren't really silver! They were white with silver garland. So I am re posting this minus the mistake trees.)
While my threads usually focus on only one kind of tree, tonight I come to you focusing on two types: The black (see mine here) and the silver trees. While very different in looks they are alike in the manner that they are hard to photograph. Which in itself makes pictures of them hard to find. And that's pretty much where the similarities end. I'll go against the custom of giving out the bad first and will start with the black trees:
Black Beauty
I love this tree. I'm pretty sure this is the only 5'plus black Christmas tree I've seen set up and decorated in some one's house. I think it's the perfect size and I like the long ornaments. Unfortunately when looking at black Christmas trees, one has to imagine what it's like in person. They tend to lose their shine and contrast when photographed. Photo: Brilliantology from flickr.com
A dark mystery...
...with a tad of shabby chic.
Photo: a.cantu from flickr.com
I would have to call this one...
..."Sie Black Royal"! Take a look at that crown. I don't know why but putting "Sie" in front of anything makes it sound more noble. Ja, Ja! Photo: crafty_dame from flickr.com
Now on to the silver trees. In case no ones knows (and none of you should) I DESPISE silver trees. I think that no matter what the decorations you will never get a festive looking tree. Heck, you will never get a beautiful tree. You will never get a tree that is pleasing to the eye. You will never...ok you get the idea.
The three following trees are very different from each other. Some of you might actually like the trees. I however stand my ground that no matter the style the silver branches just doesn't work. On to the trees!
You think impaling an angel on top of a silver Christmas tree will add some charm?
Sorry, this Christmas tree with only lights attached (I guess they figured the horrid silver added enough pizazz) ain't going to work. Even if it did grow out of an angel's butt. Photo: Tony Dornacher from flickr.com
A bit too...
...spidery for my liking. The more I look at it the more I wonder why that bunny is hanging there? Photo: timino from flickr.com
I've never seen a tree like this before.
The way the branches round and flatten out at the end isn't the most attractive. I'm not too sure the tree would look good in any color but I'm just going to go ahead and blame it on the silver :-) Photo: Elton from flickr.com
Remember People. Just say no to silver Christmas trees.
Here is another type of Christmas tree that is hard to find. Not quite as hard as the shabby chic, but still challenging. Most people just don't want a pink Christmas tree. I however, think they are great. Growing up with rainbow trees I've grown accustomed to the idea that trees sport many different colors. Although pink ornaments are quite different than pink needles, I still like to be open minded about the color a Christmas tree can be. If you are still wary, maybe the following pinkalish trees will change your mind.
It's...
...attack of the killer pink trees! Photo: attack the darkness from flickr.com
What a little darling.
Hey kid move out of the way, you're blocking the tree! I love the use of white ornaments on this tree. They add a soft modern look. Photo: Nerdstroms on Flickr.com
Pink trees are slowly showing their way into store displays.
Think the use of an ornament as a tree topper isn't the most original? I agree...
...so how about a flamingo?
There now isn't that better? Photo: Me
Here's a closer look of the festive flamingo.
He has a Santa hat on therefore he fits right in.
I don't typically like these.
But this one is done well. Usually these types of trees look sparse and awkward but the abundance of ornaments took care of that problem. Photo: Nerdstroms on flickr.com
Soft pink
Not only do I love the tree but I love the picture as a whole. The candy canes add a nice touch. Photo: Gigi on flickr.com
You know the phrase "Love, joy and...
...wish." Wait what? I guess that works too :-) Photo: Hijirik on flickr.com
As of this year I have started to love shabby chic Christmas trees. I admit that this may be due to them being a rare breed. Because of this fact I have been spending hours desperately searching online to find some proper chic trees. This means that when I do find one I get very excited. And when I say "shabby chic" I don't mean just any white tree with pink ornaments thrown on it. There is more criteria than that although, it is hard to explain what makes something officially shabby chic. I know that the tree needs to be either white or light-to-medium pink (definitely not hot pink) and adornments consist of one or more of the following: ribbon, pearl-like garland and pink/white decorations (ornaments, lights, ribbons). A nice big bow or Victorian angel/fairy does wonders too. Even with all that in consideration let's face the facts. All you really have to do to determine if something is TRUELY shabby chic is be a woman, or have access to one. Simple eh? On to the chicness:
Possibly my favorite tree on this blog.
Looking at it I am reminded of a Victorian dress. I love the use of blue to contrast the subtle pinks and whites. This lady knows what she's doing. Hard not to get tree envy eh?
Photo: eg2006 from Flickr.com (Real Name: Anne-Marie)
Here is another tree that makes me swoon.
This is the only other tree I could find that represents chicness. I love all the different shades of pink used not just in the tree but the picture itself. The flowers on the curtains, the flush wall and the adorable figurines to go along with everything. It's just perfect!
Photo: Elegance & Whimsy Website
If you have any chic or Victorian related objects/pictures (trees, valentine's day related, weddings, Easter, etc.) send it to holidaytrees@gmail.com to be featured on the next chic thread.
It's hard to categorize all trees (try as I may) so I am starting this list to include trees that didn't fit anywhere. It may also include trees that had a longer story than most or whose picture I just wanted in the upper-left hand corner on my site for a day.
Some might argue this is less of a Christmas tree picture and more of a wedding cake picture. To them I would say, "Shut the %#*& up!"...or maybe I would be more sarcastic in my approach and say, "Wow your powers of perception are godlike!"
Or perhaps I would just explain that it's my sentimental way of saying goodbye to the Christmas tree and hello to the wedding cake. It's been a good run for the wonderful Christmas trees and I can only hope the holidaytree lovers will stay through the year to see you again next year.
For now I say, stay around for the awesome wedding cakes and the upcoming spring/summer holidays.
Happy New Year!!
If Candyland had a Christmas celebration, this would be it's centerpiece. This tree is found somewhere along Orchard Road in Singapore. If your wondering why I didn't include it in my Singapore thread (located here) it's because I wasn't really sure if it was really a tree. Now I don't mean if it's a real tree. Obviously I have plenty of fake trees on this blog. What I'm saying is; I'm not sure if it has the base of a tree, real or plastic. Or if it's just a giant cone structure.
Obviously it's cool looking so I wanted to include it somewhere. Because of that, it gets the honor of being featured in my CTOTD Archive.
The Dynamic Tree Tree Owner: Stevie (steviep187 from flickr.com) Place: South Carolina, USA CTOTD: 12/29/09
I wanted to include this tree because it's the only (so far) HDR picture I have on this site. The letters stand for High Dynamic Range Imaging and it obviously produces photo quality unlike what most are used to. I think it's quite spartacular!
Random Store Tree
Tree Owner: Chain Retailer
Place: St. Louis, MO
CTOTD: 12/28/09
Another quick tree shot taken by me. I liked the use of gold and ribbon on this one. I would say the name of the chain but I haven't consulted my lawyers yet on whether or not that's legal.
Last Minute Tree Owner: Motts Place: North Aurora, IL CTOTD: 12/27/09
Motts said, "Merry Christmas to everyone" when he gave me this last minute surprise.
Thanks Motts for giving me a sprecial after Christmas, Christmas tree :-)
Right Next Door Tree Owner: Jason & Kelly Place: Overland, MO CTOTD: 12/26/09
This tree was one of the first trees I took a picture of when I first started this site. It was pretty hard finding trees at first and I was thrilled when I went over to my neighbors' apartment and saw this beaut sitting "right next door".
I particularly liked the top of the tree.
Thanks to Jason and Kelly for letting me broadcast their Christmas tree :-)
Charlie Brown's Pink Tree Tree Owner: Hikin'Mike Place: Atwater, CA CTOTD: Merry Christmas 2009
The first time I saw this tree I couldn't help but think of Charlie Brown's Christmas tree after he decorated it all up. What, you don't remember? When he put on the string of pink lights and surrounded the tree with little manger people?
Anyway, I asked good ole' Mike why he chose this tree. He responded:
"I chose something 2.5' because we didn't have much space and I can't lift heavy things too well. We also tried to plant it after Christmas."
Unfortunately it didn't survive :-(
Though I love the thought. Getting a small tree means: saving money, less hassle, and then adding a tree to the environment. It's a win win!
Year of the Rainbow Tree Tree Owner: Anne-Marie (eg2006 from flickr) Where: Portland, OR CTOTD: 12/24/09
Another beautiful tree from our favorite tree dresser, Anne-Marie. Here is what she has to say about this tree, "I am especially fond of this tree. I just liked how that picture turned out. the ornaments on that one were a mixture of new and old and my favorite touch was probably the real candy canes."
When it comes to rainbow decorating, Anne-Marie doesn't stop at the tree.
"I try to decorate the rest of the house to go along with the theme of the tree" She explains. Since this particular year is a multicolored tree, the tabletop will be likewise.
I think it's the perfect touch.
Bigger N' Better
Tree Owner: Jasonklass
Where: Denver, CO
CTOTD: 12/23/09
What a cute picture. Jason says, "Our tree is bigger and better than our tiny apartment!"
Oh come now, your apartment can't be that bad when it has a fireplace?
Little Pergamano Tree
Tree Owner: Janet (yorkshirelass49 from flickr.com) Tree Maker: maggz from flickr.com Place: Tillicoultry, Scotland CTOTD: 12/22/09
This tree is so intricate and detailed that at first I was sure it was made out of very thin wood. Not so, as Janet says; "The craft is called Pergamano. It's created by scoring patterns on parchment paper and some of the patterns are punched and cut out so that it looks like lacework."
If you didn't think this piece of work was beautiful enough. There's more to it as Janet shows and explains,
"The second photo of the tree has an LED candle under it, and it looks just gorgeous."
Yes indeed it does! Much thanks to you Janet for sharing the wonderful gift from your talented friend.
Miss Scarlet Tree Owner: A French Restaurant Place: Creve Coeur, MO CTOTD: 12/21/09
This is another tree from my place of work. I feel so lucky to share the same room with these distinguished trees. I named it Miss Scarlet (yes, from the game Clue) because if she were a Christmas tree this is what she would look like.
Kind of makes me wonder what I will look like when I'm reincarnated into a Christmas tree.
Shiny Sparkles, Dashy Red
Tree Owner: Hwy35lvr Place: San Diego, CA CTOTD: 12/20/09
Hwy35lvr remembers, "It was a very rainy day in San Diego when I finally finished this tree."
I'm sure the anticipation of sparkles to blast away the gloom was a good motivator :-)
Vintage Purple
Tree Owner: Anne-Marie (eg2006 from flickr.com)
Place: Portland, Oregon
CTOTD: 10/19/09
You might get an argument from Anne-Marie if you call this tree gorgeous, "It's fake. That's why I don't like it quite as much. Though I do love the purple."
Hum, it's sounding like she's a tree snob. But before you go blaming her understand it's not her fault, "I'm a "real" tree nut since I live in the Pacific Northwest where there are Christmas tree farms everywhere."
Alright, we'll accept that. Now how about this whole purple thing?
"The solid purple balls on that tree are vintage shiny brites. If you know anything about vintage ornaments, it's that the color purple is greatly coveted and rare."
She goes on, "My heart skips a beat when I find one, especially if it's one with stripes, mica, or a scene!"
When ornaments dazzle like that it's not hard to see why.
L'arbre d'or
Tree Owner: A French Restaurant
Place: Creve Coeur, MO
CTOTD: 12/18/09
Yours truly took this picture. That's right, little 'ole me. This tree was in the event room at the French cafe where I work. Usually stores and restaurants don't have the fanciest trees but this one turned out to be an exception. Decked out with different shades of gold I was compelled to name it the "L'arbre d'or", which means "tree of gold" in French.
I hope you think it's as eye-catching as I did.
Little Ball Of Joy Tree Owner: Leigh
Place: Lake Bluff, IL
CTOTD: 12/17/09
Leigh says,"I picked this 5' balsam because it was in my budget. It's decorated with a combination of ornaments from family hand-me-downs and things I've picked up on my various travels."
Thanks for the cute picture but please go out and get a tree topper. It's practically reaching out for one :-)
Fatty
Tree Owner: Ol-Zeke Place: Salem, Oregon CTOTD: 12/16/09
Think that's a fat Christmas tree? Ol-Zeke agrees, "This was the biggest tree I've ever had. I had to repaint the door jambs after I got it inside because the tree was so wide it scraped paint off." To give you an idea on how large the tree was, " The ceiling in that room was nine feet tall and the windows in the front were about seven feet wide total. The tree was wider."
The tree wasn't the only festive green in the house. The other "...holiday decorations were fresh greenery from my and the neighbors plants.." which were displayed wonderfully on the fireplace mantle.
"I have moved out of that house but the Christmas I had the fatty tree lives on in my memory."
Thanks for sharing your phat tree story Ol-Zeke (pun in tended).
Burn Baby Burn Tree Owner: Echo Place: State of Jefferson, USA (Look it up in case you are confused. I did.)
CTOTD: 12/15/09
It may not look like anything out of the ordinary but Echo claims, "I love my tree. But the ornaments on it are mostly junk the kids turned into treasures: old juice can lids (with hot glue and lace added on), photos, and laminated hand print projects from school. Memories."
Awww, that deer is adorable! Even if his antlers are dragging on the ground.
She adds, "Other than the homemade decorations we also hang the green pickle glass ornament. I hide it so that the first person to find it gets a gift."
Go ahead and try to find the pickle ornament in the above picture.
Can't find it? That's cause it's not there. Haha, gotcha.
Well if you thought the pickle jar tradition was weird enough, too bad! She goes on to tell you what happens after the holiday season,
"We leave the tree up a long time and then burn it in the backyard. The campfire that ensues is a family tradition too."
They then dance merrily around the tree wearing wolf skins. Afterwords they thank Odin for another glorious winter solstice.
"Take good care of myself and everyone I love, and do my best to be a positive influence on my social and ecological community." - Stepanie (Green Bay, WI)
"Trying to get at least one bag night a month" - Greg (SoCal, USA)
"Kick my idealism habit - be more selfish and hedonistic." - Orygawn (Bend, Oregon)
