A Black and White Buffalo Check Christmas Tree


If you saw either of us over the month of October, chances are we were gathering supplies for our annual Christmas tree shoot with Michaels. We both hoarded boxes all month long (thank you Amazon prime!), visited our local Michaels just about every weekend, and wrapped “gifts” (boxes with absolutely nothing inside them), after work each night.Our Black and White Christmas Tree for Michaels - along with matching wrapped presents! | DIY Playbook

But all of the hard work paid off, because today we get to show you this year’s Dream Tree! We know it’s not even Thanksgiving, but each year we showcase our tree on November 1st…giving you plenty of lead time to take some of our ideas and implement them into your own Christmas tree.

Dream Trees of Years Past

2 years ago, we went glam with a gold and silver tree, last year we got all preppy with a red plaid tree…

and this year we decided to stay on brand.

Our 2017 Christmas TreeOur 2017 Michael's Tree! The theme is black and white - isn't it classic?

With a black and white Christmas tree! Isn’t it pretty?

Black and White wreaths were just a bonus! Aren't they cute? Since Bridget’s house is a construction zone, and we showcased Casey’s condo last year, we rented a studio space for our dream tree shoot. Once we saw the beautiful white brick walls and the light hardwood floors, we knew that we wanted to do a classic color scheme for our dream tree.

We love this black and white Christmas sign! "The Best Way To Spread Christmas CHeer Is Singing Loud For All To Hear."We rented the space for 5 hours on a rainy Sunday morning and went to town transforming the entire space into a Winter Wonderland! With holiday tunes blaring, we (along with our husbands and Casey’s mom) had a blast getting into the holiday spirit a wee bit early. We ended up getting a ton of holiday content that day (more coming soon!), but today we’re just going to chat about our tree. Because there’s still plenty of time in the season for all of the other holiday goodness…

Our Black and White Christmas Tree2017's Black and White Christmas Tree - All lit up! We used a slim style tree from Michael's.

We started with the 9 foot pre-list slim willow tree from Michaels. Michaels has over 100 Christmas trees that you can buy online at Michaels.com. So many awesome options. Even some artificial trees for your front porch, that we’re both currently eyeing…

This 9ft beauty is the same tree we used last year and we absolutely love it. Its grand height really gives it a presence in a space and we love how slim it is, too. If you have tall enough ceilings, we highly recommend this one. There’s still plenty of time to watch the price and wait for a sale too!

Our Black and White Tree got some added fullness in the branches from the flocked branches we stuffed in a few places. Once that was set up, we went ahead and added lots of flocked bushes throughout. This fills in any sparse gaps and makes the tree look really full. ย We love the frosty flocks to give it a snowy look, plus it brightens up the dark green on the tree. Definitely consider adding flocks to your tree this year. We always remark at what a difference it truly makes.

Our black and white tree has a lot of black and white presents underneath it! How cute is that wicker basket too? With the tree fluffed and full, we added a sheepskin tree skirt to the bottom and this silver star on the tippy top. After those essentials were in place, it was time for the ribbon.

Black & White Buffalo Check RibbonWe used a black and white buffalo check ribbon all over the tree.

Last year we loved the statement the red plaid ribbon made on the tree, and Bridget also adored the look of this cream buffalo check ribbon she used on her tree. So we decided to go with another bold pattern…black and white buffalo check! Whenever you’re choosing ribbon for your Christmas tree, go with the wired kind as it can be bent to wind around the tree in exactly the way you want. And the thicker…the better! This was 2.5 inches thick and worked out perfectly.

We never know how much ribbon to buy for our Christmas trees. This year we got 40 yards and had a little left over. Always get extra rolls at Michaels when you choose your tree ribbon. No one wants to start winding it around their tree, only to run out halfway down.

We love these gold and white snowflakes from Michael's! They are the perfect ornament. With the ribbon spiraled around the tree it was time for the best part…the ornaments! We picked up a big case of gold, silver, and white ornaments from Michaels and spread all of those out first. Then we added some special ornaments to the mix.

How amazing is this litle white squirrel? He's hiding in the branches of our black and white Christmas Tree. Including some woodland creatures (it’s a Winter Wonderland after all!), and some sparkly snowflakes from Michaels. These took the tree to the next level, adding personality and shine!

The Finishing TouchesIt's always critical to add finishing touches like the wrapping paper and ribbons. We love to match the wrapping to our tree.

We always love to coordinate our wrapping paper to our Christmas trees and this year was no different. We opted for mostly white wrapping paper, with some buffalo check paper in the mix as well. Plus black and white satin ribbons to add the finishing touch on our packages. Of course those packages are all completely empty (no real presents inside. ha!), but they still look so pretty!The full view of our black and white Christmas Tree, including the full array of presents underneath.

To really jazz up the base of your tree, consider adding a basket and filling it with presents. This adds some nice texture and helps corral all of the gifts. And layer in some sheepskins and warm and fuzzy blankets to make the bottom of your tree even more special.

Black and white CHristmas Tree with the lights on! I love the silver star at the top. Well, that’s a wrap on this year’s Christmas Tree! And don’t worry, you won’t see any more Christmas content coming your way until a more appropriate time (after Thanksgiving!). We’ve been working hard on our 2nd annual Gift Guide and cannot wait to share it with all of you later this month. Until then…enjoy November and get excited for the holidays. They’ll be here before we know it and we can’t wait to celebrate with you then!

Bridget&Casey


The Year of Casey

Hey there!

Iโ€™m Casey Finn, the voice behind The DIY Playbook. I’m a Chicago gal teaching you how to design, DIY, and maintain your home…by yourself! Learn more about me right here.