Our 2018 Dream Tree – Colorful Christmas Tree


[Disclaimer: This post is sponsored byย Michaels Storesย and we are honored to be Michaels Makers. All opinions and photography are our own and are not influenced byย Michaels Stores]

Every year, we’re tasked to create a “Dream Tree” with Michaels stores. Yes, that does mean we have to put up a Christmas tree in October, but it’s secretly kind of fun to get into the holiday spirit early if only for 1 day (and I always love an excuse to whip out the Christmas tunes)! In past years, we’ve kept our looks pretty “safe”…nothing too colorful or crazy. We’ve always kept it in line with our own home aesthetics (which, as you guys know, is very classic and neutral). But this year, we wanted to change things up and go with a colorful Christmas tree!

Before we get to our 2018 Dream Tree, let’s take a walk down memory lane at the last 3 years of trees.

Gold & Glamorous Christmas TreeGold, silver, and glamorous Christmas tree

This gold & glam Christmas tree was our first ever dream tree and we actually shot it at Bridget’s sister’s condo (you can view more of her Chicago condo right here). I think she actually ended up keeping it up from October until December!

Pretty in Plaid Christmas TreeLast year's preppy red Christmas Tree for Michaels

We shot this look at myย house and Iย really love the preppy and timeless look. You can’t go wrong with red and gold and plaid makes it even more fun.

Black & White Buffalo Check Christmas TreeBlack and white and buffalo check Christmas tree

Last year’s tree was pretty easy to throw together since we kept with a tight color palette of black and white. The buffalo check ribbon was the stunner on this one and you’ll be happy to hear that Michaels has a ton of this ribbon for sale this season! I found so many rolls when I was shopping there a few weeks ago!

And that brings us to this year’s colorful Christmas tree. My mom graciously let me shoot this year’s dream tree in her new condo (you can see what her family room normally looks like in this reveal post). It was only up for the photo shoot (she is hosting Thanksgiving, so we need all the space we can get!), but for that one day, her space was transformed into a girly winter wonderland!

Our 2018 Colorful Christmas TreeA coloforful kate Spade Inspired Christmas tree

We always try to coordinate our dream tree with the look of our annual gift guide (coming your way in a couple weeks, we’re so excited!). This year’s gift guide inspiration was Kate Spade, so we went with a color palette of hot pink, green, red, blue, and gold! Plus, black and white stripes and polka dots!ย Pink and polka dot wrapped gifts

It was so fun to create such a feminine, girly, and quirky tree and it made shopping that much more enjoyable!

Gold & Glam EssentialsGold sequined stockings on fireplace mantle

This year, Michaels has a holiday decor collection with a variety of tree skirts, pillows, blankets, and even stockings to choose from. I ended up finding this gold sequined tree skirt which worked perfectly with our theme. I also scooped up 3 matching stockings for the mantle.

It’s always fun to coordinate pillows with your Christmas tree, so again I turned to gold! This gold sequined one is so fun (soooo much sparkle!) and the cute gold snowflake one can work anywhere!

Decorating the TreeA colorful Christmas tree with pink and gold

Now, onto the tree itself. We’ve opted for this one 3 years in a row because it’s so good. It’s 9 feet tall and slim and it takes about 5 minutes to set up. So incredibly easy.Use flocked branches to decorate your Christmas tree

I always like to add some white flocks throughout the tree to make it look even fuller. One of these years, I’m going to try to flock an entire tree, but for now, I’ll settle on adding these little branches throughout! I also added in light pink “puff balls” throughout too. Because why the heck not?!Pink ribbon and gold ornaments on this colorful Christmas tree

Once the tree is up and the flocks are in, I then add ribbon. My mom is the absolute best at the ribbon and somehow gets it to look so effortlessly draped on there. I’m not as good, but I’m learning. Her trick is to always buy thick ribbon that is wired. The wire is key to help you shape it around the branches as you go. Be sure to buy enough rolls too! You don’t want to run out with 1/2 a tree to go.

Adding Fun Ornaments

For this year’s tree, I scooped up a few specialty ornaments. I just had to go with the champagne bottle (I mean…c’mon it’s just too perfect!) and I loved the colorful sequined ball ornaments too. Very Kate Spade to me!Wine glass ornament

They also had these glam wine glass ornaments which fit this fun motif perfectly.ย Colorful Christmas tree with pink ribbon and gold accents

With the specialty ornaments on, I filled in the gaps with gold, white, blue, and green ball ornaments. I also picked up a pack of clear ornaments and painted some hot pink ones and black and white polka dotted ornaments. When you have a less traditional color scheme, it’s easy to just DIY your own ornaments to match your palette!

Pretty PackagesHot pink gifts and packages

We love when the packaging under a tree goes with the theme, so this year we opted for hot pink, gold, and black and white wrapping paper from Michaels. We also picked up a variety of ribbon to finish off the look.ย Coordinate your wrapping paper with your tree!

The packages act as decor, so I think it’s always a good idea to make a plan for your gift wrap look that year! Trust me, a unified look under the tree is the perfect finishing touch to any family room.ย Tips to create a colorful Christmas tree look

Glitzy AccessoriesGold trees on the fireplace mantle

Finally, let’s discuss the glitzy accessories we added to the fireplace area. These gold trees add some much-needed height to this area and they definitely work with the glam theme.ย Gold lantern on a fireplace mantle for Christmas

I also scooped up this gold lantern. Isn’t it gorgeous?! Just imagine it filled with a candle and the soft flickering glow next to this colorful Christmas tree at nighttime!How to create a colorful and girly Christmas tree look

All in all, I’m happy we went with more color this year! You really can’t go wrong with hot pink, can you?!A colorful Christmas tree look for the holidays

We usually put our tree up the weekend of Thanksgiving, so I still have a few weeks to go until I get to do this all over again! And my tree is a mish-mosh of random (yet, very sentimental!) ornaments, so it certainly won’t be this glamorous.

When do you put your tree up?!

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.