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How to Decorate a Christmas Tree

Thursday, December 3rd, 2009

Decorating the Christmas tree can be a daunting task.  By breaking the process down into a few simple steps, it becomes a much more fun and manageable project.  Following is a series of photographs I took while decorating the tree at a clients house. 

 

First, it is great to set the mood.  Christmas music always helps, as does some cider on the stove, and on a cold day, a fire in the fireplace.  The sounds and smells of Christmas are unmistakable.  The first photo shows the corner where the tree goes before the tree is added.  We have removed a chair that normally occupies the space to creat a little more room for the tree.  My client wanted a large tree, and I accomodated her request with this nine foot tree.  When you measure for an articifial Christmas tree, remember that the last 8 to 12 inches of the height is going to be the single sprig of green that sticks out the top.  It is easy to bend that part of the tree over, so you can cheat a little bigger tree in a space sometimes by using that trick.  

 

When possible, I like for a tree to almost touch the ceiling.  This tree is heavily laden with decorations which makes the lower branches touch the floor when the tree is finished.  I gave the tree a little extra boost in height by placing it on a pedestal of concrete blocks.  The pedestal lifts the lower branches perfectly, which you will see in the last photograph in the post.  Make sure that the base of the tree is stable on the blocks.  We also placed a carpet remnant under the blocks to prevent damage to the wood floor.

 

The next image shows the lights.  This tree was pre-lit with tiny clear lights, but for more visual interest, we added pinceone lights.  The pinecone lights are clear, large glass bulbs in the shape of pinecones.  They add a great deal of sparkle to this tree.  Pinecone lights are available at Bobby Todd Antiques.  The following image shows the tree fully lit.

 

The next step is ribbon garland.  It is easiest to put the ribbon on the tree before the tree is decorated.  This way, you can get it draped perfectly and put the ornaments in the areas that won’t be covered up with ribbon.  I like nice deep swags with the ribbon.  For this tree, we used five different ribbons for a look rich in color and texture.  Don’t be afraid to incorporate colors from your room into your Christmas decorations.  You can always add a touch of traditional red and green in with your colors.  Ribbon garland is easiest to apply when two people are helping with the tree.  One person can be draping the ribbon while the other person is holding the ribbon bolts and keeping the ribbon straight.  I run all five ribbons at the same time.  The look is just as good as running them seperately, and the time it saves is priceless.  For this tree, we used a total of 30 yards of each ribbon used.

 

The next photo shows the tree after we put glitter twigs and berry picks on it.  Picks and twigs add a fun element to the tree, and really make it look like it has just been brought in from outside.  Picks also help to fill in some holes which might be in the tree.  I like to put a cluster of picks and twigs at the top of the tree to make it seem more full, and then also have them sticking out of the tree all the way down.  When you put them in the tree itself as well as the top, the twigs and picks seem more a part of the whole concept of the tree and not just a “topper.”

 

Place the largest ornaments on the tree next.  Large ornaments can be used to fill in holes in the tree, and also used deep within the tree to add visual depth to the tree.  Pick a spot to start, and evenly place the ornaments on the tree.  Don’t be afraid to put a large ornament near the top of the tree.  This really helps keep your color scheme tied together, and keeps the tree looking uniform.  A good idea before you start placing the decorations on the tree is to group them by color.  Typically, I cover a sofa  with a sheet to keep glitter off the upholstery, and organize the ornaments for the tree there.  Group by color and size, and put all of one type on the tree at the same time.  Start with the biggest and work down to the smallest.  

 

The next photo shows the addition of yellow gold balls to the tree.  This color adds a brightness and freshness to this tree, and incorporates the yellow that is in the room.

 

Continue to layer on the ornaments.   The final thing we add on this tree is a peppermint garland.  Decorative beaded garlands like this should always be added last.  You want them to be completely on the outside of the tree and not hidden by other ornaments.  When you “coat” the tree with a garland like this it really acts as a unifying factor in your design.

 

The next image shows the completed tree. 

 

The final image shows the tree skirt.  I had this skirt custom made for my client using scraps and bits of trimmings left over from the drapery and upholstery projects we did in her home.  Every room is represented in this skirt.  This is a fabulous tree skirt, but a couple of yards of red velvet  or an old quilt would work just as well.  I find that tree skirts you buy in stores are not large enough.  They never show because they aren’t large enough to stick out from underneath the tree.  A few yards of fabric will most always be a better choice. 

 

Now that the work is done, the cider is hot, and the fire is cracklin’, sit back and enjoy your beautiful creation.  

Christmas tree empty corner

Christmas tree empty corner

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Blocks to elevate tree

Blocks to elevate tree

Decorative lights

Decorative lights

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Fully lit Christmas tree

Fully lit Christmas tree

 

 
 
 
Ribbon garland on Christmas tree

Ribbon garland on Christmas tree

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Berry picks and glitter twigs

Berry picks and glitter twigs

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Large ornaments

Large ornaments

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Gold ornaments

Gold ornaments

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Addition of large figures and colorful ornaments

Addition of large figures and colorful ornaments

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
More ornaments added

More ornaments added

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Completed Christmas tree

Completed Christmas tree

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Christmas tree skirt

Christmas tree skirt

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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How to Decorate Lamps for Christmas

Thursday, December 3rd, 2009
Pair of Majolica Lamps and Antique Box

Pair of Majolica Lamps and Antique Box

Having great Christmas deocrations doesn’t mean that you have to put away your everyday accessories.  Lamps are a wonderful place to have fun with your holiday decorations.  A simple bow on a lamp turns an every day object into a Christmas decoration.  The chest above features a pair of antique majolica lamps and an antique wooden box as its every day accessories.  For Christmas, we added bows to the bottom of the lamps and left the tails of the bows long to swirl onto the top of the chest.  We opened the box slightly and filled it with a greenery base, and then added a peppermint garland and some tufts of ribbon.  Very festive, and easy to do with objects you already have.  To learn how to tie the bows, watch my bow tying video further down in the blog.  One thing to remember is that you don’t want to completely cover up the lamp with the ribbons.  The base on these lamps is very simple, so we placed the bows there to let the beauty of the majolica be uninterrupted.  Play with the bow placement to make sure where you put it shows off the lamp to the best advantage.  On a tall, columnar lamp, bows work great at the top of the base, just under the neck where the bulb is.
The next photo shows a lamp that is in the form of a bust of Napoleon.  I love the idea of animating every day objects at Christmas, so I added a “sash” across his shoulder which mimics the sash that is actually on the bust.  I placed a “badge” of a glittered and mirrored star on the sash to tie it together.  This is a simple way to create a fun decoration.  I ran two ribbons to make the sash, a yellow and blue plaid, and a coral silk.
The third image is of a brass lamp with brass flowers.  Again, I positioned the bow at the bottom to not cover up the detail of the lamp.  On this lamp with no other color, I was able to add an ornament to the bow.  You can pull a narrow ribbon through the ornament hanger, and tie that on the lamp after the bow has been attached to it.  The addition of an ornament like this works great on solid color metal lamps, wooden lamps, solid color porcelain lamps, glass lamps, and lamps with a gold or silver leaf finish.  It doesn’t work as well on lamps that have designs painted on them.
The next image is the mate to the Napoleon lamp.  It is Eugenie, and she is wearing a “shawl” to keep her warm on cold winter nights.  The shawl is tied with the same badge used on Napolean, but this could also be done with a nice broach or other piece of jewelry.
Have fun with your every day accessories at Christmas time.  Holiday decorating is a great way to look at an object in a completely new light, and a great time to let an ordinary object become extraordinary. 
Napolean Lamp

Napolean Lamp

Brass Lamp

Brass Lamp

Eugenie Lamp

Eugenie Lamp

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How to Decorate Stairs for Christmas

Thursday, December 3rd, 2009
A great opportunity for a stunning Christmas decoration can be a staircase.  Many people ask me the best way to do stairs for Christmas, so I wanted to share what I believe is the best solution.  Following are a series of five photographs showing the foyer stairs in our home from before we start through to completion.
The first photo shows the stair rail before.  Be sure to move anything that can be damaged during the decorating process before you start.  We moved a pair of chairs that flank the draped table, as well as the lamp and other accessories that sit on the table to prevent breakage.  Our stair presents a wonderful challenge because of the curve.  Curves are a little more difficult because the drape of the swags can’t always be measured before putting up the greenery.  You have to look at it after each swag to make sure everything is in the right position.  Our secret is to make the swags between four and five feet wide.  We count the pickets on the railing, and divide out how many we need have between each drape to get them all about even.
The second photo shows the stairs after we have draped the garland.  I prefer having the garland in swags like this rather than running straight across the top of the banister.  When the garland completely covers the hand rail, there is no place to hold on when you are climbing the stairs; and if you do hold on, you mess up the decoration.  Placing the garland on top of a banister is not a practical solution. It is best to have the swags on the outside of the stair rail for two reasons:  (1) typically the most visible part of the stair rail is the outside, and (2) the garlands will be less likely to be rubbed against on the outside.  I prefer a nice deep swag with the greenery.  This always gives a luxurious look, and provides a lot of surface area that will hold other types of decorations like ribbon, ornaments, and berries.  Be sure to make “tails” out of the greenery that go from the top of the hand rail to the floor when you are doing the stairs.  Again, this always has a full and luxurious look, but it provides a practical solution for getting the light cords down to the floor if you want to light the garland.  We put the lights on the garland after it is hung on the stairs.  We run plain clear lights first, and then use a more decorative type light bulb as well after that is complete.  We chose the large clear pinecone shaped lights which give a nice bright look, and the glass bulbs add a dressed up element to the garland.  We keep our garland in one piece when we take it down, so if you can get the lights to work out so they fit the garland in one piece, it will make putting the decoration up the following year a breeze.  Be sure to keep the ties you use to hang the swags on the garland in the correct position.  Label which end goes at the top of the stairs and which at the bottom, and putting up the garland the following year will be a snap.
After the swags are up and the lights on, bows and ribbon should be put on.  We used five different ribbons for our stairs this year.  All of the ribbons have wired edges, which makes tying the bow very easy.  To learn how to tie the bow, watch my bow tying video further down in the blog.  Position the bows at the top, and work the streamers into the garland.
We have a pair of antique Italian cherubs that we use at the top of the stairs.  These add a playful element to the garland in that they look as if they are the ones putting up the decoration.  I love this sort of playful character in Christmas decorations.  You could use any sort of sculptural piece like this and get a similar effect.  The ribbons are worked in around the angels so that all of the angel is visible.
The next photo shows how the tails of the bows can be worked into the garland.  This serves the purpose of helping to keep them in place so they don’t get messed up during the season, and really adds a sense of movement to the garland.  We used multi colored ornaments in the same colors as our foyer on this garland, and hung them throughout the garland.  They are somewhat evenly spaced, but don’t get them too perfect or you will loose the artistic quality this garland has.  You can also tuck in sprigs of a different type of greenery and some berries if you want to add a little more color.  One year we placed the ornaments just around the bows in clusters.  This was a great look also, but this year, we decided to make it fresh and use the ornaments throughout.
The last photo shows our completed stair rail.  Notice how we added a bow to the lamp on the foyer table to tie that into the overall design of the decoration.  The nice deep green swags, the full bows, and the layers of ornaments on this garland really make a statement when you enter the foyer.  What a great place to say Merry Christmas and Welcome.
Foyer Stairs Before

Foyer Stairs Before

Foyer Stairs with Garland and Ribbon

Foyer Stairs with Garland and Ribbon

Top of Stairs Detail with Angel

Top of Stairs Detail with Angel

Detail of Ribbons

Detail of Ribbons

Completed Stairs

Completed Stairs

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Bobby Todd Antiques at Christmas Time

Tuesday, November 24th, 2009

I had some appointments today in Sweetwater, and there were a few minutes left for me to visit the store.  Bobby does such an amazing job with the shop.  It was so festive today, and everything was in the perfect spot, clean, and beautiful.  If Bobby Todd at Christmas doesn’t get you in the holiday spirit, nothing else will.  We shot these few photos to give you a little peek inside the world of Bobby Todd at Christmas.

 

Vintage Christmas cottages and bottle brush trees

Vintage Christmas cottages and bottle brush trees

 

Giant snowman and Votivo candles

Giant snowman and Votivo candles

 

Ho Ho Ho pillows and antique settee

Ho Ho Ho pillows and antique settee

Santas and ornaments

Santas and ornaments

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How to Decorate Sconces for Christmas

Monday, November 23rd, 2009
Library sconces decorated

Library sconces decorated

To decorate for Christmas, I prefer to not put the everyday decorations of a house away.  I often see people take a beautiful picture down over their fireplace for Christmas so they can put up a wreath.  Typically the wreath is not as pretty as the picture was, and all of a sudden, the focal point in the room becomes less spectacular instead of more interesting.  To avoid this problem, I often decorate the wall sconces over a fireplace.  If you don’t have sconces, you could use a garland over the mantle.
The photo above, and the ones following show three different rooms in the same home.  The home is a Colonial Williamsburg style home in which the owner wanted to maintain the original house trim colors of red, blue, and green.  We colored the decorations to compliment these tones.
The first photo is in the library.  There is an early print of Times Square over the fireplace, and two authentic Williamsburg sconces.  For Christmas, we added a branch of greenery to each sconce to act as our base.  We simply cut about a 24″ section of garland to use as this piece and wrapped it around the arms of the sconce.  The greenery will hold everything you use to decorate it with in place.  We then tucked in gold icy twigs and red glittery berries.  Voila!  A beautiful Christmas mantle.
The next four photos show wall sconces in the kitchen.  Again, these are associated with a fireplace, but this same type of application would work on bathroom sconces, a bedroom, or hallway. 
The first photo shows a sconce with greenery only on it.  We used garland to create the greenery base.  This is a piece about 48″ long that we wrapped around the arm of the sconce.  Make sure you fluff out the garland.  You can not get this look and not fluff the garland.  You have to pull each branch and straighten it out to make it really full.  This rule applies to any artificial greenery you use.  The next photo shows the sconce after we applied the ribbons.  This is a kitchen, with colors inspired by the antique French poster.  We used a red velvet ribbon with a fuzzy white edge, a red grosgrain ribbon with white polka dots, a red and green plaid, and a red and white stripe ribbon.  Don’t be afraid to put multiple ribbons together.  Play with it and have fun with the colors.  It will look festive.  I only did one loop per side on this bow, but when it is fluffed out, it appears to have four loops per side because of using multiple ribbons, so it is really full.  I used tails that were about 24″ long each, and worked them into the falls of the greenery.  The next photo shows the sconce after we put on the ornaments.  We used all sorts of kitchen inspired ornaments such as gingerbread men, cupcakes, and candy.  These look like you could eat them, so they are perfect for this setting.  The final photo in this group shows the pair of sconces with the antique poster that inspired the colors.  What fun!
The last photo in this post is of sconces in a living room.  We did a similar treatment to the first photo you saw of the library, but used less greenery, and instead of making the greenery be horizontal, we applied it in a more vertical fashion.  The small piece of greenery is attached to the arms of the sconces.  This holds all the other decorative pieces in place.  We added red hydrangea blossoms with glittery stems, and gold icy twigs.  It is very simple, but really adds a festive touch to the room.  We completed this mantle grouping by adding colorful ornaments to an antique bowl on the mantle.  The bowl was first filled with greenery to act as a base, and then the ornaments laid on top.  Be sure not to overfill the bowl.  A little less will look just as good.  You don’t want the ornaments to fall out if the bowl is moved.  The final details in this photo show that we added some sprigs of greenery, berries, and ribbon to the bookshelves.  It doesn’t take much of this to create a great look.  Just tuck a sprig of greenery behind some books or a figure or vase on the shelf, and do that two or three times in each shelving unit.  It creates the look of Christmas decorations without removing anything from the shelves. 
Remember to have fun while doing your Christmas decorations.  We always play Christmas music to get us in the spirit.  Have fun with your family and friends, and create something beautiful in the process.
Kitchen Sconce with Greenery
Kitchen Sconce with Greenery
Kitchen sconce with ribbon

Kitchen sconce with ribbon

Kitchen sconce fully decorated

Kitchen sconce fully decorated

Pair of Decorated Kitchen Sconces

Pair of Decorated Kitchen Sconces

Living room sconces decorated

Living room sconces decorated

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How to Decorate a Mantle for Christmas

Monday, November 23rd, 2009
 This post will show you one way to decorate a mantle for Christmas.  To help you understand the spirit of the design, I want to tell you a little about the house.  This is a Colonial Williamsburg style home that is less than 10 years old.  My client purchased it about five years ago, and we completely renovated and expanded it.  They loved the original character of the home, including the painted moldings, and wanted to maintain all of those features.  Blue would not be my first choice for dining room trim, but it is historically accurate here, and honestly, I think the room would not be nearly as exciting without it.  My client loves color.  The more and brighter the better.  You will see in another post a different room where more color is apparent.  The dining room became the most sedate room in the house. 
The Christmas decorations I do for clients are typically reflective of both them and the home where they live.  I like to do things that at least hint at the color palette of the home, but at the same time add enough traditional Christmas colors that it reads “holiday.”  This post shows a series of five photos progressing through the process.  Photos are at the bottom of the post.
The first photo shows the mantle before decoration.  I have removed the two porcelain figures and the antique porcelain that usually reside on the mantle for safekeeping during the decorating process. 
The next photo shows the mantle after garland and ribbons have been applied.  The first step is to determine how you want the garland to look.  I prefer a luxurious look with the garland, which usually means it should have a nice swag to the center section and the tails should meet the floor and be just a tad bit longer than necessary.  This gives a lush, full look.  This garland is a nice quality artificial garland that is very believable.  We decorate this house before Thanksgiving, so there is no way a fresh garland would survive until Christmas.  You could do this same design with fresh if you prefer…just wait until about two weeks before Christmas to put it up.  The garland is a mixture of several different types of greenery and has large pine cones mixed in it which really add to the natural look.  You could easily take this garland to a rustic setting, but the natural feeling of it performs beautifully in this formal setting.  The garland is hung with two small nails with large heads at the back corners of the mantle shelf, near the wall.  Always put the nails in the top side of the mantle so the nail holes won’t show after Christmas.
Ribbon is the next step.  I used five different ribbons here.  There is a sheer yellow to tie in the yellow from the room, a blue and yellow silk check, a solid soft pinky red, gold metallic, and a rosy red that has a velvet damask pattern on it.  Don’t be afraid to mix different ribbons together.  It is a great way to get the colors of your home into the decorations.  I would recommend always using at least three different ribbons, and have used up to seven at a time.  My bow is made of only two loops per side.  When you have all the different ribbons, two loops per side equals 10 loops per side when it is fluffed out.  I use only ribbon that is French wired which means that the wire edge is actually woven into the ribbon.  These hold up so much better than ribbon that is not wired.  They can be packed away flat, and easily fluffed up the following year.  We have used these ribbons for three years, and they still look new.  You will want to include a tail on the bow that goes down the garland toward the floor.  I use the “branches” of the garland to bend around the ribbon to hold it in those bishop sleeve type loops that go down toward the floor.  The other tail can follow along side that one, but in this case, I used the same technique of folding a branch over the ribbon to drape it toward the center of the garland.  This gives an even distribution of color all around the fireplace.
The third photo is a detail of the ribbon and ornaments on the garland.  We used bright yellow solid glass balls, gold metallic balls, rosy red solid balls, glitter stars with mirrored centers, and a collection of White glass egg ornaments with blue decoration hand painted on them.  We used a lot of each ornament.  My client requested a “full look”, so this is heavily laden.  This could be effective with only a few ornaments scattered throught the garland.  There are about 10 of the gold balls, 15 of the rosy red, 15 gold metallic, 25 glitter stars, and 20 white eggs.
The fourth photo shows the mantle finished in the room.  You can see how the decoration blends beautifully with the room’s decor, and how the addition of the red makes it look holiday festive.  Notice how I added ribbon to the top of the mirror.  This is a great way to bring the decoration up and create an entire wall look without taking the actual greenery up and around the mirror.  It just ties everything together as a unit.
The last photo shows a closeup of the antique porcelain figures my client uses on the mantle, as well as the antique bowl.  We added ribbon to the figures to “animate” them.  All of a sudden, they feel like they are the ones who have decorated the mantle.  In the bowl, we tucked a few springs of greenery, and some of all the ornaments we used on the mantle.  I am a fan of using your everyday items during Christmas, and this is a great way to do that.  By adding ribbon to the figures, and putting ornaments in the bowl, you have “created” Christmas arrangements.
When you are decorating for the holidays, don’t be afraid to experiment.  Remember, it is only up a short time, so if it doesn’t turn out exactly perfect, it is ok.  Each time you try, you will get better at it, and before you know it, you will be the talk of the neighborhood.  Keep it fun, and something that is manageable for you.  It should also be something you like, and you should have fun doing it.
Mantle before Christmas garland
Mantle before Christmas garland
Garland and ribbons Garland and ribbons
Detail of garland

Detail of garland

 
 
Completed mantle

Completed mantle

Detail of bowl decoration

Detail of bowl decoration

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How to Tie a Christmas Bow

Sunday, November 22nd, 2009

We used our new Flip camera for the first time this weekend.  Sorry the video is sideways.  Twist your head because the content is really great.

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How to Decorate a Christmas Tree

Sunday, November 22nd, 2009

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Holiday Open House at Bobby Todd Antiques

Thursday, October 1st, 2009

“Holiday memories begin at Bobby Todd Antiques.” 

Mark your calendars for Thursday, October 8 from 5 to 8 p.m. for Bobby Todd Antique’s annual holiday open house. “Making Spirits Bright” is this year’s theme. Shoppers will find red, green and gold decorations with extra sparkly vintage flair as we unveil this year’s window. We will be closed Monday, October 5, Tuesday, October 6 and Wednesday, October 7 to pre- pare. The open house continues Friday and Saturday, October 9 and 10 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday, October 11 from 1 to 5 p.m.

This holiday season, you’ll find Lori Mitchell collectible figurines at Bobby Todd. Full of whimsy and charm, her characters have won a place in the hearts and collections of folk art enthusiasts worldwide. We also have high quality Christmas sculptures from Round Top Metal Art. These hand- painted items are beautiful, fun and inspirational.

When you think of Bobby Todd at Christmas, you think of our signature ribbons. This year, our customers will have a chance to buy ribbons off the floor or special order them in time to make their holidays merry and bright. There are ribbons of all kinds including solids, silks, sequined, mesh, velvets, printed, embroidered and more.

Be sure to look for the Bobby Todd commercial that is airing on Bravo, Oxygen and the Travel Channel on Charter Cable.

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Holiday Entertaining

Wednesday, September 30th, 2009

Although summer temperatures are still soaring, now is the perfect time to think ahead to holiday entertaining.  Consider the things that need attention before your guests arrive like freshened upholstery, new dining table and chairs or an entire room makeover. If you start now, you’ll have plenty of time to order what you want and put it all together to make that holiday get together something truly memorable.

This is also the time to take advantage of holiday specials. I can work with my vendors to find you the best prices on items for your home. Now is the time to start taking inventory of your interior decorating needs because the holidays will be here before you know it.

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