xmas in july :: display of trees

Last Christmas season I was invited to an annual fundraising event for The Connecticut Ronald McDonald House called "Trees of Hope". The event includes hundreds of theme decorated trees. Attendees "voted" for their favorites by putting donations in that tree's bucket. Not only did I vote for several, but I also took pictures of my favorites. I am always trying to stock pile good decorating ideas for my clients. I have one client who asked me to decorate his whole house for Christmas last year - it was no small job as it involved hundreds of wreaths, miles of garland, staircases galore and 5 huge trees. I'll show you those pictures soon. Anyway, back to the fundraiser trees. Check these out. I noted my favorite ideas from each.

This tree was a Paris inspired tree. I love the Eiffel Tower topper and the working toy train that went around and around. Other details included jewelry and anything fashion related.



Next up, a tree decorated with all things golf related. I especially loved the tufts of grass at the base and the gopher club cover they put on top. So Caddy Shack! I know the picture is blurry, but it's the only one I had of the topper and I really wanted you guys to see it.



I just loved this next tree! Not that I'm an avid Red Sox fan, but you could do this with any favorite team. As you can see from the sign, they named this tree "Even Santa Prefers the Red Sox". Love that! Being in Connecticut, we are caught right in the middle of a legendary rivalry - Yankees vs. Red Sox. I will have some friends mad at me for even sharing this Red Sox beauty with you, yet other friends will be upset I haven't given my complete support to the Red Sox tree. Let's just call me Switzerland - neutral territory! Some of my favorite elements are the baseball cards, the mini batting helmets and the "believe" signs. Anyone that follows baseball knows that is a word synonymous with Red Sox nation. I also love that they picked a white tree (which are huge right now) to add to the color scheme. The ornaments really stand out off the white. And in an effort to be equal, white would be great for a Yankees tree too!



There are a couple things from this next tree that I really like. First of all, the colors are just scrumptious! So different from other ordinary Christmas colors and I love it! I also can't get enough of the paper doll garland. Wouldn't this be great for say an elementary school tree!? One doll per student... Any teachers out there?



One prevalent trend was using branches in the topper displays. I do the same in a lot of my tree designs. It adds visual height to the tree and gives a touch of nature. Here are a few examples I saw. This first one sprayed the branches white and I just love it! I also love the glittered hydrangeas tucked in there - so classy!




This tree was donated by a dentist's office - can you tell!? Decorated with all sorts of candy, but also with toothbrushes, toothpaste, floss and Listerine. Very cute!


Can't forget the pets! A local animal shelter donated this tree. Don't you just love the dog bones tied on!? Very cute and creative. I think it would be perfect in a veterinarian office.


And finally, another trend I saw repeated several times was using a boas like garland in and around the tree. It really adds texture and glamour. One tree was from a cosmetics company. See how they tied on different make-up samples. And the other little tree was "pretty in pink".




Hope you find something inspiring to add to your tree this year!