TREES WITH A TWIST
Just in time for the holidays, a book called The New Christmas Tree stretches the imagination to encourage crafty types to have some fun with their decorating.
Big-box displays these are not, but if you like to try something different, the book offers 24 unusual themes and instructions on how to create more than 100 projects.
Got a penchant for food (and the letter P)? Try a tabletop pine dressed with pretzels, pickles, peanuts and popcorn.
How about a folk-art or a Scandinavian or birdland theme, all created with handcrafted trimmings?
While many of the themes aren’t for everyone, the idea is to get you thinking outside the big box and stimulate your own creativity.
Make a statement with a tree all in blue, from traditional ornaments to found objects such as a tea cup, a postcard or a $5 bill.
Don’t have room for a tree? Try a two-dimensional tapestry version hung on a wall. Or turn your decorating upside down, literally, with a tree that hangs, upended, from the ceiling. It makes “a dramatic and dazzling chandelier,” author Carrie Brown says in the book.
The trees “spring from the things that move me and spark a chain of free association,” says Brown, who runs a country store and café in California where she displays and sells her unusual tree creations every December.
“I aim to make Christmas trees that are visually arresting, beautiful, and layered with meaning.”
She urges readers to consider everyday objects from a different point of view.
“Make something out of next to nothing with humour and whimsy,” she suggests.
The book includes tips on choosing trees, how to make them last longer, containers and decorating basics.