Hello my friends! I’ve missed you! Things have been laughably ridiculous over here lately which has been keeping me too busy to blog, but you know I had to come back around for our yearly tradition of a new themed Christmas tree!
Busy stuff in a nutshell: Yadda yadda yadda I’m having surgery next Wednesday and my niece is living with us now! I will talk more about those things later.
But today it is my birthday and to celebrate I am launching this year’s theme: Vintage 60’s Christmas.
If all you know about 60’s style is peace signs and psychedelic hippies, that might not sound glorious. But there will not be a single peace sign on this tree. No. I’m going for traditional vintage. Something your grandparents would have decorated with. Traditional colors and bottlebrush trees, thread covered ornaments and tinsel. Something that might have been at home in the offices of Sterling Cooper Draper Price. It was a transitional time so some of the ornaments will have a slight nod to mod style, and some will almost be a throwback to Victorian ornaments, because just like the 90’s are back in now, styles have always gone around and around.
I start every tree with a garland, and this one is so much fun I’m tempted to leave the tree naked except for this. A fuzzy pom pom garland.
You just need a whole bunch of pom poms, a needle, and thread. My favorite thread to use is crewel embroidery thread because it is thick without being too thick to get through a needle and super strong. It’s like using pretty decorative rope. I cut a huge length of it because I can’t seem to help myself, but you will be happiest if you keep your garland about arms width long and just make a bunch of them. This gets tangled easily so short lengths and more of them is definitely the way to go here. Thread your needle and then add a whole bunch of your pom poms.
A lesson I learned the hard way: There is a firm center to each of the pom poms. You want your needle to go through there. Otherwise you’re just going through the fluff and it will pull right out. The firm center will anchor the thread and stay put.
At the end of your thread tie a square knot. Just like when you tie your shoes.
The knot has to be big enough so that the pom pom won’t just slide right off, so tie another knot on top of the first knot to make it bulk up. Use your fingernails to guide the knot where you want it to land while you pull the threads tight.
Pull down your pom pom to rest on that knot, and then tie another bulky knot just like it on the other side of the pom pom. You want that pom pom squished between the two knots so that it can’t go anywhere.
As your garland gets longer and there are more pom poms in place, it can get tricky to pull it all through to make the knot. I like to use my fingers to make a great big loop that the pom poms can slide through without getting hung up on. If that doesn’t make sense, watch the video below.
Keep going until you’ve got pom poms spaced every inch or so apart the whole length of your thread. It’s the contrast between the thin thread and the burst of fluff that makes this look so cute, so don’t skimp out on that space in between.
This color on the green of a Christmas tree is so bold I just love it! It is a lot of look, though, so I’ll be using it judiciously. I’ll be making more garland out of white pom poms to help tone things down. Maybe. Maybe I’ll just lean right into the over the topness of it all.
Love it! The color is perfect, and the pom poms have such great texture. I can't wait to see the whole tree.
very nice and creative
Congratulations on this result so fascinating and full of creativity.
Very cute-love to hear how Atti is progressing. Good luck on your surgery.
Congratulations on this great blog. I admire as the basis of such a simple item can decorate so delicately lovely Christmas tree. Congratulations on your originality !!!