Christmas Candy Tree (2014)

Now that my trees are filled out with garland and properly lighted, it's time for the fun part: decorating!  This year I started in the kitchen where the theme is candy, candy, and more candy!  ....(and cupcakes...and cake...and gingerbread...and ice cream...)

This post is going to share with you all kinds of sugary goodness, but first it might be a good time to stop and explain the order in which I decorate...

~~~~~~~~~My Steps to a Perfectly Decorated Tree~~~~~~~~~~

1 - Artificial tree up and fluffed.

2 - Add faux evergreen garland to fill in any gaps.

3 - Add lights.

4 - If using decorative garland, add it before any ornaments.  That way the garland will be evenly distributed throughout the tree.

5 - Add Ornaments.  Before hanging my ornaments I like to organize them into groups; first by size, then by color or type within the different size categories.  This way when I go to hang them, I can make sure that all different sizes, colors and types of ornaments are evenly spread throughout the tree.

Side Note:  It's common to think we need to hang our ornaments on the tree, but actually we should hang our ornaments in the tree.  About an inch and a half to two inches down the branch is a good starting point.  

Hanging the ornaments inside the tree gives them a look of being nestled among the branches, as though they belong there.  It's also a good tip to vary the depth in which the various ornaments are placed as this gives the tree greater dimension. 

The larger the ornament is, the farther inside of the tree is should go.  Hanging large ornaments further inside of the tree gives better visual balance.  Think of how a plant or tree grows;  in nature the larger, more developed blooms tend to be closer to the stalk or trunk, with the smaller buds reaching outward.  Follow the same pattern with your ornaments and you will end up with a tree full of eye pleasing dimension!

6 - Add the tree topper of your choice.

7 - Sit back with a mug of hot cocoa and congratulate yourself on a design job well done!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In case you missed it, the post explaining how to use evergreen garland to fill out an artificial tree can be found here.

You can read about how I prefer to light my trees here.

Now, let's get back to decorating.......

Candy Garlands

Left:  I purchased these peppermint garlands from the florist I used to work for about three years ago.  I can't remember the price, but I did snag them on clearance.  It was the year that I first began contemplating having a 'candy' tree and I thought these would be a great start. I have four strands.

Top & Bottom Right:  I found these together in a box full of candy themed ornaments while treasure hunting a couple of years ago.  There are two strands of the gumdrops and two strands of the hard candy.  I absolutely love this colorful garland, I think I paid $5 for the whole box.  

There were three strands of the gumdrops, but I cut one apart to make a jar of candy for the kitchen, as well as added a few to my kitchen candy wreath.  You'll see photos of those in an upcoming post.

Layering on the candy garland.

Going from left to right, you can see how I have layered on the candy garland.  I started with the peppermint garland because that is what I have the most of, and then followed up with the two types of colorful garland.  You can also see that I like my trees to be excessively full.  Oh just wait, it gets even better! ;)




Top Left:  These are my baking themed glass ornaments that I made last year after seeing something similar on Pinterest.  I purchased clear glass ornaments and used white sugar, brown sugar, chocolate sprinkles, colorful sprinkles and two kinds of pink sprinkles for my filling.

Because the clear ornaments are made to be filled, the tops easily pop right off.  I was concerned about filling them with these heavy ingredients as I didn't want them to come apart, fall to the floor and shatter.  I did some Pinterest research and learned that clear spray adhesive would be the solution.

How To:  Open the ornament and spray a small amount of spray adhesive inside.  You don't want so much that it pools at the bottom, just enough to make the sides of the glass sticky.  Then pour in some of the sprinkles and shake the ornament around until all sides are coated.

(I dumped out any excess sprinkles as I didn't want my ornaments to be noisy.  Noisy means child curiosity, which means children want to shake the ornaments, which means they get dropped, which means shattered glass and little feet....)

I also added a bit of glue at the top before putting the ornament back together to keep everything in place.  A little bit of cream colored satin ribbon and the ornaments were ready for the tree.

Bonus:  Not only does the spray adhesive lessen the amount of sprinkles needed, it also preserves the sprinkles that are used.  Now I can store these ornaments in the garage with all the rest of the holiday decor, and not worry about mold or attracting any critters.

***Update:  We had an ornament drop!  I was worried about these shattering, but the spray adhesive kept everything together.  The glass was cracked all over, but remained intact.  No cuts on any little feet or hands!

Bottom Right:  While I enjoy having a themed tree, I still want it to 'go' with the rest of the house.  For this reason I have a small collection of bulb ornaments that I add in with the candy decor.  These handle that job nicely.

Right:  The tree after the bulb ornaments have been added.  I placed the decorative bulb ornaments first because those I have the most of, then followed it up with my glass bulbs.  After that I began placing my specialty ornaments.

Scroll down to see photos of my specialty ornaments, as well as a pic of the finished tree!

Cupcakes

Ice Creams & Cake Slices

Glittery Beaded Doughnuts, Cupcakes and Ice Creams

Lollipops, Peppermints & a Gingerbread Cookie Tray

(The lollipop ornaments were in the same box as the colorful candy garland that I mentioned earlier)

Left:  Miniature cupcake ornaments that I found at Wal-Mart, in the miniature tree section.  I am mentioning these because I don't use them just for Christmas.  In addition to those pictured here, I also have a couple that I keep hanging on my bakers cabinet all year.  I often times pull them to use as charms for my glass cake domes.  One or two around the glass knob on top looks really cute.

(You can view the kitchen decor post here)

Right:  A white glittery star for the top of the tree.  Typically I like to have a gold star on the top of the tree, but I thought this one would be more appropriate since it looks sugary.  A candy tree needs a sugar star ;)

Christmas Candy Tree

And there you have it, a tree jam-packed with yummy goodness!

I hope you enjoyed the tour of my candy tree, I'll be back in a couple of days to share my dining room tree as well.  Until then, happy decorating and thanks for stopping by!

-Jennifer

© Jennifer Adams Flowers 2014