Magical Scandinavian Christmas Tree + DIY Ornaments

Filling my home with beautiful Christmas decorations and making this time of year Magical is very important to me! It’s seems like this year, above all others, I’m striving to create the magic. It began with the Believe Christmas Mantel…always hearing the bells of Christmas. And has flowed into the rest of our home.

The red and white theme of our Magical Scandinavian Christmas Tree was definitely a work of passion. I think Doug and I literally changed our minds on this tree four times! But, as you can see…it turned out…well…magical…

I’m absolutely thrilled with how it turned out! We made some of the ornaments, and will share with you how to make them too! Specifically the picks, we couldn’t find exactly what we wanted, so with just a few simple supplies we created our own.

But first, let’s take a closer look at the Christmas Tree…

Everything you see on the tree, around the tree and including the tree, came from Walmart. We started with a pre-lit Christmas Tree, it was only $39. The red and white ribbon is wide mesh, and I just cut it in half and ran it down the tree, tucking it in to look like a candy cane.

Red and silver ornaments filled the tree. Do you see Doug taking the photos? He is the best helper ever! I couldn’t do this without him!

Then it was time for the picks, the red present and the curly ribbon picks were added. {see the tutorial below for them}

The clear ornaments were filled and decorated.

One of my favorites parts of the tree is the red hat for the topper. It started as a food gift container, filled with treats. We found the curly silver picks in the Christmas area. And the snowman is another pick we made.

We added a little magic to the stairs and banister as well. Garland with white lights and the same red and white mesh ribbon, then a few of the curly ribbon picks that we made. And the lanterns…

I absolutely adore the Flameless Candle Lanterns. The minute I spotted them, I knew I had to make them work. They are battery operated with a built-in 5 hour timer so they don’t drain the batteries resulting in more money for batteries.

And one of the best things, they are versatile enough, I can use them all year in my decorating both inside and out. To display the hanging lantern, we filled the basket with styrofoam to hold the shepherd’s hook, then added a bit of greenery and ribbon to cover the foam.

Finishing off the bottom of the tree is the best blanket EVER! Really, my friends, if you have not given or received one of these blankets, you must! This one has the Scandinavian theme, they are soft flannel on one side and fuzzy on the other. Wrapping our Magical Christmas Tree in this blanket was perfect…and besides, it was a good reason to buy another one! Grab one for a gift…they are only $12!

Now, let’s chat about the DIY Ornaments and Picks…

First up…the Beaded Ornament. Inspired by the ornaments at Walmart, we headed to the craft department for supplies…

DIY Beaded Ornament Supplies

• Clear plastic ornaments
• Hot glue gun
• Glass beads – we used 2 different styles and sizes in white
• Epsom salt to fill the ornament – you could also use the beads
• Funnel to fill the ornament

DIY Beaded Ornament Instructions

1. Place the ornament in a cup to hold it upright and fill with Epsom salt
2. Place the cap back on and pour beads in a bowl. Apply a small amount of hot glue on the ornament. {Note: I tried several different types of glue and this was the only kind that would not run before I could get the beads applied}
3. Sprinkle on the beads, being VERY careful not to touch the glue

When we couldn’t find exactly what we wanted for picks, we decided to make our own. They were super easy!

DIY Christmas Picks Supplies

• Ornaments and ribbon
• Wooden skewers
• Spray paint
• Hot glue gun {not shown}

DIY Christmas Pick Instructions

1. Spray paint the skewers and ornaments, if desired
2. Glue the pick on with hot glue
3. For the present, Doug used a nail to make the hole in the bottom, add a little glue, then the skewer and more glue

The ribbon picks were created again, because we didn’t find exactly the color we needed.

DIY Curly Ribbon Pick Supplies

• Ribbon – be sure to get the kind with wire, I found a package near the Christmas wrapping paper that had 5 different rolls
• Wooden skewers
• Glue – I used glue dots because they are super easy, but hot glue will work as well
• Scissors

DIY Curly Ribbon Pick Instructions

1. Cut a piece of ribbon – various lengths is best
2. Wrap the ribbon around your finger or a pencil to curl
3. Attach it to the wooden skewer with glue
4. Repeat with 3-5 pieces of ribbon

Whew…we are done! So what do you think? I hope you love it as much as I do!

Linking to…Holiday Tree Party, Show and Tell Friday, Weekend Wrap Up Party