A Classic Christmas Tree | 2017 Michaels Dream Tree

It's finally here! I've been thinking of Christmas 2017 since the end of last season! This Christmas will be incredibly special because my family and I are HOSTING this year! We purchased our home at the end of November (just in time for Christmas) so it's only right to end the year with some old and new traditions.

It didn't take much for me to get into the Christmas spirit. Honestly, I've been in the spirit since July. This year, I purchased a beautiful 9 foot unlit tree. I won't lie, I thought about taking it back. Once we opened the box and started fluffing, it was so intimidating!                   

 The height took me by surprise even though I saw the sample tree in store. Having it in our home was another story. 

Here's a free tip to future tree buyers, buy a pre-lit tree! What was I thinking? The second time I thought to take it back (even after it was completely fluffed) was after my sister-in-law and I put 500 lights on. 

Design

This year I had an eye for stripes. I went with some of my favorite colors, which are also our wedding colors, black, white, and gold. 

I love classic chic tones. I used a mixture of clear, cream, and black bulbs. Instead of going with pure white, I opted for a softer tone, cream. Did I already mention my favorite color is black? 

These frosted soft white bulbs where perfect for dimension. They complimented the gold and clear large bulbs so well. 

I hoped to design a chic, classic, elegant, and semi-modern tree. 

Trimmings

This tree has multi textures on the branches which allows the fullness to overtake the tree with minimal effort. 

It didn't require any extra garland for filling which made me completely happy! The trimmings were an easy choice that allowed the tree to become even more beautiful. 

I choose these clear ornaments from Michaels. I thought purchasing this 25 count would be an easy fix for the multiple styles of ornaments I wanted. 

I had to have black matte ornaments. I searched Michaels stores online and didn't come across the black ornaments I wanted. 

So I took Krylon Flat Enamel and lightly spray painted a few bulbs until I gained full coverage. They came out perfect! 

Then, with the extra clear ornaments I had, I just dropped them on the tree for extra "classiness". Is that even a word? 

 I also took about 5 of the other clear ornaments and made these DIY Ornaments which added a look to the tree I couldn't even dream of! 

Another simple touch I added to the tree was by purchasing these white clusters from Michaels stores.  

I took a piece of black and white striped ribbon and tied two to three clusters together to make a perfect touch to the look. 

This black and white striped blanket and wrapping paper was also found at Michaels Stores. I snagged this during their fifty percent off sale!

I am loving these colors together. Just the right touch of modern elegance. I'm so glad I got my extra Christmas decor from a few other stores. 

At the end of last season I found modern octagon black and gold striped serving tray!  

The black stand was purchased at a local thrift shop for TWO BUCKS! I used the left over Krylon Flat Enamel to retouch the stand to match my decor.

Here are some evening looks of our tree