Red & White New England Style Christmas Tree

Hi everyone! So excited to finally share this little secret I’ve been harboring for the last couple of weeks… The first Christmas tree of the year is up & decorated in our guest room.

I’m sure many of you will be SHOCKED that I went with red this year… I wanted to do something different, fun and festive. I’ve actually never featured red in my home before, even before I was a blogger. I’ve always loved it but it wasn’t until now that I really wanted to devote a whole tree to the red and white theme. Of course, I had to include a metal (gold) because I love warm gold and red combined.

I think my Vermont trip helped inspire a bit of this look, which has a bit of a New England feel to it. Red barns, lanterns, and tartan to name a few.

This year I was invited to partake in the Michaels’ Dream Tree Challenge! I was so excited to be included. They always have amazing decor options so I knew this holiday project would be an adventure. I found every single piece in these images at Michaels. The first thing that grabbed my attention when I set foot in the store was a gorgeous flannel tartan ribbon. I based my entire look around this ribbon.The ribbon was so gorgeous and colorful.. the perfect way to introduce red to a bedroom tree.

Most of the pieces in this space are linkable so I’ll be able to share everything.. A few items are sold out but many are available either online or in the store so you can create a similar look if you’d like!

Ribbons & Tree Details

The first and main thing is that I love is this faux tree! It’s super affordable, on sale and I love the shade of green. It’s under $200 right now which is a game changer. It’s pre-lit with warm lights and easy to assemble. It’s also an easy tree to fluff – mess free also since there isn’t any flocking. Click here to shop the tree!

I like to begin dressing my tree by adding layers of buffalo snow (thick fluffy faux snow) within inside each of the branches, working from the inside – out. I find this fills any dark spaces, hides the trunk of the tree beautifully and it gives the tree that ‘snow fallen’ look. You can find the snow that I used at any store.

To fill any holes or spaces in the tree, I love using all kinds of “picks”. These are usually little stems of faux Christmas greenery, berries, etc. Michaels has a LARGE assortment of these depending on the look and style you’re after. They have flocked picks, gold, pinecone filled, etc. I used a very classic look which had greenery, pinecones, berries, and faux fruit in a cluster. I used around 20 of these.. and the best part is that they are affordable at only $1-3 each. Something I can use year after year! Click here to shop my faux greenery picks.

Like I mentioned before, this tree was inspired by a flannel tartan ribbon that I found while in the store. Unfortunately this specific ribbon is sold out online however it’s available in many stores so you can pick it up. I used the tartan ribbon to wrap my tree and to also create the bow on the wreath that I made. The material is so soft and cozy! It actually feels like a flannel blanket. I love it! Click here to shop the flannel tartan ribbon.

I used a different flannel ribbon to wrap a few presents with. The colors are beautiful and it’s available to order online! I bought this ribbon originally because I thought I might use it on the tree as well.. it’s that beautiful! You could definitely create a beautiful look using this ribbon too. Click here to shop the flannel ribbon.

To cover the base of the tree, I used a woven tree collar that I found at Michaels. Unfortunately I can’t find it online but it is in store! Yay! I actually painted mine a washed white and love how it turned out. Stay tuned for a tutorial post about it. :)

Tree Decor

You may notice that there is quite a bit of gold sprinkled throughout the Christmas tree! I think the warm gold really brightens the tree and makes the ornaments pop! I used a bunch of gold glitter leaf picks and gold glitter berry picks to achieve this look. These are also affordable and as a result you are able to add quite a few to give the tree that full look.

Let’s move on to the fun part – the ornaments! I was really impressed with Michaels’ selection of interesting and beautiful ornaments this year. They have so many old-world style santas, glass globes, and more! They have a selection of ornament balls in every color imaginable – both shatterproof and glass. I used a majority of glass ornaments, but the large red and white balls are shatterproof making them kid and pet-friendly.

Linking all of the ornaments I used below, not all are available for online order.. but you can find most in store.

Old-World Ornaments:

Glass Ball Ornaments:

Under the Tree

I always like to include decor along with presents underneath all my trees. I think it adds interest and makes it fun for everyone.

With the red theme that I was going for this year, I had no problem finding a ton of red and white decor to choose from!

I placed 2 of these faux poinsettias around the base of the tree and on top of presents. Originally they came with a green foil wrapped base but I wanted to switch it up and instead wrapped burlap around the base and tied them with a ribbon! Easiest DIY – took me literally 5 minutes and I love the look. All of the pieces are linked below:

Michaels has really cute holiday-themed pillows this year.. I snagged 3 and placed them around the tree. One says “Merry & Bright”, one is in the shape of Santa’s head, and the other is a cozy white cable knit pillow. All so cute to layer in any holiday space. Linked all below:

While Michaels has really pretty holiday wreaths, I wanted to make something of my own! They have lots of bases available that you can start with – I found the gold grapevine wreath and loved it. I added mini red berry picks and tied the flannel ribbon in a beautiful bow at the bottom to create this fun red and gold themed wreath. I’ll be adding a step by step tutorial post on how to how to make your own wreath soon. :)

To add a little more interest and texture under the tree, I placed 2 cozy cable knit stockings and stuffed them with buffalo snow! I also added an adorable traditional style nutcracker and placed a few white gift boxes throughout the area. The final touch? I added this bell door hanger to the door knob! I added my ribbon to make it my own.

And that’s it! I decorated the christmas tree, DIY’ed a couple of the pieces and added all the details in just a few hours. I hope you like my first tree of the year.. I can’t wait for all of you to see the rest of my holiday home. Keep a lookout.. I’ll be sharing more over the next week or two. Happy November 1st! Let me know in the comments what you think about my first Christmas Tree!

Click here to see more christmas tree/holiday posts from me.

Check out my Holiday Gift Guides:

• Click here for my Gift Guide for the Cozy Girl/Homebody.
• Click here for Jeff’s Cookware Gift Guide.
• Click here for the best Hostess Gifts.

More Holiday Content You’ll Love:

• Click here to see my Red & Gold Christmas Tree Decor.
• Click here to see my Cozy Family Room Holiday Decor//Green, Gold & White Christmas Tree.
• Click here for my Holiday Decor Sources 2018.

xo,
Kristy