The Easy Peasy Chinoiserie Chic Christmas Tree

We began our month of Chinoiserie Chic holiday decorating yesterday with a look at Meg Braff's wonderful Chinoiserie dining room decorated for the holidays. You can read it here -

Holiday Decorating at Chinoiserie Chic

Today we look at the bonsai Christmas tree. Not everyone has the space, time, energy, or desire to put up a big Christmas tree. Or perhaps you put up a big tree, but would like a smaller one for a dining room table centerpiece, the entryway, the coffee table, or to display very special ornaments.

Some of you may remember this fantastic bonsai Christmas tree from the December 2009 Martha Stewart Living. It involves taking an artificial bonsai tree, spray painting it with gold paint, dusting it with gold glitter, and adding lantern ornaments and birds. Here are the details if you'd like to create it yourself.

Asian-Inspired Christmas Tree

Who says Christmas trees have to be fir? Inspired by the bonsai collection at the Arnold Arboretum in his native Boston, Martha Stewart Living's Kevin Sharkey created this enchanting roost using an artificial bonsai.

Spray-painted gold and accented with glitter, it rises out of a traditional pot topped with moss and snow. Japanese-lantern ornaments provide a pleasing change of scale, but the crowning glories of this tree are the birds -- coated in glitter and grouped in flocks of like colors.

The crowning glories of our Asian-Inspired Christmas Tree are the birds -- coated in glitter and grouped in flocks of like colors.
Tools and Materials
Birds: B&J Florist Supply
Fine glitter: Martha Stewart Crafts, from Michaels
Shard-glass glitter: artglitter.com

How-To
1. Working in sections, paint artificial bird body with white craft glue.
2. Hold bird over bowl of fine glitter; use a spoon to sprinkle with glitter.
3. Repeat process for bird tail, using shard-glass glitter for texture.

Here's an even easier one - just hang a few choice ornaments from an artificial bonsai tree.

And here are my new favorite Chinoiserie bonsai Christmas tree ideas this year from ZGallerie.  Buy one of these beauties in silver or gold, hang some favorite ornaments, and you're done. I'm thinking one of these might be perfect for my very special collection of Jay Strongwater ornaments.

Blue & White Launch

Studio McGee for Target Blue and White Ornaments

This Studio McGee for Target set of 3 hand painted blue and white Christmas ornaments go on sale at 3 a.m. ET overnight tonight and are expected to sell quickly. These are among the most sought after in the collection.

A Blue and White Chinoiserie Christmas

Biltmore Chinoiserie Nutcracker

Some fabulous blue and white chinoiserie Christmas finds I think you will love. And they are all on sale for $20!

Chinoiserie Ornaments

Set of 4 Blue and White Chinoiserie Ornaments

If you are looking for some special chinoiserie ornaments to add to your Christmas tree this year, here are my picks. I have many of these and they are beautiful.

Beachy Nutcrackers

Tommy Bahama Nutcracker Ornaments

Tommy Bahama's Holiday collection launched yesterday and at the top of my list is this set of nutcracker ornaments.

A Sneak Peek - Christmas @ CCC

CCC

 

I finished the ornaments for my two Amanda Lindroth wicker pagodas. I used real red coral, real pink sea urchins, and miniature Christmas ornaments. Oh, and a couple pairs of my earrings - Mignonne Gavigan lobster claws and J.Crew coral.

Christmas Decorating Plans @ CCC

Amanda Lindroth

Now that Halloween is over, I have turned to my Christmas decorating plans at CCC. 

I have a pair of the large wicker Amanda Lindroth pagodas pictured in the center. They are absolutely humongous - bigger than they look above - about three feet tall and a foot and a half wide. I decided I would love to decorate them for Christmas for my foyer.

Decorating with Seashells at Christmas

Alfredo Parades - House Beautiful

I am going to guess that seashells don't spring to mind when decorating for Christmas. But for those of us in seashore communities especially, seashells work beautifully with holiday decor. Above, vintage seashell planters with hollies decorate the back porch of this Shelter Island, New York home. I love Shelter Island. Vintage seashell decor has become highly collectible BTW.

A Blue and White Chinoiserie Christmas

Chinoiserie Pagoda Embroidered Needlepoint Christmas Stocking

This is my favorite Christmas collection of all time. It is the Southern Living Blue Christmas Collection. Lots of chinoiserie, blue and white, needlepoint, and wicker. Dillard's high quality. A serious Amanda Lindroth feel to it. Excellent prices!!! I suspect many of these will sell out - I am ordering today. Wow, wow, wow!

The Blue & White Chinoiserie Christmas Tree

Chinoiserie Ginger Jar Ornaments

 

Have you been dreaming of a Christmas tree adorned with blue and white chinoiserie ornaments? I have found some wonderful blue and white Chinese porcelain ginger jar ornaments for your tree and they are an absolute steal....

My CCC Christmas Tree

Tim Walker - Vogue U.K.

Before artificial Christmas trees became popular and realistic looking, I of course always got a fresh cut Christmas tree. The garden center I bought my trees from in Alexandria, Virginia interestingly carried Noble Fir trees although they are from the Pacific Northwest. I was drawn to their very architectural look with lots of space for ornaments. I got Noble Firs for many years.

A Chinoiserie Christmas

Eric Cortina Set of 2 Bottle Brush Trees in Chinoiserie Pots

Followers of Chinoiserie Chic may recall that my large Christmas tree in the great room is decorated with a collection of ornaments both chinoiserie and coastal. I always keep my eyes open for special ornaments to add to my collection.

Coastal Chinoiserie Christmas

Amanda Lindroth Bone Ornaments

My home in Florida is decorated in what I have dubbed Coastal Chinoiserie with lots of wicker, palm trees, and seashells mixed with ginger jars, blue and white Chinese porcelain, and pagodas. If you love this style, Amanda Lindroth is having a sale with 30% off gift items and Tag Sale with some great choices for your home and for Christmas gifts.

2013 Chinoiserie Chic Christmas Ornaments

Each year I search for some special Christmas ornaments to add to my collection. Last year it was miniature stockings from One Kings Lane made from beautiful vintage fabrics and trims.

The year before it was these Eric Cortina ginger jar and other Chinoiserie ornaments.

This year I found an Etsy artist selling these exquisite handmade silk vegetable ornaments. I chose broccoli, eggplant, radishes, asparagus, a beet, and an artichoke. You can find these and more to order here. They are truly works of art made with the finest materials and the utmost attention to detail.

Needlepoint

Barbara Bush 1991 White House Christmas Tree

During her tenure as first lady, Barbara Bush, a longtime needle-pointer, made the White House home to a colorful variety of needlepoint decorations. The 1991 White House holiday decorations featured 1,200 needlepoint ornaments and 82 needlepoint houses that formed a village. This was my favorite White House Christmas tree.

Volunteers also made ninety-two needlepoint figurines for a miniature Noah’s Ark, carved by members of the White House staff. The New York Times reported that volunteers contributed 150,000 hours of crafting to complete these decorations. The first lady contributed to the theme as well, making some of the ornaments herself.

Hill House Home x Williams Sonoma

Hill House x Williams Sonoma

 

Hill House Home and Williams Sonoma have a new holiday collaboration. Some of my favorites in the collection are these wicker and brass ornaments for the Christmas tree or for a fabulous wreath.

Chinoiserie Ornaments

Frontgate Festive Topiary Ornaments

I am starting my Christmas decorating in about 4 weeks and I am so excited. Since I am not hosting for Thanksgiving, I plan to spend that week getting CCC all decorated. I am putting up three large trees this year. That calls for lots of ornaments and I am always on the lookout for chinoiserie ones!

Needlepoint Ornaments

Furbish Needlepoint Ornaments

 

I love needlepoint. Recently I have posted on Bauble's fabulous needlepoint stockings and cheeky needlepoint pillows at Furbish. 

Furbish has some darling needlepoint ornaments for your Christmas tree. Here are some favorites. 

A Chinoiserie Christmas

A.L. Diament Chinaman in Swing

I absolutely adore decorating for the holidays. Each year I add several new things - last year it was incredible Chinoiserie Christmas ornaments. This year I have several projects in the works. On Monday, I won on eBay four curtain panels in perfect condition in one of my favorite all time Chinoiserie fabrics - Chinaman in Swing by A.L. Diament. Discontinue reading this post if you don't want to faint - the four panels lined and weighted ready to hang I got for $102.50. I plan to use them in one of my rooms for the holiday season. Have you ever heard of Christmas curtains before?

Just below, you will remember I scored this gorgeous amaryllis fabric on Etsy - Amaryllis Glorious by Westgate Fabrics and I am having it made into two pillows with green pom pom trim - very Palm Beach - for my living room sofa.

Below that, I just bought several Christmas stocking ornaments made from vintage suzani. I love mixing suzani and Chinoiserie and these will look amazing on my upside down tree with all the Chinoiserie ornaments.

If you are looking for inspiration on holiday decorating with Chinoiserie style, you will find dozens of ideas in my new Houzz Ideabook. The day after Thanksgiving, we will start a month long series on decorating for the holidays with Chinoiserie Chic style.

Westgate Fabrics Amaryllis Glorious

Vintage Suzani Ornament

Vintage Suzani Ornament

My Christmas Tree

Chinoiserie Chic Christmas - Orchids

The other day I was shopping in Neiman Marcus and liked the way their florist had potted white orchids in clear glass containers filled with white stones and topped the stones with several silver ball ornaments. Here is more inspiration for using orchids at the holidays to add a Chinoiserie touch to your home - orchids on the Christmas tree, in vases filled with small ornaments, in holiday colors, and even hung with ornaments.