Ready for a super cute Christmas DIY? It’s a joke in my family that DIY runs in my veins, and I’ll validate that, myself. It sure does. And this time around I have found an ingenious idea to make cheapo, faux christmas trees look a bit more appealing if not 100% real! Hello ladies and gentlemen of the universe. How have you been. In all the decor swoons I often do, I forget to say hi to you and I miss that. So I squeezed some time today to talk to you a bit and write a personal blog at leisure- one where cheap trees become gorgeous.
I’ll introduce you to a technique called “flocking” which means to get that snow filled Christmas tree effect inside your home, {And in India. Mumbai to be precise} with white paint. Hop on in.
Natural trees are beautiful on their own. God, how I swoon on those gorgeous trees that one gets to take home from the farm. The texture, volume, colour and smell that nature lends is drop dead fabulous and equally irreplicable. I am specially a huge fan of the silver tip tree that DreamyWhiteLifestyle gets home every year. A little bluish, silver green makes it perfect for a French-country farmhouse decor or coastal decor that celebrates negative space and minimalism. Believe me, if I was anywhere near Himachal, I would cultivate those. But unfortunately for a place like Mumbai, that tree if cut and gotten home wouldn’t last a day. It will dry, rot and by new year it will look like my life- drab. Hahaha, don’t go by that word. I like to play the tragedy queen once in a while specially when it suits the context 😉 So, anyway, for folks like us, its long live the faux trees. The idea here is to accept the fact but not settle. When it comes to faux trees we can try and close quite to the real ones. In comes this easy Christmas DIY.
When I got home our tree this year {I had a smaller one, I wanted a 6 footer…since Home Alone 1 methinks} I noticed how the colour looks unreal. It’s dark green alright but it’s almost a bit too vivid and plastic-y. And that’s a huge problem with most trees we get in the market. Actually you know what? We have evolved a whole lot in the Christmas tree jurisdiction. I remember this one tree we had when we were young, the leaves of which were actually shiny! And when I say actually I mean wrapping paper shiny. Like if you shone a light on it, it’ll blind you shiny. From there we have come a long way. But there is still some time to “get there”. Till then, we can snow flock trees or give them a little update so they look a little less factory made.
Christmas DIY: Snowflocking a tree and toning the colour down to Silver Tip
You’ll need:
1. White paint- water based
2. Water
3. A spray can or brush
4. A tree
5. A polythene sheet
6. Protective gloves
How
Step 1: Fluff the tree up properly. A great tip is to point the main wire in which the leaves are attached upwards. Because that’s how it originally grows and it also hides the stem
Step 2: Make sure the leaves are all properly fluffed. Straighten them in all directions and not just at right angles
Step 3: Next, water down your paint in the ratio 2:1. This will ensure the paint is not too thick. You can add a bit more water if you think the paint is too thick. We dont want the leaves to clump together.
Step 4: With a sprayer spray or brush the tips first. Then work a bit of paint in scattered fashion towards the stem. Also, keep it a bit irregular as nothing in nature is perfect and that’s what gives it its individuality.
Step 5: Rest it overnight and save the paint water mix. Next day, add a bit more paint irregularly, specially on the top leaves.
Step 6: Let dry and you’ll see a beautiful tree right infront of you!
Here’s a closeup. Some leaves, I’ve left as is while some I have coloured the top part only. And here good people is the tree when I bought it But it was a tone darker than in the website photo.
By the way, you could also buy flcoking powder and DIY. You need to spray water and dust the powder. That’s where the technique comes from.
Must go now. Add your link in the comment section if you have done some cool christmas diy s. I would love see.
P.S: I made a good multigrain bread and the smell is tearing me away from the PC.
Night. Off.
Rukmini