DIY Home Staging Tips

This Season's Darling: The Tabletop Christmas Tree

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

“How do I decorate my home during the holidays?” That's one of the most common questions home sellers ask at this time of year.

The simple answer is, “It depends.” It depends on whether you usually traditionally celebrate Christmas or Hanukkah.

It depends on whether children live in your home, and how nostalgic you are.

It depends on how uncluttered you want your home to look.

It depends on what your personal taste is, how much space is available in your home, how big your budget is, and what your schedule looks like.

One thing is for sure: there's always room and some money for a tabletop tree. It's seasonal but non-denominational. It's decorative, long-lasting, and fashionable. No matter what style your home reflects, you're bound to be able to buy or DIY a small artificial tree for the holiday season.

I’m talking about the tabletop trees that measure less than 18 inches – cute little things that bring a touch of color and maybe even humor to the smallest space. Spaces like a bath vanity, a foyer table, a bookcase, a mantel, or a nightstand.

I went a little crazy this year making tabletop trees for gifts, for clients, and for myself. Along the way, I learned a few what-not-to-dos, and discovered some quick and cheap ways to make them look special.

The two conical trees pictured above are Epsom salt-covered ones I've made before. I just popped a silver ornament on top of each, and set them on matched silver candlesticks for a different look. Next to it, the felt flower topiary in the fake pewter pot is leftover from last Christmas as well. I just freshened it with some new sphagnum moss and a bow in my favorite holiday color.

A dishtowel with beads glued on, some pasta painted silver, and a burlap cone
dressed in ribbons and pipe cleaners -- each one makes a different kind of miniature
Christmas tree. And not one of them was difficult to make. In fact, it was fast and fun!

Create shapes that are similar

If you’re going to be making more than one tree, I suggest making all your trees somewhat similar. You have enough to do without starting from zero with each DIY project. I used a cone shape for most of my trees. You can buy Styrofoam cones, floral foam cones, or paper mache cones. You can also fashion lightweight cones from cardboard or poster board.

Get inspired using what you have

Let your materials inspire you. As usual, I gathered up odds and ends and craft supplies I wanted to use or recycle. Having a stash at your fingertips prompts creativity. Look for fabrics, jewelry, natural objects, ornaments, paint, or paper that speaks to you and fits with your décor.

Pedestals and bases make a big difference. Try different styles until you find the right one
for your tree. I liked the look of milk glass under my one candy and two ribbon trees.

Create some contrast

You can mix it up so each tree is unique and interesting. Put a funky burlap tree in a shiny silver planter. Add a glitzy snowflake to the top of a humble Kraft paper tree. Place new with old, rough with smooth, glossy with dull, black with white.

Think in sturdy terms

If you want your trees to last over time, so you can bring them out again in years ahead, make them strong enough to be packed away. That means nothing flimsy, and nothing perishable that might invite mold or animals. My pasta tree and candy tree are “annuals,” rather than perennials.

Corrugated cardboard (one layer peeled away), felt petals, and tulle,
are good makings for little trees. Trees this size make
easy work of decorating a mantel, even a narrow one, for the holidays.

Economize with your materials

Look for ways to save money by substituting less pricey materials for what you’d purchase finished at craft stores. I found I could make a paper mache cone by wrapping a store-bought one with aluminum foil and adding layers of newsprint smeared well with school glue. Once it’s hardened, you can slip the $4 cone out, so you have an extra cone (or more if you want to repeat the process).

The driftwood tree is just sticks, glue and shells. The middle tree is sheet moss I
glued to a cardboard cone cut from half a sheet of poster board,
set on a metal candlestick. And the topiary is sea glass glued to a plastic salad spoon stuck in a sand-filled hypertufa pot.

Last year's topiaries captured my heart. This year, I am infatuated with tabletop trees. And I’m not the only one. I’m seeing them in all the stores, in magazines, and online. On my Pinterest "Tabletop Trees" Board, I can find over 45 of my favorites.

Let me help you stage

Do you have a home on the market? Have you staged it? No matter where you live or what your home is like, it’s already staged, vacant or inhabited, clean or cluttered – it’s staged! You might as well stage it to sell! Download my eBook, DIY Home Staging Tips to Sell Your Home Fast and for Top Dollar, so you can quickly and thriftily improve the marketability of your home for sale.

Design a Holiday Tablescape Perfect for Home Staging

Monday, December 10, 2012

When your home is on the market, the home staging you do during the holidays needs to be festive without being too foolishly elaborate. Here’s an example of what works. I think my combination of wintry, woodland elements with clean, shiny colors hits just the right note.

I put together this centerpiece for a long table. I centered a strip of natural burlap the length of the table. I layered on the first element – two round mirrors that hinted of iced ponds. I surrounded the “ponds” with a couple of shiny bead garlands and then added black and brown rocks for some contrast.

I wanted some texture, so I pulled out my bag of fake mossy blobs. They look something like small shrubs. For larger shrubs and a different texture, I placed some natural pine cones at each end of the arrangement.

My two focal points were the deer I purchased. They were gold, and I sprayed them with silver paint. They still glisten enough to make me happy.

To complete the tableau, I parked the cone-trees I made from purchased paper mache bases that I painted three different colors. The two smaller paper mache trees I covered with Epsom salts for some sparkle, and the third tree I left white.

What makes a winning tabletop display?

Here are the elements I keep in mind while assembling anytablescape for home staging:

Make the colors harmonious with the rest of the room. The color scheme of your home should flow from room to room, but Christmas is a time when some extra doses of color are welcome.

Avoid overly religious subjects, or political decor, or any art that might be considered too personal or controversial. People like to do business with -- as in, buy houses from -- people who are most like them. The less they know about you personally, the more businesslike and objective the ngotiations.

If the rest of your home is minimally decorated, don't go overboard with tablescapes at holiday time. Your displays should maintain the character and "weight" of your home, and showcase its assets.

Don’t use anything that is too expensive or has sentimental value. Things disappear during home tours.

Concentrate on shapes, textures, and colors for subtle variety. Nothing should be too distracting. You want buyers to notice the wow factors in your home.

Have your vignette tell a story. Ideally, the story helps sell your home by reminding buyers what’s special. It could be the size of the dining room, the romance of the bedroom, or the setting of the home itself.

Get the look, get the book

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