Beyond ugly, huh? I saw this at the flea market and couldn't walk away, because under the hideousness, there was good stuff lurking.
First of all, this is big time, VINTAGE.
Second, lookie at the OLD tinsel!! I love that stuff and it is becoming hard to find some this ancient to work with.
And of course, tiny, shiny brites cannot ever be ignored, right????
Yep, I bought and stripped the monstrosity. It was only $15, and in my guesstimate, there was that much on it in pretty bits to reuse.
Not to mention the faded, old tree itself. It is so old, the branches have become a taupe color, which you can see through to the original dark green here and there.
The tree itself is such a cutie, that I kept the decor on it simple. I plopped it into a white McCoy pot, and left the star on the top as is, then draped it in vintage pearl necklaces. A glass bird is clipped to a branch to coordinate with the flock of feathered birdies I've added to the mantle where the tree is sitting.
In the last couple of years, I've covered the paintings that hang over the mantle because they were too springlike for Christmas. This year, I left them up and incorporated the bird and roses of the artwork as a theme in the garland draped below.
Because I was too lazy to go to the effort of getting out a tall ladder and tacking up the burlap over the paintings. Because I wanted a new look.
Here is how the room looks with the burlap and wings up.
The pink mercury glass beads look nice with the pink roses in the paintings. And I'm always happy to have some birdies flitting about.
A better photo of the mantel itself would have been a good idea, huh? You can see the fireplace in the background of this kitchen picture, though.
Kinda.
Much improved, Karla. It looks lovely now. (I do the pearl thing too sometime and it’s a wonderful simple garland, isn’t it?) Lucky you with the tinsel and shiny brites!