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  • Hi, I’m Emily

    Emily Fazio

    I'm a home improvement enthusiast, living a very merry DIY lifestyle.

    You can find me writing for HGTV and DIY Network, follow me on facebook and instagram, or drop me a note if you'd like. I love notes.

    Thanks for visiting!

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It’s Tree Time

November 29, 2011

Little factoid: I haven’t bought a Christmas tree since December 2008 when my last roommate and I negotiated on a “damaged model” from the Boy Scouts. Shameful. Living alone in the house, working and commuting 50+ hours a week, and then celebrating holidays out of town, a pricy tree never felt like it was worth the investment. (That’s why I always decorated my house plants.)

This year’s different. Both both Pete and I are working at home, and that makes it feel worthwhile to put a little effort into decorating (early in the season too, so we can enjoy the sweet smell of pine to the max). At heart, I’m actually an “I-want-a-15-foot-tree” kind of girl, which is why this year’s purchase, a 4-ft blue spruce, seems rather rogue:

A mini-tree.

I sought this specific mini-tree out for three reasons:

  1. It’s rooted, and yes, I’m pretty sure it’ll find its way directly into my garden in the springtime.
  2. It was $25, which for a perma-tree, felt like a worthy investment (hell, the Boy Scouts wanted $60 for their damaged model).
  3. I don’t have a bazillion ornaments, and this would be just large enough to hold what we wanted to display without looking barren (I like the overloaded look).

Unsuccessful at finding an inexpensive farm-esque bushel basket, I brought home the barrel you’re seeing from Lowe’s to help disguise the 5-gallon black plastic container that the roots are housed in. I lined the barrel with a plastic tray that I’ve been using to protect my hardwood floors, and wrapped a piece of brown plush yardage from JoAnn’s under the base (sale priced at $8/yard + an extra 25% off, thank you Thanksgiving Weekend). I almost opted for white fur, thinking of that traditional snowy base that’s so seasonally appropriate, but you remember that I also have a big furry dog, right?

When in doubt, buy everything in dark brown.

Furry beast.

So rustic, so cute. Gosh, I love that tree.

Pretty tree.

We’re including a bunch of new ornaments in this year’s tree too. Check back to see which new ones are hung with joy.

Welcome to the holidays. Who else has hauled their tree home? Anyone else opting for a potted variety?

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Holiday-Related Projects  / Living Room

Emily
I'm a home improvement enthusiast, living a very merry DIY lifestyle. I've been a freelancer writer for 10+ years and you can find my work on popular home and garden sites, like HGTV.com. Follow me on facebook and instagram, or drop me a note.

9 Comments


Loren
November 29, 2011 at 9:30 am
Reply

Love your tree! Very cute and I bet it smells amazing! We just bought a “fake” tree to last for many years to come.



    Emily
    November 29, 2011 at 10:06 am

    Thanks Loren – it does smell delish :) Are fake trees scented these days? Or are you smothering yourself with pine-scented candles?

    Loren
    November 29, 2011 at 1:45 pm

    Definitely smothering in pine cones and those darn cinnamon brooms! :)

Mark Winters
November 29, 2011 at 10:33 am
Reply

Very nice…..we haven’t gotten ours yet.



    Emily
    November 29, 2011 at 10:37 am

    Get on it. And go for a 15-footer.

Cait @ Hernando House
November 29, 2011 at 11:23 am
Reply

Cute tree! We spent a shameful amount of money on our 8′ tree from the Safety Patrols at a local elementary school last year. This year we’ll probably go with something a lot smaller.



    Emily
    November 29, 2011 at 11:40 am

    I’m all for supporting a good cause… but sometimes the high priced options make me just want to get a $19 option at Home Depot. I’ll probably be struck down.

Erin B. Inspired
November 30, 2011 at 11:10 pm
Reply

You can buy them rooted? I’m putting this in my mental notes for next year. I had no idea. How fun! :)



2011 Tree Ornaments | merrypad
December 16, 2011 at 1:33 am
Reply

[…] me ← It’s Tree Time DIY Network: Unveiling Embarrassing Lighting […]



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  • HI, I’m Emily

    Emily Fazio

    I'm a home improvement enthusiast, living a very merry DIY lifestyle. Follow me on facebook and instagram, or drop me a note if you'd like. I love notes.

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