Turn a worn out skinny old artificial tree into a FULL SHOW TREE

I saw this tip on one of the decorating shows a couple years ago - it's another one of those smack-myself-in-the-head type things that make me wonder, "Why didn't I think of that before?"



If you have an artificial Christmas tree that is too sparse for your taste (like me!), find a place that sells live trees and ask for their discarded limbs. Although a lot of places turn some of the limbs into wreaths, etc., make sure you tell them you want the stuff they can't use. Most will give them to you. If the first one you go to wants to charge you, go to another!



You will want limbs with some of the greenery still on them. Even if all you can find are the little skinny twigs with greenery, put on your old gloves and grab 'em up! Before you start decorating your tree, stick those twigs in between your branches. Trust me, you'll amaze yourself.



I tried this last year and you'd be amazed at the people who thought we had a "real" tree. Some people stared at it for several minutes before asking what kind of tree it was (I had gathered from various lots and some were fir, some were pine, etc.). Your tree will look wonderful and your room will smell great!

Hello.



Lovely idea. I just bought a cheapie artificial tree and sprayed it with fake snow. It now looks like the more expensive varities. If you have a hot glue gun, you can also glue on real fircones and red berries to make it look even more appealing. I've collected fir cones on walks and other bits of natural foliage like twigs, mossy bark, rosehips and seeds.I've sprayed them and arranged them together, tied them up with ribbon and hung them on the tree. They look much nicer and so real than some of the glittery baubles.



Nadine