Our 2014 Cabin Christmas Tree~12 Bloggers of Christmas

Let me start this by saying I'm so excited to be a part of the 2014 12 Bloggers of Christmas Tour sponsored by Balsam Hill. (Please check the bottom of this post for a special discount code).  

I am so in love with our new tree and I can't wait to tell you why. It's not only because it looks incredibly real, it's pre-lit with beautiful warm white lights and it was so easy to put up. It's because it solved a major design obstacle. 

Take a look while I explain…

(To see more of our 2014 Christmas Home, Please click here).

My dream has always been to have a full sized Christmas Tree in our small dining room. This is where we do a lot of entertaining during the holidays and a tree adds so much magic. Until now, a full sized tree wouldn't fit. It stuck out into the room and crowded the dining table. Balsam Hill to the rescue. My new Fifth Avenue Flatback Tree fits perfectly. The reason..it's only half a tree. 

The back is completely flat.

The flat back allowed me to push the tree up snugly to an awkward, angled wall.  From the front and sides, you cannot tell it has a flat back. It is lush and full so it looks like a complete tree, but it doesn't hog up all our floor space. We can still walk comfortably around the table.

Aside from fitting perfectly into the space, another huge plus is that this tree required half the amount of ornaments usually needed to fill a full sized tree. This made decorating a lot faster not to mention easier on the budget. This year I went with a new theme which meant I needed some new supplies. My wallet appreciated the fact that I was only decorating half a tree.

A few weeks ago, I shared my 2014 Christmas decor theme in this post. In case you missed it, I put together an inspiration board featuring elements I planned on using to create a "contemporary cabin" theme. It was inspired by the Holidays we spent at our family cabin in the woods. 

When our kids were little, we piled in the car every Christmas and headed up to winter wonderland in northern Michigan. This year, my goal was to bring the magic of our Christmas's at the cabin to our home in suburbia. With a contemporary and whimsical spin that would appeal to the kids. 

On the tree, I used a lot of natural elements to bring the sense of the outdoor fun we had during Christmases at the cabin.  Real antlers, pine cones and little birds brought the woods right into our dining room. These hand made, star shaped ornaments were a gift to my boys last year from my mom. She made them out of elements she harvested from the woods at the cabin. She used a hot glue gun to attach birch bark, acorns, sticks and feathers she collected from the property to cardboard cutouts.

To bring real, evergreen scent into the space, I used fresh greens on the plate shelves next to the tree. Balsam Hill also offers scented ornaments that bring the scent of a real tree to your home.  

Buffalo check ribbon bows play on the cabin theme. The large scale of the checked ribbon lends a striking graphic quality. Combining this bold, graphic ribbon with other black and white patterns keeps tree from looking too serious. A mix of bold checks, animal prints, stripes, hounds tooth all in black and white create a contemporary mix. 

One of my favorite things about having a full sized three in this space is the reflection in provides in our large mirror. At night, it's almost like having two trees. 

The problem is that I may never want to take it down.

Thank you Balsam Hill for providing me with this beautiful, life-like tree. In all my years of professional holiday decorating, I've never experienced a faux tree that looks this real. It truly reminds me of the pine trees at the cabin. When I look at this tree, it takes me back to this…

(My son, Cameron, at the cabin Christmas 2005).

Thank you for stopping by! Here is the rest of the 12 bloggers of Christmas lineup for the week! Be sure to stop by for some serious inspiration...

	Jessica
	Lucy
	Kristen
	Jennifer
	Melaine
	Liz
	Jamie
	Kelly
	Courtney
	Vanessa
	Jen

*If you would like to purchase your own Balsam Hill Tree, please feel free to use this coupon code for $25 off a purchase of $200 or more (expires 12/22/14)... 

12BSARAH25

For information on my affordable online design service, please click here.