Decorate Your Christmas Tree in Royal Purple and Gold

If you are looking for new theme for the Christmas tree décor, look no further for inspiration than royalty. Decorating your tree in royal purple and gold gives an instant look of glamour and elegance to your holiday. Follow these simple steps and you will have a majestic tree at very little expense. First begin your Royal Tree theme by gathering your supplies. You will need several bulbs, both gold and purple, as "filler" ornaments. You can also supplement filler ornaments with gold icicles, purple cones, and other generic styles. You will also need to add flair to your tree by using "dazzling" ornaments or decorations that draw the eye. Finally you will need several yards of ribbon both in purple and gold.

1. Recycle Last Year's Ornaments for Filler Ornaments

Begin decorating your tree by only using white lights. Then take the filler ornaments and generously place the bulbs on the tree. Bulbs usually are not very expensive so be liberal with these. Filler ornaments "fill in" the empty spots but do not draw the eye. These types of ornaments will help make the tree look completely decorated without having to use too many dazzling ornaments.

If you have bulbs and other miscellaneous filler ornaments that are not purple or gold colored, feel free to spray paint them. Hang the old ornaments on lines outside, such as fishing line strung between trees, and spray your way to brand new ornaments. There is a major benefit to spray painting old bulbs: they become much stronger so if accidentally bumped from a branch, they do not shatter as easily.

2. Recycle Last Year's Ornaments for Dazzling Ornaments

Dig out your special ornaments. If you have cut glass, crystal, sparkling ornaments in gold and purple tones will add a look of affluence. Place these strategically as you most likely will have less of the dazzling decorations than the fillers. But keep in mind that less truly is more when it comes to a royal tree. A few eye-catching pieces are all it will need.

If your tree is backed up to a wall, use filler bulbs all over but only place the dazzling ornaments in front and on the sides. Or if you are lacking ornaments in general, try tying all the ornaments to the tree with ribbon. It creates an illusion of more and bigger ornaments.

If you do not have enough to pull the look together, flesh it out by finding some simple pieces at discount stores like Wal-Mart. I found several word ornaments in gold, such as "joy", "faith," and "love." I bought only a few and placed these on the eye level branches. It added a fun texture to the tree.

If you still do not have much for pizazz, go to a craft store, such as Michael's, and buy a few bunches of the gold spiral florist décor. These stems can easily be tucked into the tree branches to add glamour and dimension.

Another helpful idea my mother gave me was to alternate texture and shapes within the ornaments. Just like different shapes in the filler ornaments helps, look for unusual figures within the dazzling ornaments. Since we lived in Florida at the time, one of my favorite additions to the Royal Tree was spray painted gold starfish with pearl seeds. A bag of seashells, spray painted gold, is an inexpensive way to add flair to the tree.

3. Save Money by Using Out-of-Season Ribbon and Pre-made Bows

The final touch to the tree comes with ribbon. Nothing looks finer or more graceful than the gentle waves of ribbon instead of clunky garland or overpowering tinsel. The best part about a Royal Tree is that royal purple ribbon tends to be less expensive since it is not a seasonal color. Gold ribbon is also abundant at this time though perhaps not as inexpensive. I would recommend starting your ribbon shopping at discount stores. I did shop at Wal-Mart for ribbon and made some surprising finds.

First, I shopped in the Christmas aisle and found pre-made bows in royal purple. These velvet-style bows were small and fit easily in the tree as extra decorations. The bows added another layer of texture to soften the brilliance of the lights and dazzling ornaments. Because they were cheaply made they were very inexpensive but you would never be able to tell after being placed on the tree.

Second, the fabric department of Wal-Mart offered several spools of ribbon in varying yardages. I purchased several yards of two-inch gold ribbon for the tree topper and trailing tails. So far, I have found that they offer the least expensive ribbon, particularly if you buy the ones already priced per spool.

Once you have finished decorating the tree, you will want to finish it with the tree topping ribbons. We had a gold conical tree topper already and emphasized it with an encompassing bow. We allowed a couple feet of the ribbon ends to trail down the tree and cut the ends neatly in a v-shape. If you are not sure how to tie bows for a tree, consult a florist website for information.

Finally, unveil the tree and turn on the lights. You may have some slight rearranging to do after tying your bows but the overall effect will be amazing. With smart shopping and recycling, you can easily have a Royal Christmas Tree.