I assume many of you have made one of these Christmas trees, using a bottle brush tree and preserved lycopodium. I thought it would be a relatively quick project. I was wrong, it took forever. The unfinished tree was 6 1/2 inches tall. I found it on ETSY and the lycopodium on Ebay.If you have made a Christmas tree, can you tell me if you used the new LED chip lights? Did you like the way those lights looked on the tree? http://www.modeltrainsoftware.com/chip-led-string.html I am not sure which type of lights I want to use yet.
I see that you can get a string of 12 LED lights or a sting with 26. There are three color choices which is great and they run off a small battery pack. Particularly nice for people that have already wired a dollhouse or room.
The tree is now so beautiful!
ReplyDeleteI knew the tree would be lovely Catherine.....but WOW!!!! It is THE BEST miniature tree I have ever seen!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteLinda x
No I've never made a tree, but even if I attempted, it would NEVER look like yours. Your's looks amazingly real and rather wonderful.
ReplyDeleteThere are so many different kind of Christmas lights available, even I wouldn't know where to start. I think I'd keep their own battery source though (because they aren't in situ all year through) and yes LED's if I was able to.
Michelle xxx
Hi Catherine, the tree is perfect and go to Vilia Miniature Etsy shop for a look.
ReplyDeleteThey sell mini tree lights and they have the smallest battery. They are very cute and come in several shapes and colurs.I am not payed for the ad ;o) have a nice day, Rosanna
Rosanna, Thank you very much but each one of those stars is 13mm wide. That would be almost 10 inches wide each if they were in 1: 1 scale. I think they are beautiful but too big a statement for what I am looking for on the tree. I am looking for really tiny lights.
ReplyDeleteCatherine, great job. It is amazing how you think that they will be a snap. I have been making that type of tree for the past 25 years and I still get conned into thinking that I can whip one out in no time at all. One thing nice about them is they last a long, long time. You don't have to make more unless you want more... I made six or seven last Christmas.
ReplyDeleteI have never made a tree, this is a great idea, with the bottle brush, it looks amazing!
ReplyDeleteYours is sooo beautiful!
I'm about to start a christmas-shop and can use any tips and trics. I'm going to give it a try to make mine as beautiful as yours.
About the light, I do not know, but I keep on watching the comments, maybe somebody knows wich one you need.
* marlies
You did a great job on the tree! Yesss, they do take forever to make but I think they're the most natural looking of the miniature trees. A little difficult to hang baubles on though I've found. I'm interested to see what lights you use :)
ReplyDeleteThe tree is looking very pretty! I did read about this technique before, but never made a tree this way. I made my tree to look more like the trees we use here in Holland, where the branches are much further apart, making it easy to hang the glass baubles on. I remember that tree was a lot of work to make as well.
ReplyDeleteI use regular lights in my tree, simply because back when I made it, LED was not available yet. I would go for LED now. They emit less heat, they use less energy and they are much longer lasting. I don't like to use batteries for my projects, as they are an expensive source of energy. I am sure they last a lot longer on batteries than ordinary lights do. That said though, at the fair I was looking at chandeliers and saw a couple which were made with LED lights and ran on batteries. When I asked how long the battery would last, I was told at least 8 or 9 hours. To me, that is not a very long time as I have the lights in my house on every day. Like Michelle said, a Christmas tree is probably not on display every day of the year, but still... Just like with regular lights, if you get the voltage and amperage right, I'm sure you can replace the battery with a transformer. I am not sure if you can use a lower voltage with LED's as you can with regular lights, to get a softer glow. I haven't worked with LEDs yet, but I will soon. I will go to the garden center and get a cheap string and figure out how it all works.
As for the colour of the lights, I know there is bright white and warm white, and several colours. I often paint my regular bulbs (especially candles) with glass paint to make the light warmer. After many years of use, the bulbs are still fine. So I am sure you can do this with LEDs as well as they don't get hot when they are on.
A very long answer! I look forward to seeing your tree finished, and whether you have made any metal/silver decorations for it!
This is a wonderful idea and a beautiful design! Congratulations! Excellent!
ReplyDeleteAnda
Josje,
ReplyDeleteThank you for taking the time to write such a long comment!
I think I will go for the LEDs even though they do not look like regular Xmas tree bulbs. I am going ask the man that sells these if you can use a transformer as well as a battery pack. And if so how exactly to do it. You are right 10 hours of battery time is not long enough if you want your tree lights on all day.
The lycopodium is very soft, too soft to hang anything on. I will make a tiny hook end on stiff green wire in several lengths. Sticking those wires into the tree to hang decorations from. It will look as if they are hanging from a branch.
I went back through your blog to take a better look at your tree. It is lovely! You certainly have some beautiful glass bulbs!!! They even have the fitting on the tops of them for a hook! Perfect!
Beautiful tree! A great work.
ReplyDeleteBye Faby
looks great, lovely job. Bet you still had a hard time vacuuming up the needles out of the carpet just like with a real Xmas tree.
ReplyDeleteI will be back in my workshop making glitter houses in another week. Looking forward to it. There is a silver lining in being a lay-off, no more 5 hour commutes and I will have time to make miniatures again.
Catherine, OMG....the tree is stunning! You have made it perfectly! I look forward to hearing some of the answers that you will receive about the lights. Have you started making decorations for this? It will be incredible!!!
ReplyDeleteCatherine your tree came out perfect! Well worth the hours you put into it. Recently there was a discussion on the chip lights. If I can remember I'll let you know---
ReplyDeleteYour Xmas tree looks great !
ReplyDelete(I have noticed that everytime I think the project I am about to do seems an easy and quick job, it turns out in nightmare and take me much more time than I thought ;-))
I love this type of tree and yours came out perfectly. They are quite a challenge to make because they do seem to take forever! I'd go with the LED's also. If you want multi-colored "bulbs" you can paint them. I have used both glass paint and acrylics and they've been just fine.
ReplyDeleteNice!
Hello! I'm organizing an international swap Christmas ..
ReplyDeleteyou want to participate? Come read my blog, thanks!
kisses from Italy!
Caterina
Your tree turned out beautifully! It has that fluffy look that I love. It's also very well proportioned. I also made one last Christmas. It did take quite a while. I thought it was a fun project! I did buy a set of led lights. Can't remember how many lights. I got them at Mainly Minis. I purchased the lycopodium from a dollhouse store in Vancouver and I got a bunch of trees from Elora Dollhouse in Ontario.
ReplyDeleteThe tree looks perfect, well worth all your efforts! I have seen little strings of lights on sale here in UK, but never tried them.
ReplyDeleteThe holiday season is on it's way; lovely to see such a nice tree like yours. Reading in the comments how you'll gonna decorate it get's the spirit going :) Can't wait to see it finished. You've done a marvelous job so far.
ReplyDeleteAs for the LED lights, like any new technology we gotta go by trial and error, find information and see what works. I was interested at LED's at a fair too, a few weeks ago and bought a set (few lights, cable's and a battery) to try out but the biggest setback is -indeed- the battery life. Can be no other then there must be a way to use a transformer?!?
That tree may have taken you forever, but you've done a spectacular job of it ... and what else could we expect from the likes of you! Can't wait to see it decorated. Bet I'm going to be more than 'Christmas Tree Green' with envy over it! Have fun!
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ReplyDeleteHi Catherine, Your tree is AMAZING!! I love it! This is my kind of tree, wish I could make one as full and as pretty as yours. I love how full it looks. Great job!
ReplyDeleteI bought a string of coloured lights from The Dollhouse Emporium in the UK. I love them on my tree. They are blue, green, yellow & red. They also flash and have a small battery pack
ReplyDeleteCatherine, your tree is gorgeous! May I ask what glue you used with the lycopodium and did you spray a sealant on it?
ReplyDeleteHi Martha,
ReplyDeleteI used Aleene's glue. No, I didn't spray it with a sealant. They last for several years before they dry out and the needles start falling off.
Thank you for your kind words about the tree.