Wirral Life December 2018 | Page 67

can plumb for silvers and acid colours and the girly amongst us, opt for pinks, purples and rose gold. Whatever you choose for your tree, further compound it throughout your home by using the same palette. STEP 8 - DON’T FORGET YOUR SKIRT! STEP 6 - GARLAND AND SWAGS After the lights you will want to start building up the decorations on the tree and the next step is the garland or swags! Tinsel has never been seen in my house, but if you must it is easier to put it on now so that it doesn’t get tangled up or over dominate the tree. I prefer to go for beads or ribbon on my tree, last year we used crystals that glimmered and shone in the wintry evenings. Don’t forget the back of your tree it may not be exposed but it will help to balance the tree if you decorate all sides. Start from the top and work your way down is my top tip. No one needs or wants to see what is underneath and that goes for your tree as well! Regardless of whether you have an artificial tree or a real fir, invest in a skirt, not only will it hide all the gubbins but with a real tree it can collect a lot of the needles too! STEP 9 - TOPPING OUT You may be a star person or adore an angel sitting atop of your tree, but whatever you choose, remember this is the flimsiest part of the tree so don’t make it too heavy, there is nothing worse that droopy top branch! STEP 7 - DRESS IT UP STEP 10 - WRAP IT UP This is the best bit, putting on the adornments, the baubles and charms. Start at the middle of the tree putting the bigger baubles towards the trunk, save the outer branches for your most decorative and special decorations. If you are going for block colour you could split the tree in to five (gold) rings and saturate the rings in a specific colour, really effective for a large tree in a window for example. If you have pets or children or both, hang the most expensive trinkets towards the top of the tree to prevent mishaps! You are done, all you need to do is wrap the presents, put them under the tree, make a cup of tea, sit back and enjoy the fruits of your labour! Or pack a case, leave a note for the family and like me head off to the sun. We would like to wish you the very best designed holidays and the healthiest of New Years from all of us at Kingston Shaw! wirrallife.com 67