Bright young things

Bright Young Things

The first step to creating a fun tree is to forget the notion of what should or shouldn't be on a Christmas tree. None of the decorations on these trees are available at your favorite ornament shop, and that's the joy -- each one is a personal work of art.

So follow the inspiration of these trendy tannenbaums and dream up a whimsical tree of your own.

 

The light touch

Paper lanterns add an exotic flair to a young-at-heart tree. Look for small lanterns in bold colors and shapes at import stores. A favorite for Chinese New Year's celebrations, these lanterns are perfect for trees that will be up well into January.

 

Puffy stuff

These yarn balls bring to mind ice-skating parties and warm hats. Make 2- to 4-inch-diameter poms using a pom-pom maker (available at crafts stores) and colorful acrylic yarn. Or, wrap scads of yarn around the middle of a paper towel roll, slip off the yarn, and tie at center. Clip the loopy ends and fluff.

 

Picture this

Snap some candid shots of friends and family, then turn photos into memorable decorations. Using tacky crafts glue or hot glue, run rows of lace and embroidered ribbon around the edges of the pictures. Wrap the cut ends to the back of the photographs, finishing them with more glue to prevent fraying. Attach a hanging loop to the back.

 

Reflective times.

Mirrors decked with plastic gems add glitz and glamour. Hot-glue cording and a hanging loop around the edge of 2- and 4-inch-diameter mirrors (available at crafts stores). Add a scattering of silver-backed gemstones from the jewelry-making department, hot-gluing them to the mirror.