Kitchen Christmas Tree

We were charmed with the bay window and breakfast nook at one end of the kitchen when we bought our house, but more and more it's become a backwater of stacks and storage. I decided at least for Christmas we needed to clear it out and make it work for our Holiday desserts and treats.

I threw red velvet over the oak table and added a lighted tree in a garden urn. For a kitchen theme I started pulling little kitchen items out of the drawers and red ornaments from the rest of the house. I also found a box of old salt dough stars that look like sugar cookies and some dark brown applesauce/cinnamon stars from way back. Score!

So this project cost nothing since everything we used was already on hand from years past.

Then I loaded it up with everything small, red and kitchenny I could put my hands on. Kitchenny. That's a word, isn't it? I tied red plaid Christmas ribbon to a bunch of utensils and made bows out of the rest of the ribbon and piled it on this little tree.

My grandson made the snowflake garland using a Martha Stewart punch and pages from an old dictionary and phone book. Glued from point to point they make a really pretty and easy garland.

See the little stars? They look like little bitty shortbread cookies but they are baked salt dough. I added measuring spoons, wooden spoons, tin cups, a flower sifter, silvery tart pans and twig wreaths, along with glittery glass hearts and rolled felt roses.

The applesauce/cinnamon stars still smell sweet and a group of fake gingerbread ornaments went up there too.

The snowflake garland is a nice white touch on the otherwise red and green tree. I just tied ribbons to ordinary flatware before hanging them up.

A tin cup, fork, tea ball, measuring spoon, fir cone and more stars mix with the snowflake garland.

I added red plaid ribbons to a few wooden utensils and grouped them in a red container then put some treats on cake pedestals. The blue glass jars are a perfect counterpoint color. I've got my eyes open for more kitchen ornaments for this tree because I really like the way it's turned out!

And at night it sheds a pretty, glowing light in the kitchen instead of the light in the range hood. Much more festive, too. I love projects like this. Spur of the moment, done with items on hand, not a lot of time invested and a really nice result. What's not to love?