Before ANYTHING ELSE, I use ribbons as my first layer of farmhouse Christmas tree decorations.

I bet you are about to pull out your tree if you have not already. If you’re like me, you may be looking at it thinking:

• “Oh my goodness, there’s so much to do.”
• “It’s going to take forever for me to decorate this tree.”
• “I don’t know where to start. I don’t even know if I want to start!”

Well, you’re in for a treat because I am sharing exactly how you should begin decorating your tree to create a gorgeous farmhouse, French country Christmas tree of your dreams.

Today you’ll learn:

1. How to pick your ribbon color palette
2. The three ribbon styles to use
3. Three ribbon techniques including the wind & and through, loop, and curl

Here is how to use ribbon 3 ways for a designer tree look!

How to choose your farmhouse Christmas tree decorations color palette

You may think the first place to start your farmhouse Christmas tree decorations is with ornaments, but to achieve this specific style, I always begin with the ribbon. 

Knowing that, I first decide on what my color palette is going to be for the year. 

When I am unsure about the direction I want to take, I just look around at the existing decor in my house and let that guide me.

It’s really as simple as that. For a space that has warm wood tones, gold, and cream, use that as your color palette. If you have mostly blue, gray, and beige, use that as your palette. 

White, tan, beige tones? Let that be your guide.

You get the point!

The 3 ribbon sizes

Once I’ve decided on my color palette, I start to look for two to three different styles of wired ribbon that can blend in with that color palette.

To demonstrate, I’m going to be using a whitewashed and woodsy color palette. This is currently a big trend and goes beautifully with the French country and farmhouse style. 

For the sizes of ribbon, I tend to look for a few different widths to apply onto my tree:

1. Four inch wide – if not wider to add breadth
2. A size larger or smaller than four inches
3. Two inch, one ince, or even half an inch wide

Having these three sizes creates contrast in the variety of scale with just my ribbon designs alone. 

Now that you’ve got how to select your color palette and the different sizes that you should look for, let’s get into a couple of different techniques that you can use on your tree.

Wind Down & Through Technique

To start off my farmhouse Christmas tree decorations, I like to use what I call the wind down and through technique.

It sounds like a mouthful, but it’s really quite simple. 

What you need:

• For a tree with wired branches, all you need to start is your four inch wide wired ribbon. 
• For a real tree, have a roll of florist wire and a pair of scissors near you in addition to your ribbon.

The reason why this step is different depending on your type of trees is that you will need to be able to secure the ribbon to your branches. Wire from faux trees helps with that. Obviously real trees are made of wood and foliage, so they require a bit of help.

To begin the wind down and through technique, unroll about two feet of ribbon (without cutting) and then create a tail to attach to the top of your tree.

Then, create your first loose loop anywhere from twelve to 14, even 18 inches, depending on how tall your tree is, and secure it onto another branch. 

Continue this method in a diagonal pattern until you reach the bottom of your tree.

Once you’re down there, then you can cut your ribbon. With your first wind down and through ribbon done, this allows you to move over a foot or two to the next section of your tree, and repeat. 

Whenever I use this wind down and through technique, I do this a couple of times throughout my tree.

I always start my next wind-and-through in a similar area at the top. Keep it a little bit tight and then work your way down throughout the tree and repeat this about four to five times, depending on the tree size.

Looped Ribbon Technique

To continue your farmhouse Christmas tree decorations, the second method is the looped ribbon technique.

For this, you’ll need:

1. Your second wired ribbon style
2. Florist wire
3. Scissors

To form the loops, grab your ribbon without cutting it and create a tail at the top. 

Then form a collection of overlapping loops. You can do this with one, two or three, whatever your heart’s content.

To secure them in place, use florist wire to wrap around and through each loop and secure them at the central core.

With your first loop technique complete, grab one more piece of florist wire to attach the whole piece onto the tree.

From here, you can cut your ribbon to whichever length you’d like. I personally pinch the ends into a taco fold and cut diagonally to create two points at the ends.

There are always going to be a few spots on your tree where you’re not going to be able to hang your ornaments, so this looped ribbon technique is the perfect way to fill those spot things.

Curl Ribbon Technique

The last technique to finish your farmhouse Christmas tree decorations using only ribbon is the curl technique.

What you need:

1. Your third wired ribbon style (narrow)
2. Florist wire and scissors (if you’re using a real tree or if you want more security)

To start forming your curls, unroll a piece of ribbon about three feet long, cut it there.

Then start rolling it around itself, fruit roll-up-style.

Once you’ve gotten to the end, push or pull the center core out. It’s going to start to create a beautiful, romantic curled piece of ribbon for you. You’ll see why it is so important to go with a wired ribbon for this technique. Otherwise, you will completely lose the springy effect that is created here.

With your first curl complete, you can use florist wire or a wired branch to secure it onto your tree. 

Again, you can have fun here with the amount that you use, the length, and even the width of the ribbon.

I’m using a smaller width ribbon, but you can use another four inch ribbon, or you can even go smaller with another style of ribbon to create the same effect and have loose curls all throughout your tree. 

The finished farmhouse Christmas tree decorations

Now you can see why I always start my farmhouse Christmas tree decorations with ribbons. It’s a powerful base that covers a lot of ground.

It takes a simple tree and makes it look like it was professionally designed and styled once you begin placing your stems, ornaments, garland, and skirt.

I styled every Christmas tree at my shop in Houston, TX, Village Antiques this way. I also have been using these techniques in my home for over a decade. These tips will help you to elevate your tree this year and for years to come!

Let me know in the comments if you will be using any of these techniques on your tree or if you have any questions about my process.

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Keep using your amazing design gifts to create heart in your home, 

Amitha 

P.S. You can find all of these early fall decorating items at our retail store, Village Antiques in Houston.

Please stop by and check out our collection of farmhouse-style furniture, french country home decor, antiques, vintage, chalk finish paints, and more!

We are open Tuesday – Saturday from 10:00 a.m to 5:00 p.m. 

You can also reach us at (713) 468 – 3931