*I was given free product by Oriental Trading for this post.

It’s time for Christmas Trees on the 12 Days of Christmas Holiday Ideas Blog Hop. The blog hop ran from November 11th through December 6th. Today is the last day, so be sure to enter our amazing giveaway at the end of this post!

My Very Merry Coastal Christmas Tree is a reflection of the beautiful coastal town where I live. I didn’t always like living on the South Carolina coast. I moved here (to the gorgeous South Carolina Lowcountry) with my Dad, when I was 13 years old. My parents had divorced a few years earlier, so I was leaving behind my mom, my sister, and every other friend or relative I’d ever known. For years I longed for my native East Tennessee. My reasons for wanting to be in Tennessee changed through the years. When I was young I missed my family. When my kids were little I wanted to move back to Tennessee because living on the coast was too expensive. Luckily, God had a plan. I met my husband (a native Texan) here in South Carolina. We married young and had our first child a few years later. When our daughter was six months old, my husband and I accepted Jesus Christ as our savior. We went on to have five children in all, and I was able to homeschool them all on my husband’s income, right here in the place that seemed too flat, too warm, and unaffordable for this mountain mama. Nowadays, I enjoy the climate and the marshes. I love to ride down arbored roads, and see the Live Oaks trees dripping Spanish moss. Take it from me, if you’re somewhere you THINK you don’t want to be, just remember that God has a plan for your life.

Jeremiah 29:11 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

^‘ For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.

On With the Tree!

The silver tree I bought a few years ago was the first thing I thought about using when I decided to make a coastal tree. I couldn’t utilize my flip-flop light string as it was intended to be used, because my tree already had pre-lit aquamarine/turquoise lights. I removed the flip-flop light caps and turned them into ornaments instead. Sometimes the weather is so mild here in the Lowcountry, we might find ourselves wearing t-shirts and flip-flops at Christmastime. My Sand Fiddler Crab Coastal Christmas Tree Ornament makes me think of all the beautiful days I’ve spent watching my kids frolic in the tide pools. I made the little brown tag ornaments with beachy words printed from Microsoft Word on my computer.

The Santa hats filled with shells were fun and easy! I used the glue gun to attach a ribbon hanger. Then, I put a small amount of cotton batting in each hat and hot glued a few shells inside.

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I wanted to do something different with my sea stars, so I wrapped red glitter yarn around the arms, then used Elmer’s Glue All to add some wiggle eyes.

 

The little corked bottles were so adorable, they didn’t need anything other than some elastic cord for hanging. They came with a seahorse charm and the “Beach” sticker.

The beach houses were just the thing for making a “sand village” at the bottom of the tree (snow villages, eat your heart out.) I was pleasantly surprised at how sturdy and cute they were!

I need to think of a catchy name for my Shell Angel Christmas Tree Topper. Maybe I’ll call her pearl. She definitely rules majestically over the dining room.

The shell garland from Oriental Trading was easy to assemble and exactly right for a coastal Christmas tree.

I hope you enjoyed my Very Merry Coastal Christmas Tree!

Merry Christmas!

Kristie

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