Creating Our Christmas Twigs Display

 

 

Our Christmas twig design is an idea we came up with several years ago to incorporate into our Christmas display. So simple and cheap to create, it is something that is much admired by visitors to our two shops.

 

We also transform our kitchen at home into a winter wonderland each year using twigs, here is how we create it....

You will need...

Twigs,

White Spray Paint (optional)

Brass screw hooks

Clear plastic cable ties

Wire Christmas lights

Floristry wire

Your choice of decorations

Our shops and the lower part of our kitchen where we create these displays all benefit from wooden or beamed ceilings

We have used blackthorn twigs in the past which are really good as they have lots of twiggy bits on which to loop your decorations, though you do need to take care with the thorns!! Ideally cut them a few weeks before you need them to allow the wood to dry, you can then apply a white spray paint if a snowy look is desired.

Latterly I have used silver birch pieces, I like the more Scandinavian effect these create, though easier to put in place the downside with birch is that it is more bendy and requires florist wire to wire the decorations into place.

So onto creating the structure... it is easiest to start with a central larger twig, using your brass screw hooks, screw these into the beam and then secure your twig into place, if the wood is too large to fit into the hook, attach it using a cable tie. Then continue to add to that first piece, securing each piece into place with the cable ties, remember to snip the tie ends off for a tidy finish!

Then wire the lights into place, I personally prefer warm white lights, which emit a soft warm light, but if you are looking to create a more wintery design a bright white light might be more applicable. It's always a good idea to test the lights first, I speak from experience!! and also to plan where the socket is located for a tidy professional finish. 

Wire lights are brilliant as you twist a small section into place without having to thread the entire string through (which is a guaranteed muddle!). The lights want to run as closely to each individual branch as possible, I put small twists into mine to hold them in place and I try to run the lights to the end of the branches, it can soon look messy if you don't take care at this point, the shop displays use two sets of lights on each display.

And then on to decorating, which is all down to personal taste. I love adding glass to mine and the big advantage of this design is that it won't get knocked by children or animals!! So you can  really go to town. I love to add icicles and heavy glass baubles, try mixing different shapes, sizes and colours. Depending on what type of twig you have opted for will depend on whether you can simply loop your decorations into place or you will need to wire them into place using floristery wire.

This display also looks beautiful when viewed from outside through the windows, the twigs twinkle and the glass catches the light creating a lovely sense of Christmas...