Caxton magazines staffNothing says Christmas like a gorgeous tree. Make yours unique with ideas from these local creatives
FESTIVELY FLORAL
Many of the whimsical designs Elizabeth Lotz of Bespoke Paper World creates as a paper artist are fuelled by her appreciation of nature and, particularly, the sculptural beauty evident in flowers. Her blossom-inspired Christmas tree is no exception.
“This tree reflects me because it celebrates my love of nature, simplicity and spontaneity.
“To make this tree, I took a palm fruit branch that my son, Cole, found lying in our garden and splayed out the twigs which I then strung with fairy lights and little cut-out paper blossoms. I love how versatile these pretty blossoms are; you can spray-paint them another colour or even add glitter. You could also use them after the festive season to add cheer to a table setting”.
GLAM TIDINGS
Each Christmas, interior designer Nthabi Taukobong of Ditau Interiors relives her childhood excitement by inviting her friends and young son, Kaelo, to help her trim her tree. “I lay out all the decorations and we also make our own. The smell of freshly baked cookies fills the air.”
“This tree reflects me because it’s stylish and unconventional. I’ve given it my signature Afro-Glam stamp by interspersing glittery store-bought baubles with ones that I’ve recovered using zebra print tissue paper.
“I chose this type of tree because a laser-cut metal tree provides a neutral framework that allows you to get really creative with your decorations. Their flat-pack design also ensures easy assembly and storage”.
OFF THE WALL
Live in a compact home with no space for a full-size tree? Graphic, textile and homeware designer Sera Holland of Handmade by Me’s come up with a fun alternative.
“This tree reflects me because it’s crafty and expresses my love of colour, pattern and texture.
“To make this tree, I took my inspiration from covers of vintage Christmas books which evoke a nostalgic feeling. I had some of these covers blown up and printed onto paper and used these with some of my favourite designs from my fabric range. Using string and Prestick, I created a triangular, tree-shaped outline on the wall. Next I rolled up the fabric and paper, cut the rolls different lengths to fit into this outline and stuck them to the wall using Prestick.
“I added a paper cut-out of a star and a pot as finishing touches. You could easily do the same at home using gift wrap”.
NATURAL WONDER
Each year Rhenda Allan, owner of Durban’s iKhaya, looks forward to trimming a homemade tree with decorations she and her family have crafted themselves.
“This tree reflects me because I love simplistic, natural materials.
“I took the inspiration for this tree from 1920s German peg decorations. Most hardware shops stock turned pegs in different sizes and shapes and we had lots of these left over from a project we were working on. They looked like they could be little girls wearing dresses, so my son and I started painting little faces on them and added stripes for their clothes.
“We cut parts off some of them so each one would look different”.
