Ceramic Christmas Tree - Updated!

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If you've been following me for a while, you'll recall this 'lovely' ceramic tree I found last summer:
It had a pink pearl finish.
It was dirty.
It had fabulous blue lights - not!
But it was only a $1.50.
Did I mention it was dirty??
The first order of business was getting those blue lights out.  Some of them were loose and came right out, but most of them were glued-in.  I was a little concerned about breaking them, but, I got out the vice grips and started twisting.
I'm happy to report that all of them came out with a little encouragement.  A few broke, but the small pieces popped right out.
The tree went into the sink for a good scrubbing and came out looking like this:
Clean, but very pink!

 Ceramic trees are very popular right now.  I've even seen reproductions of the originals. Since I was never a big fan of the green ones with multi-colored lights, I decided this one would be white.  Off to the paint stash I went where I found a can of matte white spray paint - with primer!  
Outside it went for paint on a piece of cardboard, but my favorite part was hanging it upside-down to get all the nooks and crannies:
Two coats later, I had a white tree (and base...I forgot to take pictures of that!)  

Originally I was going to give it a satin finish, but I discovered I really liked the matte finish.  I also thought I wanted to sponge some gold paint on the edges of the branches, but when I did, I really didn't like it.  This was a case of 'less is more'.
I needed clear lights for the tree.  After searching online, I found them and they were here in a couple of days.  In they went...
I grabbed some batting that I had, some pinecones, and clipped a few branches from one of the shrubs:
Then I plugged it in:
There had to be one more shot once it got a little darker:
Not bad for a $1.50!


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Comments

  1. Tammy LagalyNovember 10, 2019 at 8:11 AM

    Wow! I remember my Grandmother and Mom made the green multi- colored trees in ceramic class. I recently saw them again in stores and wasn't sure I'd ever buy one, however this one is beautiful! Such a great find!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AnnNovember 10, 2019 at 4:14 PM

      I've never been a fan of the old green ones, but the thought of making it all white was in my head. At a $1.50, I figured I couldn't go wrong! Thanks for hosting this month, Tammy!

      Delete
  2. Carol@BlueskyatHomeNovember 10, 2019 at 8:37 AM

    Ann, I would have passed the pink and blue ceramic tree right by. So glad that you didn’t. Painting it white and replacing the lights with white ones gave the trees an instant update. Of, course cleaning it was a smart first step. Just a cute idea.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AnnNovember 10, 2019 at 4:17 PM

      Thank you, Carol. I love the challenge of finding the ugly, inexpensive pieces and seeing what I can do to breathe new life into them!

      Delete
  3. Patti @ Pandoras BoxNovember 10, 2019 at 8:47 AM

    What a great way to "update" this tree. I love the white lights!
    I have a large one my Mom made in the 60's and it just might need an update!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AnnNovember 10, 2019 at 4:19 PM

      Thank you, Patti. I'm a firm believer in updating those old green ones!

      Delete
  4. decorateandmorewithtip.comNovember 10, 2019 at 9:09 AM

    Ann I love what you did with your older Christmas tree. I love revamping what we have on hand than going out and buying new. Love the white lights in the tree. Beautiful.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AnnNovember 10, 2019 at 4:20 PM

      Thank you, Terrie. I love a challenge and I'm really pleased with how this one turned out!

      Delete
  5. Sum of their StoriesNovember 10, 2019 at 11:56 AM

    What a great upgrade! It looks so classy and modern now.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AnnNovember 10, 2019 at 4:21 PM

      Thank you, Julie,,,,so much better than the pink and blue!

      Delete
  6. cloches and lavenderNovember 11, 2019 at 7:59 AM

    This is fabulous and oh so pretty. I like the matte white and happy you left it plain. Such a great makeover. One of my favorites.

    Cindy

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AnnNovember 11, 2019 at 10:48 PM

      Thank you, Cindy. I'm really pleased with it!

      Delete
  7. MrsSWNovember 11, 2019 at 8:15 AM

    Hi Ann - I've always thought those green trees were ugly but pink and blue may have passed that one onto another level of UGLY. As inclined as I am to paint anything that doesn't move out of the way white I wouldn't have thought it for that tree - brilliant idea with a lovely outcome.
    Sheila

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AnnNovember 11, 2019 at 10:50 PM

      You are SO right, Sheila. The pink and blue really rang the bell! Thank you for visiting the Cottage.

      Delete
  8. GinaNovember 11, 2019 at 9:01 AM

    That i beautiful! If I ever find one while out thrifting I will buy it and refurb it just like that!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AnnNovember 11, 2019 at 10:51 PM

      I'm so glad to hear I inspired you, Gina. I hope you find one soon!

      Delete
  9. Joanne November 11, 2019 at 5:16 PM

    That looks beautiful! I wish I had known that the lights could be repaired/fixed. I had an old tree of my grandmothers that I ended up getting rid of because I could not get the lights to work anymore.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AnnNovember 11, 2019 at 10:53 PM

      The actual light source for this tree is one bulb. I have heard of trees where each individual 'bulb' is actually a light.

      Delete
  10. BethGWilsonNovember 11, 2019 at 8:55 PM

    What a great project this was! It looks fantastic!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Mary K.November 12, 2019 at 9:07 AM

    That is such a great idea for reusing an old ceramic Christmas tree. I think it looks so up to date now.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AnnNovember 13, 2019 at 9:38 AM

      Thank you, Mary. At least it's better than the pink!

      Delete
  12. Debbie-Dabble Blog and A Debbie-Dabble ChristmasNovember 13, 2019 at 7:13 AM

    WOW!!!
    Ann, I am totally in love with this transformation and I will now be on the lookout for a white Tree that I can do this too! It came out amazing....I think I will have to wait until the Summer to hunt for one because they are so popular now!!Thanks so much for stopping by!!
    Hugs,
    Debbie

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AnnNovember 13, 2019 at 9:39 AM

      I'm so glad you like it, Debbie. I agree, yard sale season will be the time to find one. Good luck!

      Delete
  13. the 4 M'sNovember 13, 2019 at 10:51 AM

    It's really pretty, what an improvement!
    www.chezmireillefashiontravelmom.com

    ReplyDelete
  14. Unique creations by AnitaNovember 14, 2019 at 6:19 AM

    Very cute, I have never seen one before. Looks great.

    ReplyDelete
  15. For the love of geeseNovember 14, 2019 at 9:28 AM

    This was a blast from the past. When I was a child my mother and much older sisters took a ceramics class. They all had one of these trees. Fond memories, thank you for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AnnNovember 14, 2019 at 7:52 PM

      I think every family had one at some point in time. I'm so glad I triggered fond memories for you!
      Thank you for stopping by the Cottage. Come back again soon, won't you?

      Delete
  16. Sheltie TimesNovember 15, 2019 at 9:21 AM

    We used to have a woman that made ceramic items every year for our church fair. I still have several of the items we purchased and they are beautiful. What a great rehab on the tree.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AnnNovember 15, 2019 at 8:26 PM

      Ceramics used to be very popular. I thought this was a quick and easy way to give this one a new life.
      Thank you so much for stopping by!

      Delete
  17. ClearissaNovember 15, 2019 at 9:56 AM

    Great job and you're right, these are very popular now. I am on the look out for one myself. Question, did you sue regular Christmas tree light bulbs as replacements or some other kind. Inquiring minds want to know. :) Very nicely done and thanks for sharing with #omhgww.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AnnNovember 15, 2019 at 8:29 PM

      I used clear plastic lights. They look just like the ones I took out, but clear. The actual light source is a single bulb in the base. If you take a look at the first picture, you'll see what I mean.

      Delete
  18. BeverlyNovember 15, 2019 at 2:31 PM

    Happy Pink Saturday, Ann. Thanks for joining us to make Pink Saturdays special. I love your idea, and the results. It looks fantastic.

    This post is being featured in my Pink Saturday post this week as "the one with the most clicks".♥

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AnnNovember 15, 2019 at 8:30 PM

      Thank you, Beverly. I'm thrilled to be featured!

      Delete
  19. Roseann HamptonNovember 15, 2019 at 7:43 PM

    I inherited an original green one from my mom that she had made in ceramic class. I like yours in white a lot better! Thanks for sharing with us at The Blogger's Pit Stop! This will be one of my features tomorrow!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AnnNovember 15, 2019 at 8:31 PM

      Thank you for the feature, Roseann. I was never a big fan of the green ones either.

      Delete
  20. AnonymousNovember 17, 2019 at 2:17 PM

    An awesome upcycle! The pink was pretty, but it didn’t really say Christmas to me. Your ceramic tree came out very nicely. Thanks for linking up with Creative Compulsions!

    Michelle
    https://bijoubeadboutique.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AnnNovember 17, 2019 at 7:37 PM

      Thank you, Michelle. I'm not sure what it was saying with that pink color!

      Delete
  21. Two Chicks and a MomNovember 17, 2019 at 4:59 PM

    Very nice--I like the matte finish and the clear lights!

    ReplyDelete
  22. AnnNovember 17, 2019 at 7:36 PM

    Thank you so much, Marilyn. Happy to share and I will be linking!

    ReplyDelete
  23. My thrift store addictionNovember 17, 2019 at 10:13 PM

    How pretty! Thanks for sharing at Vintage Charm!

    ReplyDelete
  24. UnknownNovember 17, 2021 at 6:24 PM

    I've got a white tree that has Cardinal lights all around it with a red star on top. I got it when my husband died.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AnnNovember 17, 2021 at 9:58 PM

      I'm so sorry to hear about your husband; I'm sure the white tree is beautiful with the cardinals. Thank you for stopping by.....

      Delete
  25. GeeBeeNovember 17, 2021 at 8:14 PM

    I have one that I bought at an antique store. Now I will be painting it white! It does have multi colored lights but I do like the white. Can't wait to see what it looks like with my white feather trees!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AnnNovember 17, 2021 at 9:59 PM

      It sounds like I've inspired you. I'll bet it looks beautiful with feather trees!

      Delete

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