Oh X-mas Tree, Oh X-mas Tree

 It's finally done. It's not as good in real life as it was in my brain as I put it together, but it's taken all the time I plan to put in on it. Tomorrow it'll be taken over to the club - Rich will carry it gently while I open the doors - and I can drop it off in relative privacy. It'll be identified, like all the other trees, by just a number for the competition. I just hope everybody looks and doesn't touch, since the tiny chain I used to simulate tinsel tangles in EVERYTHING! I've seen a couple of the early trees already entered as of Friday morning, and really like one of them. The other seems to rely on having some kind of light on its bottom for its special something. Not sure if that will show during judging, since that lasts over 4 days and batteries have limited life spans. The red paper at the bottom is the list of rules for everybody.

Here's the basic form:

 

Shadows turned out to be an issue, not noticed until I was taking the completed-tree shots, so there was no chance to do a better image of the form than this. It's 4 wires stapled on to a wood form, wired together again at the top, and curled around at the top with enough curve to prevent scratching while handling and hold any decorations added. One of the first entries submitted has 5 wire stars at the top, one hanging from each loop.

This is my final, horizontal wires rounding out the tree, colored wire chains winding around to define (loosely) the tree shape. A double facing wire poinsettia ornament is wired onto the top of the tree. Under that, a first wire garland is wound top to bottom as an impression of colored ornaments on green tree. A "tinsel" garland overlies that, and some wire stars and red/white wire candy canes are secured here and there on the tree.

Finally, a close of up the base, now covered with felt in two layers with cutouts in the bottom one to eliminate bumps from wire and staples. Then a fan of more candy canes, a box with a red wire bow, and a sleeping cat on the bottom, emerging from my Acoma pottery effigy collection  for a spot more welcoming than a plastic stand on a shelf.

I still haven't decided if this will be the holiday card photo for this year. Had it matched my imagination, no question. Even redoing the decorations a couple times didn't correct for what the mind demanded should be. It takes up a space about 16" tall on the dining room table, much more comfortable for me there than still inhabiting my mind as I try to fall asleep making mental improvements. 

I still have wind chimes to put together. And mail.