29 Comments

    1. Thanks Summer, they are so cheap and easy to make.

  1. Heather Luckhurst says:

    Absolutely stunning Julia!! Those icicles are gorgeous! Love your rose topper and macrame feather! You are so talented! (Hubby is in Germany right now on a biz trip in Oberammergau!)

    1. Oh how fun! It’s a great time to be in Germany right now. And thanks so much!

  2. So beautiful! I’m inspired by the dried oranges! Do you hide a pickle in the tree? When I lived in Germany (Bremen) many moons ago, my landlady gave me a beautiful pickle ornament to hide in the little tree I had. So sweet! I still have it! She said that the person who finds the pickle got an extra gift 🙂

    1. Thanks Libby! No, my family never hid a pickle in the tree but my dad’s brother hid a dog bone in the tree growing up 😉 I actually don’t think any of my friends’ families did either.

  3. Kimberly Carnegie Bruhn says:

    Julia–in a case of “great minds,” I was at Trader Joe’s and they have sliced, dried oranges and lemons (it’s by the dried fruit/nuts)…and I thought they would look pretty hanging from a garland and the tree…plus, I bet they smell good, too! Your German tree is not just simple…it’s absolutely elegant!

  4. Kimmylouwho says:

    Oh, goodness! This is the prettiest tree ever! I may have to copy this in miniature as my heritage is German from my maternal grandfather. Living in Arizona, I have a tall & slim Southwestern tree in my living room, a Traditional tree in my family room, a miniature tree on my entry table and now I just have to find room for a German tree too! Your’s is truly a lovely tree!

    1. Oh I hope you find room for one! And thanks so much.

  5. Your German tree is beautiful Julia! I’m so in love with the icicles, and the orange slices are such a pretty addition too. Loved seeing what you did this year!

    1. Thanks for the visit Lisa. I love the smell of the orange slices.

  6. Your German tree is gorgeous!!

    1. Thanks my friend, I don’t think I will ever get tired of the iciles.

  7. Amanda Williams says:

    It is so beautiful! I love the natural elements you added. The oranges are the perfect touch of color too!

    1. Thank you Amanda, the color of the oranges now prompted me to buy pillows in that color too 😉

  8. This is stunning Julia but the best part is you playing that flute! Do you take requests?

    1. Haha, thank Kelly. Playing the flute is lame-o but I’d make an exception for you of course although you might regret making a request LOL

  9. julia- this is a stunning tree. what i really love and appreciate is the sentiment , heart and personal connection you tie into your decorating.

    1. Thank you so much Laura, I hope my kids will remember that fondly one day.

  10. I’m normally a random sentimental eclectic ornaments on the tree person and not into the perfectly coordinated trees, but this one I have to say is just stunning! I may have to copy this next year when our basement family room is done and we do a 2nd tree.

  11. OOOH MYYY GAW! This tree is stunning! These icicle ornaments mixed with the orange slices make such a beautiful balance of hot and cold.. summer and winter… ying and yang if you will. So beautiful!

  12. I recently came across tree recipes while browsing a Christmas design website. It was surprisingly satisfying to know how many of each ornament type based off of a certain tree height. And so of course, I have to use yours as inspiration. Thank you for listing where to get the items. Now it’s got me thinking, what is your tree recipe? (Tree height, how many gold ornaments, how many sets of the icicles/snowflakes/flowers/tree picks, and how many pinecones) I gathered just one tree star and the tree collar 😂 and of course you used two bags of oranges to dehydrate. I look forward to hearing from you! Right now I only have one order of each icicles, snowflakes, flowers and tree picks. I’d like to make sure I have enough before the season hits. Thanks!

    1. Hi Rebecca, sorry for my late response I was on a trip to Germany. I have 6 boxes of icicles and try to use them all. It’s always hard to say how many items of each you will need because most likely you don’t have the same tree as I do. It definitely depends on how the gaps are in your tree, meaning how thick it is. So even if there are maybe guidelines to how many you need per height that doesn’t mean it would be true depending on what tree you have. Does that make sense? When I use real trees, I need way more than on a full faux tree.

      1. Yes, I understand. The tree recipe is certainly a guideline and a starting point that I can adjust to fit my needs. I observe the tree that is used in the example and how full it is along with how much tree trimming is included. Having that starting point helps me gauge to fit my taste and preference. Glad you mentioned 6 icicle boxes, 1 was way off for my stash and knowing you used 6 allows me to order how many boxes I need to fit the look I’m trying to achieve. Thanks! If you remember any more details or information it would be greatly appreciated.

  13. Sehr schön…. Ich werde glatt morgen ein paar Orangen kaufen und im Backofen trocknen. Danke für die Inspiration:)

    1. Oh wie schön. Viel Glück!

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