How to Create the All Is Calm Christmas Tree: Designer Tips with Blaide Hodge
There’s something beautiful about a Christmas tree that feels elegant, peaceful, and full of detail without being overwhelming. That’s exactly the inspiration behind our All Is Calm Christmas Tree at TMI Gifts. Designer Blaide Hodge joined us in store to bring this gorgeous tree to life using layers of soft sage green ribbon, shimmering silver and warm gold accents, designer picks, ornaments, and an incredible statement tree topper.
And while the finished tree is stunning, one of our favorite parts of this design is everything Blaide teaches along the way! If you’re looking for Christmas tree decorating ideas you can recreate at home, this tutorial is packed with designer tips and techniques that can completely change the way you decorate your tree.
The All Is Calm Christmas Tree
The color palette is what immediately sets this tree apart. Soft sage green creates a calming foundation, while silver and gold bring in just the right amount of Christmas sparkle. By combining different finishes, textures, ribbons, and picks, Blaide creates a tree that feels elegant and sophisticated while still being warm and inviting. It’s a beautiful option if you love neutral Christmas decor, sage green Christmas decorations, or an elegant silver and gold Christmas tree. But there’s one important designer rule Blaide wants you to forget:
You do NOT have to choose between silver and gold!
Designer Tip #1: Don’t Be Afraid to Mix Your Metals
One of Blaide’s biggest takeaways from this Christmas tree tutorial is to mix your metals.
Gold Christmas decorations don’t mean everything on the tree has to be gold. The same goes for silver. Combining silver and gold Christmas decor gives your tree more depth and keeps the design from feeling too one-dimensional. The trick is to repeat both finishes throughout the tree. Instead of having one section that is all gold and another that is all silver, weave both metals throughout the design. Add a gold element here, a silver pick there, and continue repeating them from the top of the tree all the way to the bottom.
That repetition makes the combination look intentional—and gives you that layered designer Christmas tree look.
Designer Tip #2: Layer Your Christmas Tree Ribbon
Ribbon can completely transform a Christmas tree, but you don’t have to use it the same way every year. For the All Is Calm tree, Blaide uses beautiful sage ribbons to soften the metallic elements and help tie the entire color palette together. The secret is layering.
Mixing different ribbon widths, patterns, textures, and finishes creates much more interest than using a single ribbon throughout the entire tree. And don’t feel like every piece of ribbon has to look exactly the same. A designer tree should have movement! Some ribbon can cascade, some can tuck deeper into the branches, and some can become part of larger focal points throughout the tree.
Designer Tip #3: Try Blaide’s Braided Ribbon Technique
One of the techniques you’ll definitely want to watch for in the tutorial is Blaide’s braided ribbon technique. Instead of simply running individual ribbons straight down the tree, Blaide weaves the ribbons in and out of one another as they travel through the branches.
The result creates a gorgeous, braided effect that adds movement, texture, and dimension.
This is such a fun technique to try if you feel like you’ve been decorating with ribbon the same way for years and want something different. It also helps give your tree that custom, professionally decorated appearance without requiring complicated supplies.
Designer takeaway: Your ribbon doesn’t always have to follow a straight line. Let it move!
Designer Tip #4: Make the Tree Topper a Statement
The topper is one of the biggest focal points on a Christmas tree, and Blaide shows exactly how to make it count. For the All Is Calm tree, he creates a large designer bow tree topper that immediately draws your eye upward and helps establish the colors used throughout the rest of the design. If you’ve ever struggled with making your Christmas tree topper look full enough, think beyond one bow. A designer topper is all about layers, height, texture, and movement. Ribbon tails can flow down into the tree while decorative picks extend upward and outward. This helps visually connect the topper to the rest of the tree rather than making it look like something that was simply placed on top at the end.
And remember—you can repeat ribbon from your topper throughout the tree to make the entire design feel cohesive.
Designer Tip #5: Use Picks to Add Depth and Dimension
Christmas picks are one of our favorite ways to take a tree from pretty to WOW.
Instead of placing every decoration directly onto a branch, picks allow you to extend the shape of the tree. Some can come outward toward you. Others can point upward or slightly to the side. Metallic picks can also help carry the silver and gold color story throughout the tree. When adding picks, take a few steps back every so often.
Look for empty areas, places that need more height, or sections where you need to repeat a color or texture. You’re not simply filling holes—you’re creating the overall silhouette of your tree.
How to Get That Full Designer Christmas Tree Look
If there’s one thing we hope you take away from watching Blaide decorate, it’s that a designer Christmas tree is built in layers. You don’t have to finish one type of decoration before thinking about the next. Instead, think about how everything works together:
Ribbon creates movement.
Picks create dimension.
Ornaments add color and sparkle.
Metallics add contrast.
The topper creates the statement.
And repeating those elements throughout the tree is what makes the finished design feel intentional. Sometimes the smallest changes—like mixing your metals or changing the way you weave your ribbon—can make the biggest difference.
Recreate the All Is Calm Christmas Tree
Want to bring the All Is Calm look into your own home this Christmas? We’ve made it easy to find the pieces used to create this design. Visit TMI Gifts and shop under our Christmas Collection, where you’ll find the All Is Calm Tree Design featuring the ribbons, picks, and coordinating Christmas decor you need to recreate the look or use it as inspiration for your own tree. You can recreate the entire design or simply take your favorite elements and make them your own. That’s one of the best parts of decorating for Christmas—there are no rules saying your tree has to look exactly like someone else’s. Use the techniques Blaide teaches, choose the pieces you love, and create something that feels perfect for your home.
Watch the Full Christmas Tree Decorating Tutorial
There is so much to learn in this Christmas tree tutorial with Designer Blaide Hodge.
From mixing silver and gold to creating a statement bow topper and learning a completely different way to work ribbon through your tree, you’ll come away with techniques you can use again and again. So, grab a cup of something warm, pull up the tutorial, and decorate with us! And remember Blaide’s designer tip the next time you’re standing in front of your Christmas decorations wondering whether you should use silver or gold: Use both.
Sometimes breaking the “rules” is exactly what gives you that designer look.
Shop the All Is Calm Tree Design at TMI Gifts under our Christmas Collection and follow along with Blaide as you create your own designer Christmas tree this season.
WATCH HERE!
How to Decorate a Designer Christmas Tree | Sage, Silver & Gold Christmas Tree Tutorial