Amanda Ware, 43, from Arkansas, has revealed she quit her job as a teacher to turn her love for decorating Christmas trees into a full-time career
A mom-of-two has revealed she quit her job as a teacher to turn her love of decorating Christmas trees into a full-time career and charges an average of $1,000 to turn each tree into a winter wonderland.
Amanda Ware, 43, from Bentonville, Arkansas, makes all of her money in the last three months of the year, but she doesn’t mind as she spends her time cashing in on her passion for Christmas by transforming trees.
The mom-of-two quit her job as a school teacher five years ago and now decorates a minimum of 100 Christmas trees ahead of December 25.
In an interview with Newsweek, she said: ‘The magic truly begins whenever people put their Christmas décor up. I am in the business of making people merry. ‘
With her ‘unorthodox idea’ that any color can be a Christmas color, the mom-of-two detailed how you can decorate your Christmas tree like a pro this year.
The fuller the better! Make your tree look high end by adding greenery
Amanda explained that people often forget to fluff their tree, leaving it looking sparse – which results in a cheaper looking tree
She explained that you should add greenery, such as ‘snow kissed, cedar or pine’ branches to your Christmas tree
The pro tree decorator added that it will give it more ‘high end look’ and said that including branches is a ‘trick of the trade’
As soon as October hits, Amanda and her team begin transforming trees.
But, their busiest time of year is always November.
She revealed she spends about two to five hours on each tree, depending on the size.
Amanda explained that people often forget to fluff their tree, leaving it looking sparse – which results in a cheaper looking tree.
‘Forgetting to fluff the tree and leaving holes is a common mistake but it’s an easy fix,’ she told Newsweek.
In a viral TikTok, that has amassed over 90,000 views, Amanda shared how you can make your tree ‘look high-end.’
‘One really great way to make your tree look high-end and fuller is adding different types of greenery to your already green tree.’
She explained that you should add greenery, such as ‘snow kissed, cedar or pine’ branches to your Christmas tree.
The pro tree decorator added that it will give it more ‘high end look’ and said that including branches is a ‘trick of the trade.’
Amanda suggests using sprigs from outdoor trees and flowers to fill any gaps and add dimension.
Lights, lights, and more lights! Use 100 lights per foot of your Christmas tree to make it pop
The former teacher recommends using ‘at least’ 100 lights per foot of the tree to make your Christmas tree pop
‘Lights give off a glow and make any evening more romantic. They also enhance all of the decorations, sometimes you can’t see the decorations because of the lack of lights,’ she said
Amanda is all about color and that means extra lights as well.
The former teacher recommends using ‘at least’ 100 lights per foot of the tree to make your Christmas tree pop.
‘I say put at least 100 lights per foot of the tree, if there aren’t enough lights then it doesn’t look good.
‘Lights give off a glow and make any evening more romantic. They also enhance all of the decorations, sometimes you can’t see the decorations because of the lack of lights,’ she explained.
The mom added that she usually opts for a ‘warm white light.’
Amanda makes extra sure she has enough lights when decorating and explained that the size of tree and the amount of decorations she uses all factor into how much she charges.
‘The service fee to have a tree decorated could be anywhere between $300 to $1500 per tree depending on the size and who is decorating it. If you hire me, you are going to pay a premium.
‘I have previously decorated a tree that had $10,000 worth of decorations on it, and the tree only cost $200.
‘We specialize in over-the-top more is more so we like extra. This is a general estimate yet for a 9ft tree decorated all the way around we like to use 3-5 rolls of ribbon, 40-60 sprigs, florals and 30 to 50 ornaments.’
Forget the tinsel! Add ribbon to your Christmas tree to make it look chic
The professional Christmas tree decorator’s favorite decoration is ribbon, and it’s even one of the reasons she turned holiday decorating into a career
Amanda explained that she cuts the ribbon ‘into strips’ and ensures she ‘never’ wraps it around the tree ‘horizontally’ because it makes it looks ‘cheap’
‘To get started I encourage everyone to start with their favorite pattern and velvet material,’ she told Newsweek
The professional Christmas tree decorator’s favorite decoration is ribbon, and it’s even one of the reasons she turned holiday decorating into a career.
‘My favorite decoration is ribbon, it’s one of the reasons I got into the business,’ she said.
Amanda explained that she cuts the ribbon ‘into strips’ and ensures she ‘never’ wraps it around the tree ‘horizontally’ because it makes it looks ‘cheap.’
‘I cut it into strips and never wrap it around the tree horizontally as I think this makes it look cheap.
‘I usually put the ribbon vertically around the tree and make bows with it.
‘To get started I encourage everyone to start with their favorite pattern and velvet material,’ she told Newsweek.
In one TikTok video, she showed her nearly 35,000 followers how she decorated a tree using mostly ribbon.
She began by tying different colored pieces of ribbon into a bow and then placed the various bows sporadically around the tree before adding big ivory-colored ornaments.
Get your shopping on and don’t forget LARGE ornaments!
Another one of Amanda’s favorite tips is to add lots of ornaments to the tree and place them in a very strategic way
‘Most people put their favorite baubles and ornaments within eyesight—but if you are adding balls, I suggest buying them in a pack of three or five,’ she said
‘Then place them on the tree in triangles, one in front of you, one to the lower right, and the other lower left. Or you could create a diamond shape using four,’ she explained
Another one of Amanda’s favorite tips is to add lots of ornaments to the tree and place them in a very strategic way.
‘Most people put their favorite baubles and ornaments within eyesight—but if you are adding balls, I suggest buying them in a pack of three or five.
‘Then place them on the tree in triangles, one in front of you, one to the lower right, and the other lower left. Or you could create a diamond shape using four.’
When decorating trees, Amanda uses everything from her store ShopHelloHolidays.
She explained to NewsWeek: ‘My company sells everything you put on a tree. We have designer ribbons, sprigs, and ornaments that give a finished and elevated look to a Christmas tree.
‘You can shop any of our trees and that is what our customers and clients love about your unique business. They can buy everything on one of our trees or mix and match.
‘That is all we sell at this time yet we hope to expand to everyday holidays such as birthdays, showers, dinner parties, and more.’
And while Amanda may miss teaching some days, she still loves making others feel more confident by adding holiday spirit to their tree.
‘I may not be teaching in a classroom I am still teaching people how to elevate their living spaces to invite others over with confidence. That is a huge part of our brand. I want everyone to feel confident in building community in their living spaces.’
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