Celebrating a creative and sustainable Christmas

Posted on November 22, 2016July 3, 2017 by onetwoadmin

The festive season always gets us reminiscing about where we first started. Four years ago, we made our first family Christmas tree out of leftover hardwood and the seeds of One Two Tree were sown. We realised we had created something wonderfully unique: an eco-friendly, sustainable, stylish and quality handmade alternative to the throw-away traditional tree. Unlike the plastic ones, we made something that would last a lifetime. One of the perks of this job is seeing all the beautifully creative ways the One Two Tree Christmas Tree can be decorated and re-decorated every year.

We’re constantly conscientious about the impact we have on the planet and the purchasing decisions we make. As a result, we’re inspired by quality natural materials, movers & shakers of handmade craft and honest design. We’ve always stuck to our roots of creating beautifully finished handmade objects and simple design solutions for the home. Our products are made from sustainable woods right here in Australia. Staying mindful is the key – and this time of year should be no different. Here are some of our our tips for decorating and celebrating Christmas in a creative and conscious fashion:

Buy quality items to last
Shop locally: support your local community, local craftspeople, designers and small businesses!
Shop second hand for vintage / unique kitsch decorations
Use your hands and get hand-crafting: there are stacks of tutorials and templates you can find online to get you started. See our previous blogposts for inspiration.
Research sustainable products and materials: involve natural materials for that rustic / fresh feel – think sustainable woods, clay, yarn, organic fabrics, sea shells, pine cones, native plants and flowers
If you have kids, get them involved for a fun crafternoon activity
Up cycle
Incorporate decorations from previous years for a fresh feel
Refresh decorations from previous years by giving them a little facelift: a fresh lick of paint, watercolours or adding some glitter
Energy efficient LED lighting
Limit plastic, packaging and cheap disposables
Recycle and redecorate wrapping paper / packaging / gift boxes
Simplicity: less is more

This Christmas, remember to watch the waste – everything we use, buy and discard everyday makes an impact. ‘Tis the season for giving, so give a little back to the Earth what you have taketh during this year’s passed. We hope these tips get you inspired this season.

Wishing you all a wonderful Christmas and festive season, from the One Two Tree family to yours.

Little treasures in the making

Posted on March 14, 2016July 3, 2017 by onetwoadmin

Currently in the One Two Tree studio, we are in the midst of a very exciting project. The type of project that gets our blood pumping, and our hearts in a little flutter. We’ll give you a few clues: it involves hand-crafting, some plywood (sustainably sourced, of course), and our signature touch of Australiana. Yes, we’ve got some Little Aussie Treasures in development!

We love our Aussie Treasure Board so much that we’ve decided to design some furry friends to perch upon it. Our beautiful country of Australia has some of the most unique animals in the world, and we’d like to share them with you. Meet the Wombat, Kangaroo, Echidna, the Koala that sits in the Gum Trees. And a rainbow ‘cos Australia is just our pot of gold.

We’re still in the prototyping phase, but they are already looking so darn cute! We just couldn’t keep them to ourselves! Here’s a sneak peak of how the little tackers are shaping up so far:

Stay tuned for more adorable updates coming soon.

DIY paper stars by Minieco

Posted on December 11, 2015July 3, 2017 by onetwoadmin

If you’re looking for a more personal touch to your Christmas decorations and ornaments, look no further than Minieco! At http://www.minieco.co.uk you’ll find loads of cute and colourful creations to craft out of paper card.

After much deliberation, we decided on trying our luck at the Cut-And-Fold Paper Stars. We chose a pearlescent cream card, downloaded the free template and got to it.

You will need:

– Cutting mat
– Scissors
– Blade
– Ruler
– Hole punch
– Adhesive
– Paint brush
– Minieco template printed on the paper of your choice
– String

Step 1. Carefully cut out each template
Step 2. Using the ruler as a guide, gently score along each line
Step 3. Fold along each line that you have just scored
Step 4. Punch a hole at the indicated spot in the middle of the template
Step 5. Cut a piece of string about 30cm long, loop through the hole and tie a small knot on the inside of the star
Step 6. Brush on a small amount of adhesive to each of the smaller tabs and stick together (it may be a little bit easier to stick one tab at a time)
Step 7. Decorate your OneTwoTree Christmas tree!

Happy crafting!

A merry one two tree christmas

Posted on December 1, 2015July 3, 2017 by onetwoadmin

There really is just something about Christmas…

Whether it’s time off with your loved ones, delicious feasting and community spirit or pressies given and received, we love it through and through.

Anyone who’s familiar with the One Two Tree story would know that it’s this wonderful time of year that inspired our journey into the small business world. We’re never ones for plantation chop-downs and cheap plastic destined for land fill. So we found ourselves stumped when searching for a beautifully designed, utilitarian and most of all eco friendly tree option for our first family Christmas. We donned our hard hats and decided to build our own, and have kept on building them ever since!

Minimal, sophisticated, neutral and luxe. The One Two Tree Christmas Tree has been our signature, Australian designed and made product for 4 years now.

That said, not a year has gone by without numerous requests for a large tree addition to the One Two Tree family. So, in 2015, those wishes have all come true!

This year at One Two Tree we present you with two gorgeous, sustainable wooden Christmas tree’s. Weighing in at 85cm and 150cm high, if you find you can’t choose, why not bring home both! We’ve built them to last you a life-time. Also to bring love and light to any corner of any room each and every Christmas season.

Stay tuned for more Christmas offerings from us! And whatever you do, we hope you give a little love to our planet this silly season. Whether it’s investing in well-made pieces and shunning plastic nasties, or recycling wrapping and shopping locally. Nothing’s ever too small to make an impact.

One Two Tree bigger & bolder than ever!

Posted on September 14, 2015July 3, 2017 by onetwoadmin

Let it never be said that we at One Two Tree fail to heed the cries of our beloved friends and customers.

Who knows how many emails, comments and friendly phone calls we’ve received requesting our signature eco-friendly Christmas tree in a larger, more traditional size. We have finally buckled down and built the damn thing! And now we must thank you, you persistent people. What we’ve created is something bigger, bolder and just so so beautiful. Right in time for your 2015 Christmas celebrations!

Standing at a glorious 150cm and weighing in at almost 15kg – our Large One Two Tree is an absolute beauty. All-Australian designed and made to last you and your family a happy lifetime. Let us banish those plastic, land-filling nasties from your home, office or retail space once and for all.

mini honeycomb tissue balls by poppies for grace

Posted on December 20, 2013December 13, 2016 by onetwoadmin

“Where do you get those beautiful paper baubles from?”. This has been a popular question for many of our customers. The answer is: Poppies for Grace

They are called the mini honeycomb tissue balls and they come in every colour under the rainbow. They also come with little a white tie string so you could easily hang them on your One Two Tree branches too. We decided to lose the string and just causally place them on top of each branch in a spiral formation of colour and we couldn’t be happier with the results.

Poppies for Grace is the work of besties Alana and Sara. Their business is quite simply a celebration of colour and paper. So if you are celebrating they have you covered with an array of beautiful paper decorations. Their range has it all from lolly bags to stationary, from confetti to wedding invites. It’s a well orchestrated collection of everything you need to soiree in style.

We will be stocking their honeycomb tissue ball very soon, but in the meantime check their website out. Both Alana and Sara are ever so helpful and will literally bend over backwards to help you out.

swing tags styling with your one two tree

Posted on November 10, 2013December 13, 2016 by onetwoadmin

Here we have a lovely minimalist look with our One Two Tree slightly open from it’s flat facing stand. We found these lovely metal swing tags! We thought how nice it would be to write the names of our family members on each one. If you were thinking how can you DIY this look yourself, try finding some beautiful coloured paper cards. Then make a similar swing tag template then hand cut them to size. Hole punch and thread a contrast ribbon through and voila! So easy.

one two tree and sculptures by the sea

Posted on October 31, 2013December 13, 2016 by onetwoadmin

With Sculptures by the Sea in the air of Bondi we thought we’d inspire you all with a little coastal decorating. We sourced the Starfish and Sea Urchin decorations from The Society Inc shop down in Paddington. However, don’t be afraid to get your creative DIY juices flowing and make your own. A glue gun, good quality ribbon and some pretty sea shells or organic beach treasures would look just as fabulous.

For sourcing your own a coastal look try searching on Ebay and Etsy. We also discovered that Simply Shells has a great range online too.

styling your very own one two tree

Posted on November 21, 2012December 13, 2016 by onetwoadmin

One Two Tree is not only quick and easy to assemble, its design is versatile. Meaning you could essentially update your One Two Tree look daily, weekly and most certainly yearly. We hope our inspirational story board will help excite you with your One Two Tree styling this Christmas.

Tips for tree styling:

A handy tip before you start styling/shaping your tree is to loosen the top screw by half a turn or so making the branches easier to rotate. This way they are much easier to move and can be easily spun and positioned into your desired form. Once your design is finalised then tighten the real pokies online top screw which will more securely hold your tree into position.

Another tip when tree styling is not to forget about rotating your small spacer blocks in between your branches. Sometimes we line ours up with the bigger branches for a more uniform look or maybe we might offset them with the bigger branches for contrast and form. The possibilities are plenty.

all tied up with string with one two t

Posted on November 16, 2012December 13, 2016 by onetwoadmin

Another great idea for decorating your One Two Tree is a nontraditional one but a creative one. We styled our tree in an “X” formation and using two different colours of chord string we threaded and knotted through the holes of each branch.

To start with you need to cut two lengths of the pink chord string at 200cm and four lengths of the green chord one at 200cm. Knotting one end of the pink string you thread up from one corner of the bottom branches first, threading through the hole of each branch directly above. Work your way up to the top and then follow down the opposing side till you reach the bottom. Tie off the pink string keeping the line fairly tight but not too tight. Repeat this step on the other side, they will overlap at the very top.

With the green chord string you start at the very top of one of the four branches. Thread the green string through the top branch hole so that roulette online it evenly halves and you have two ends, one in each hand. Simply cross and tie the string like you are tying a shoe lace and thread one end through the next branch hole. Repeat the cross over tie and work your way down the branches one at a time tying off at the end. Again keep the string fairly tight but not too tight. Do this four times on each side. If the end of your chord string is fraying use a match flame to burn and melt the end so that it can be easily threaded.

You can easily experiment and do several different combinations. This is just one idea – imagine what else can be done. We will share another tied up idea with you very soon.

our story

Posted on November 1, 2012December 13, 2016 by onetwoadmin

one two tree – our story from One Two Tree on Vimeo.

We made this little video to introduce ourselves and to tell you about our One Two Tree story. Shot and edited by the talented Trevor King. A big special thank you to Sammy, Jackie and Aaron, without their kindness we wouldn’t have been able to make this video. We hope you like it.