1st Place

Kristi Podsiadlo
Dahlia Florist
Greenville, South Carolina

“Rich opulent colors and contrasting textures stop you in your tracks! Grace, beauty, luxury, balance! The bells of Ireland break the tree shape and bring it to life. Elements seem pulled from an old master's painting, yet this is fresh and modern…nice contrast of shiny and matte finishes…sheer elegance in color, form and textures in this display of modern world. At first glance you knew it was a winner.”

2nd Place

T.L. Todd Sweeden
Sweeden Florist
Russellville , Arkansas 

“Graphic, playful, commercial – a modern twist uses a red Christmas tree and lights as the base, but it's not obvious until studied further. Lime green pushes this design into the future. Even Santa has spiral arms, legs and hat that echo the movement of the cascading curly ribbon garland…use of color and whimsy makes this tree an exciting design statement. Makes you smile when you see it. The red tree and the use of today's Kermit green trim are sensational. Making it totally different is the delightful tree stand made of gift boxes.”

3rd Place

Seleese Thompson
Precious Memories
Temple , Texas 

“Organic beauty formed by a careful combination of botanicals with contrasting shapes, sizes and textures. All is calm, all is bright as we celebrate nature in the form of this tree. Nature speaks for itself….the monochromatic use of green with just a hint of gold provides sophistication. Muted shades of green make a soft statement, so pleasing to the eye and just restful at a time of year when you really need rest.”

Debbie Bray
Blue Bell Creameries
Brenham , TX

“We all love Blue Bell …somebody has been eating a lot of ice cream! Containers as ornaments is a clever idea…adding blue to a traditional red and green color scheme works well. Liberal use of ornament sprays and curly garland add to the festive energy and push traditional into the future. Commercial and beautiful!”

Melanie Bremer
Starflowers, Inc.
Las Vegas , NV

“A reminder of Christmases Past. Good design and balance of ornaments create a tree that fits perfectly into its surroundings… Old World charm and elegance nestled in the branches of a snow-kissed tree…glass ornaments are symbolic of days gone but trendy colors of turquoise, chartreuse and lime kick up the traditional palette.”

Emily Davis
A&W Furniture
Redwood Falls , MN

“This tree is something to crow about, starting with the large metal rooster that sports a bright orange cravat. Continuing in the Tuscan theme, botanicals add a variety of shapes through berries, pomegranates, spice oranges and willow branches…colors and materials bring warmth and a feeling of home.”

Marcia Houston
The Home Store
Eagle, Idaho

“Trendy and surprising color combination employed with textures that run the gamut from glitter to matte. White and this new shade of blue make you think of snow and ice and the brown, instead of making one worry about the viability of the tree, adds to the depth of the composition.”

Anna Maria Mannarino
Mannarino Designs
Holmdel , NJ

“European charm and opulence are enhanced by use of rich gold, copper, satin, pearls and decorated masks in the warmest shades of yellow-gold to orange. Satin Acanthus leaves are jewel-tipped. This treasure entices you to come in closer for a better look…color and light create a festive holiday spirit.”

Shari McCallister
Owner, D&L Florist
Houston , MO

“Interesting variety of ornamentation – sequined sprays, sparkling presents with sheer bows, poinsettias of red and citron, a rope light...fun and whimsical, but not silly…good use of large ornaments...makes you want to smile.”

Very creative use of materials!

Candace Soligan
Independent Designer/Military Spouse
Norfolk , VA

“Making a topiary of a life-sized Christmas tree is a creative idea…compactly-arranged ornaments that twist around a tree in color bands are several inches deep and are of varying sizes of stain and shin-finished balls in red, gold, lime and purple. Wound in sequence with these is also a band of assorted multi-color shiny glass ornaments.”

Rochelle Zimmerman
Wreath Factory
Plymouth , WI

“Lime and red celebrate a modern Christmas by updating candy stripe ribbon and sleigh bells. Some beaded ornaments are formed as snowflake shapes and some woven into wire stars. Ball ornament surfaces vary from faceted, satin or shiny, reflecting light in their individual ways…topper on this tree is very creative and adds to the festiveness.”