I always do mine round and round. I put them on the inside and outside of the tree. In the front I will usually wind it loosely around the fingers (for lack of a better word) of the branches.

As far as the colored lights I usually always use them and my ornaments were colorful so I think the Radko-like ornaments would look great.

Shoot? No , too messy! :)
Buy another tree with white lights and give that one to someone..
And yes, you have to get those little buggers inside the tree...and if you don't don't worry.
Don't kill yourself, just enjoy it. Just take pics, that's all we care about!!!! LOL

Karen, Here's a trick I learned about 25 yrs ago for stringing lights on an artificial tree. I hope I explain this well enough.

I use the trees that have the attached limbs that fold up. I start at the top and fold the top couple of levels of branches up and tie a heavy string or rope to hold them up. I work my way down the tree doing the same thing until only the very bottom row of branches is left down. I start at the "trunk" of the tree on the bottom row. I start with the end of the light string that has the plug on it and start on one branch with the light string where the lights begin. I wrap the string of lights round and round the branch working my way to the tips and then still wrapping round and round go back down the branch to the trunk then continue to the next branch beside the first. After I've finished the bottom row of branches I lower the next row of branches and repeat the process. I plug each light strand in before I start stringing it and leave it plugged in while I work which helps me to see how it looks as I go.

I think you should use whatever ornaments with the colored lights that you think looks best. Remember when we were kids and everyone used colored lights and many, many different colors and styles of ornaments? We loved them.

LOL. Hi Karen.

On the lights: I wrap round and round. Start at the inside of the bottom tier of branches, start wrapping out along the branch to the tips, find a good point at the tip of that branch to jump to the next branch, and start wrapping in towards the center of the tree again. Continue alternating like this until you finish that tier of branches, then jump up to the next tier.

It's very time consuming, but looks great when you're done. Also, you don't have to wrap the branches all the way up to the trunk - you can opt to work them halfway into the tree. The key to getting the full look is trying to create some depth, the same way many of the members here fill the interior of their trees with ornaments.

That's very clever, Sandi. I'm going to try stringing my lights like you described.

Remember the saying about how a woman can never be too rich or too thin?
Well, I'd add "and never have too many white mini lights."
Your method sounds like it would flood the tree with light.
Thanks for the tip.
PA

OA, You can wrap as closely or as far apart as you want. I always wrap very closely. It takes quite awhile to string the lights this way, but well worth the effort. And it's so easy to store the tree after Christmas with the lights on. They say 100 lights per foot of tree, but I think mine is at least 200 per foot. My main tree has had the same lights for years and years.

Hi Flattie. WELCOME to our gang of Holiday Obsessed Dish-Nuts. We have fun all year long here, and you'll not find a better group of folks anywhere!

Thanks for the light tips. Great explanation, Sandi! I always went round with mine and tried to come out to ends of branches. But I think I never had 'enough', after seeing some of the great pix in our Inspiration album.
The little tree in question is about 5' ft high, and one of those wall trees. Flat back, LOL.

Kathleen, no way can I part with my funky tree. I love that tree. I had seen it years and years ago at Ben Frankilin Crafts (no longer around in Phx), and it was too pricey till after Xmas. Then I got it on sale. I used to keep it set up year around in my den, tho not decorated for Xmas. LOL. I had other kinds of ornaments on it. But the last few years, I've stored it. Not sure why, did I mention I love that tree! LOL

dd50, you're right about how the trees of my younger days had the (big) colored bulbs and all kinds of colorful ornaments and we just loved it all. I guess I got so hung up on white lights that I forgot about that. Plus for months I've had a "plan" for this tree. I have collected quite a lot of bird ornaments the last two years of Xmas sales, and wanted to put them on it since its a natural type tree. Well heck, with the colored lights, no one would ever see my birds. Guess they are going elsewhere now. So much for planning, LOL.

There'll be plenty of pictures coming from me, but with just my little digital camera (and no tripod) don't expect great tree and ornament shots like some of you get. I'll do my best and you'll see them no matter what.

hugs, Karen

Thanks. :-) The enthusiasm here is infectious.

Karen, you could always just replace the bulb part with clear bulbs, and not have to re-wrap the tree!
Welcome Flattie....good to see you...
Now I gotta' go catch up on everything else!

Jaybird is right, Karen. Just pull out all the colored lights and replace them with the clear lights. Hopefully, you have a strand of white lights that will fit in the sockets of the lights strand on this tree. On second thought, that would take just as much or more time than replacing the colored strands! Maybe you could get one of the gkids to come take the colored lights off for you.

Your bird ornaments sound neat, I'll be looking forward to seeing them.

Luvs

Luvs, Jaybird, there is NO way I'm replacing all those little colored light bulbs. It literally would be easier to take them all off and put on new strings. LOL.

I ended up putting all my shiny bright, Radko-like, ornies on it. That is one colorful tree!! And today I put up the little 4 ft purple tree from Walmart, with my purple ornaments. its "different". LOL.

As for the wall tree that needed lights strung....this decorating going on the last week is just doing me in with the pain in legs and arms...so to my utter shock, my DH actually said he'd do the lights like I wanted on that little 5 ft tree! I am sure he didn't have a CLUE what he was getting in to. I'm so proud of him tho, he did them just like I wanted and never complained. Even tho he had to make several trips for more lights. There's somewhere around 500-600 on it now, and they are never coming off.
LOL. My DH doesn't help with Xmas decor, so for him to do this was really something. He has the patience of a Saint, something I sadly lack. I'd probably have been tearing out my hair before I finished the first string after seeing how long it took. I've been adding the ornies the last few days. When he saw the many boxes of ornaments and my little trees, he said I had too many ornies. I said no way, I just don't have enough trees. LOL.
I sure hope to finish decorating this week, its been slow going and frustrating for me. I am taking a lot of pictures, and will do a Photobucket album to share them instead of killing those with dial-up death here.
And so far, the Orange Tornado hasn't broken or messed up a thing! Amazing. (Gotta love Pine-Sol. Me, not him! I spritz a bit daily on certain things. Wonder if that company knows its a good cat repellant. LOL) I did take pity on Jazz and gave him a large jingle bell, some ribbon, and a non-breakable ornament. So he's happy enough with that for now.

hugs, Karen

Karen,
It sounds like you are making lots of progress... I'm sorry it causes you soo much pain. That dang fibro is a hateful illness. What a sweet hubby to do that for you. He's definately a keeper!!!
Can't wait to see pictures.

Lights I have no advice about as they are my nemesis. Every year I think I improve at doing them but still not an expert.

Anyhow, just want to say THANK-YOU Karen for the album. I look forward to spending some time looking at each pic thoroughly. And that tea theme one sounds wonderful. So much beautiful inspiration! :)