“Tis the season to be jolly” or, for us decorating junkies, “tis the season to deck the halls!” This is that most wonderful time of year when we get to add color, sparkle, glitter and joy to our home. Imagine how dull the wintry gray month of December would be without sparkly lights, shiny ornaments, and swags of pine! Decorating your home for the holidays should not be a chore, but instead a creative project to de-stress from the holiday insanity. It also doesn’t have to be expensive! Just unleash your imagination and creativity, grab your glue gun, and get started making merry. My first stops for the holidays are always HomeGoods and Michaels: Both have fabulous holiday décor items in stock right now for super cheap; most holiday items at Michaels have been 50% off since Thanksgiving. Here are few projects that I hope will inspire you. Happy Holidays!
Decorate your dining room; it’s not all about red and green: Are you entertaining for the holidays? Don’t forget the dining room. Below I created a “Blue Christmas”-themed vignette for my sideboard table. This lovely display cost a mere $35. I purchased the pre-decorated roping came from HomeGoods for $14.99. The sparkly, oversized ornament also came from HomeGoods and cost $12.99. I used vases I already had, and filled them with sparkly feathers, and balls from Michaels, all 50% off and around $1.99 per stem. Last I clipped on blue peacocks, also from Michaels, $2.99 for a bag of three. I finished the vignette by adding my own sparkling white lights and it came together beautifully. Purchase discounted items and combine with the ones you already have for an inexpensive display.
A quick and easy centerpiece made of Christmas ornaments: For a modern and inexpensive arrangement, I purchased two sets of Christmas balls from Michaels; 99 cents for a pack of eight ornaments. I arranged these ornaments carefully on a two-tiered cake plate. Add some greenery, sparkly ribbon and you have a quick and inexpensive arrangement.
Holly berry candle holders: These candle holders make a great gift, look great on a coffee table, or would work well as a focal point for your holiday mantel. For this project, I purchased two glass cylinder candle holders from Michaels, $3.99 apiece, and some red raffia ribbon (about $3.99 for a spool). I had an old tattered-looking berry wreath in my garage that I no longer use, so I snipped off a bunch of the berry stems with my wire cutters. I hot glued about three branches to each candle holder, and tied the bottom off with a bow of raffia ribbon. These are gorgeous. I would be thrilled to get these as a gift, and they look fantastic on my coffee table!
Retro-holiday ornament wreath: These fun and festive wreaths cost me $6 to make. I purchased the artificial wreaths at Michaels for $2.99 each. Again, I went through my treasure trove of holiday decorations and found some plastic, retro-looking Christmas ornaments that I no longer use. I looked at them and immediately thought they would make a great retro wreath. All I did was arrange the balls along the wreath, and glued them down with a hot glue gun. I love the sparkle and color these add to my home. I think these wreaths might retail for over $30! What a steal. These are also something I will have for years to come.
An outdoor arrangement: For the outside of your home, why not try something new? For this project I spray painted an old plastic planter and some twigs from my yard with silver Rustoleum. I then spray painted some large wood branches with white Rustoleum; most of these branches came down during the storm. I cut branches from the pine trees in my yard and arranged them all by sticking them into a styrofoam floral square, purchased for $3 at Michaels. I then spiced things up by adding some artificial berries and pine cones purchased from Michaels for about $8. I added a festive red bow. For a total investment of about $11, I have a large and festive display for the front of my home.
Have fun creating, make it fun, and most of all Happy Holidays!
