Budget Decorator: Easy Holiday Decorations

Looking for a few simple ways to make your home feel festive for the holidays? Skip the pricey ready-made holiday decor in favor of natural materials, white twinkle lights and a handful of basic items from the kitchen and craft store. Read on for a dozen creative combinations to try this year — your home will feel warm and merry, and your wallet will thank you.

1. Twinkle lights + floor mirror. Already have a great big floor mirror? Drape white twinkle lights over and around it for instant ambience. You may love the look so much, you leave them up year-round.


2. Statue + homemade "collar." Dress up the statue guarding your door or that faux taxidermy on your wall with a simple card and some ribbon. I love that this one reads, "Santa's Best Friend"!


3. Sweet treats + glass containers. Plunk a big handful of candy canes into a glass, fill an apothecary jar with kisses and top cake stands with cookies and other goodies for an irresistible display.


4. Brown paper + string + greenery. What could be more classically Christmasy than brown paper packages tied up with string? Wrap a few early gifts and pile them up in the front hall, embellished with sprigs of holly, beside a simple green wreath.


5. Plain stockings + craft store letters. Put a personal stamp on simple stockings hung over the hearth by attaching wooden letter initials from the craft store — this is also a great way to unify a random assortment of stockings.


6. Ball ornaments + bowls. Simple glass ball ornaments come in a rainbow of colors and can be found for only a few bucks per box — you may even have a bunch in your stash already. To make a festive display, simply pile up a bunch of them (remove any wire hangers) in a large footed compote or bowl.


7. Hardback books + pretty ribbon. Scan your bookshelves for spines in colors that coordinate with your holiday color scheme. Stack three or more books (remove the dust jackets) and tie the whole bundle with satin, velvet or grosgrain ribbon.


8. Bare branches + demijohn. Clip a few bare branches from a tree outside your house, plunk them in a demijohn or other large vessel, and decorate with ornaments. This would look especially pretty in a window, where it could be visible from the street.


9. Craft store letters + gold paint + skewers. This crafty project makes use of superinexpensive materials, yet the results are totally elegant. Scoop up small letter forms and gold craft paint, find that packet of skewers left over from your last summer barbecue and get to work. A dab of hot glue is all you'll need to attach the letters to skewers; place the skewers in votive holders or small mason jars filled with salt.


10. Bottle rack + twinkle lights. Light up your holiday bar or buffet by twining a strand of white twinkle lights around a bottle rack — the glass of the bottles will reflect the glow of the lights, making the look even more festive. No bottle rack? Wrap lights around the base of a cake stand or through a wine rack instead.



11. Greenery + scraps of trim. Swags of greenery tied to the banister is a classic holiday touch, but going overboard with giant bows and yards of ribbon can really blow the budget. Keep things simple (and cheap!) by putting all of those scraps of trim and ribbon from your stash to use instead.



12. Wreath forms + foraged finds + wooden star. You could spend an arm and a leg on a store-bought wreath — or you could make your own in an afternoon, using finds from a wintry nature walk. To create the look shown here, start with a basic wreath form, covered in greenery. On top of that, layer a smaller wire star-shaped form covered in glued-on pinecones. Finish by hanging a simple wooden star ornament in the center.

Tell us: What's your favorite budget-friendly way to decorate for the holidays?

URL: Budget Decorator: Easy Holiday Decorations http://www.decor-ideas.org/cases-view-id-22025.html