We'll be entertaining a couple of times over the holidays, so I'm in decor-mode right now. I thought I'd show you 5+ things that I did yesterday afternoon, without spending a single cent. You may have similar supplies at home. My decorating philosophy -- use what you have.
1) bowl of mini candy canes-- these are leftovers that I had in the pantry, bought at Dollar Tree last year |
2) cedar branches from our yard popped into a vase for an evergreen "bouquet" table centerpiece |
3) another bowl, but filled with tree ornaments--for the living room coffee table, we'll put the tree in a different room, but want decor for this room, too |
4) a large bell tied to the door knob with a ribbon--this is an auditory decor item, as well as visual |
5) a red scarf as a table topper--this scarf is from my own closet, something that I wear, but due to its size and color it also makes a great table topper |
bonus, I've shown this to you before, pillar candles wrapped in sheet music and tied with a red ribbon--I found the sheet music online and printed at home for the cost of ink and 1 sheet of paper |
Great ideas!
ReplyDeleteI also did a little Christmas decorating mostly for free! I have a small 2 ft. Christmas tree from my college days that I put out among the little village that I have. I decided to purchase a second 2 ft. tree at Aldi for $6.99. Then I found some old Christmas things our kids made in elementary school and put them together to hang on the front door. I wrapped colored lights around them. Lastly, I found an old wreath in the the Christmas stuff that I have no idea where it came from. The lights didn't work so I carefully unwrapped the old lights, fluffed out the wreath and added a new string of light that I had in the cupboard. That is now by the dining room table. I have a length of green of evergreen that I didn't put up yet. Maybe I'll think of a place for that.
I normally wouldn't go to this extent but both my girls will be home from Christmas and they will need to feel the Christmas atmosphere. It has been challenging for both girls to be away from home. Oldest daughter teaching in Honduras has been in the middle of political unrest due to elections of a new president (no winner has been announced yet) that is not going well. The result is violence, riots, and even many deaths. Airports are closed, curfews for 12 hours of the day, and schools are closed. She can't get out very often due to the threat of violence. I can only pray she will get home for Christmas.
Alice
Alice, I say another prayer that your daughter will make home safe and sound for Christmas, and those that she leaves behind will be safe, too.
DeleteAlice, that sound very scary. When you hear about political unrest somewhere in the world it's very sad, but when your own child is in the midst of it all, how very worrying. I pray that the unrest is resolved soon, and that your daughter can be in safety again. When is she scheduled to come home?
DeleteAll of your kids will enjoy the home that you've made for them. Your decorating sounds very festive.
Your living room is beautiful. Looks like something out of a magazine especially with those white couches. Even if we didn't have pets, I don't think we could handle white couches in this house. I always seem to be spilling something. :)
ReplyDeleteWe are just starting to decorate here. Since this is the first time in our house for Christmas with all of our furniture, we're still trying to figure out where to put the tree, etc. We actually celebrated Christmas here last year, but we only had a couple of folding chairs to work around.
Thank you, live and learn. White is not the best choice for fabric-covered furniture. We inherited a mixture of furniture and wound up dividing it between light and dark. We put the light-colored pieces in the living room, and dark ones in the family room. We're more likely to take a cup of coffee or soup into the family room than the living room, so it has worked for us, so far.
DeleteHave fun deciding where to put all of your decorations. It's a bit like getting something new, even though you've been in the house a year.
So pretty! I bought a new strand of lights for my tree this year, but otherwise I think I will just re-use what we have. Everyone seems to have an emotional connection to our current decorations.
ReplyDeleteMy daughter and I put up outdoor decorations yesterday, as today we have a cold front blowing in and we wanted to do the work while it was still temperate outdoors. Hoping to get the tree up and decorated by Thursday. At this stage of life, I kinda feel like I am inundated with decorations--the kids have made many over the years and of course I put them out. Our look is more "handmade" rather than "elegant" like yours. :)
Hi Kris,
DeleteGood thinking on getting the outdoor decor done before the cold front! I bet it looks cheery at your place!
Have a wonderful day!