Crafting a Merry Home: Cost-Effective Tips for Holiday Décor

It is time once again to deck those dingy halls with boughs of really expensive store-bought holly. But if you are already wondering where to find that extra dough for décor this holiday season, we are here to assure you there are ways around going into debt this December. Getting your house ready for the holidays does not have to cost a fortune. All it might cost you is a quick run to the craft store and a little time.

Start by Repurposing Everyday Items

Before spending your savings on shiny new decorations, try surveying your own supplies first. Everyday vases, bowls, and planters can be easily updated with seasonal touches to create a whole new feel for the winter months. Collect clear vases of varying sizes and fill them with any number of holiday tributes: old ornaments, holiday candies, colored Christmas lights, pinecones, cedar clippings, plaid ribbon, or glittering bows. Arrange the containers along a mantle, across a kitchen island, or in the center of end tables to dress up any room.

Take it a little further and line bookshelves with holiday favorites, new and old, in keeping with the season. Wrap your kitchen cupboards in velvet bows, or go big and tie holiday ribbon around all of your doors. Switch up screensavers on laptops and big screens with a digital glowing fireplace or gentle snowfall, whatever helps set the scene for you. Going festive does not have to cost one single cent when you work to utilize everyday items already taking up space in your home.     

Elevate Elementary Art

Sometimes the very best décor comes from the heart, especially if that heart lives inside one of your sweet kiddos. Take a stroll down memory lane this season by searching through your kids’ school holiday crafts from days gone by. Pick up some basic frames at the local dollar store or use ones you already have hanging on your walls to showcase the festive spirit those little hands once created. Not only will it brighten up your living room, it might just brighten up your soul.

Brighten Up Your Space

Take a stroll through your home and pull out any candles you have been saving for just the right occasion. While basic hues like white or cream transition easily for any holiday, bringing in a little color never hurt either. But don’t limit yourself to red and green, explore a wide range, pairing burgundies and dark olives or glittery silvers and golds to craft the perfect holiday glow along window sills, floating shelves, and night stands.

Next, hunt down those tangled sets of twinkly lights. Whether strung around the living room ceiling or framing a kitchen window, a simple string of lights can make magic, especially when the snow starts falling. Willing to invest a little money? Splurge on wireless strands which allow for greater ease of placement, making decorating banisters or mantles a breeze. Play around with color here, as well, using golden vintage bulbs to add a touch of sophistication or blinking multi-color strings to bathe your home in nostalgia.

Make a Mantle

Should your house lack that classic Christmas Eve fireplace, it is easier than you might think to create a reasonable facsimile. DIYers can build attractive and affordable mantles in a couple of hours, transforming their abode into something out of a Hallmark movie. No need to call over that hunky Hallmark handyman either. With these easy instructions, you can be your own handyman this season, cozied up in front of that fresh and festive mantle with the very best company.

Go Green

Bringing the outside in is another great way to elevate your holiday décor, and it does not have to cost you a dime. Small trimmings from evergreens in your yard make the perfect centerpiece when combined with a few gathered pinecones or crimson winter berries, while bare winter branches thrown in a glittering vase make a simple, seasonal addition to bathroom countertops or coffee tables.

Not a lot of greenery to borrow from your yard? Decorate standard houseplants with colorful bows or sprigs of holly. Wrapping an everyday pot in burlap tied with a festive ribbon or your favorite wrapping paper is another way to fancy up your year-round plants.

Lengthy wish lists, travel expenses, and high-dollar delicacies put a sizeable dent in the pocketbook, so when it comes time to shell out money for décor, there may not be a lot left in the dollar fold. Holiday Cheer Meisters with some extra hours can work wonders this winter, though, especially if they use a few of those hours to just look around the house.