Frugal Decorating For The Holidays
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I love frugal holiday decorating. It’s all about avoiding the stores and making do with what you already have at home.
Below are 10 Christmas DIYs to consider making this holiday season.
DIY Jadeite Ornaments
Using simple craft paint, you can turn ordinary ornaments into those that resemble Jadeite.
Bottle Brush Tree Centerpiece
This neutral holiday-inspired table centerpiece by Deb and Danelle looks pretty simple. Danelle used a long wooden box, whitewashed the pots and saucers, topped them with Poly-fill, and sprinkled them with faux snow.
Jolly Christmas Jars
This is just a big jar with a lid to which you add your own Christmas scene. Put it on a pretty cake stand, and you’ve got instant holiday decor.
Milk Glass Christmas Decor
Vintage milk glass vases are perfect for tapered candles at Christmastime. Arrange them on a tray and add a Santa or other holiday decor.
Hanging Candle Ring
Janet Clark will show you how to make this simple hanging candle ring to add to your holiday home.
Fresh & Dried Orange Christmas Decor
A Piece Of Rainbow will show you how to make various Christmas decor styles out of oranges.
Upcycled Christmas Wall Decor
This is adorable, created by Pam at House of Hawthornes. It’s a red and white frying pan with Christmas decor glued on.
Embroidery Hoop Christmas Ornament
You will need a small wood embroidery hoop and a few bits and bobs. The How To Home will show you how to assemble this cute addition to your tree.
Plaid Porch Christmas Decor
Do you have any vintage Santa mugs? Gather them together on a tray for the porch or indoors.
DIY Vintage Tool Box Christmas Decor
Learn how to create seasonal vignettes using an old vintage toolbox. Lora from Lora Bloomquist has lots of fantastic ideas!
You don’t have to go broke at this time of year or max out your credit cards to have a lovely holiday.
Add a strand of gold stars to a lampshade and you’ve suddenly given it a touch of the holiday spirit.
Adding Christmas notions to existing decor means there’s less to clean up after the holidays.
Each year, I walk around the house and find something else to use that I haven’t thought of before. It’s fun to upcycle what you already have and make ordinary things look special for the holidays.
This year, I added large keys to the tree. They give it a vintage vibe.
Frugal Holiday Decorating With Homemade Ornaments.:
I’ve been making homemade Christmas ornaments for years. I love thinking up new ideas and getting inspiration from Pinterest.
Every year, when my daughters were young, we would start crafting ornaments the day after Thanksgiving to decorate the tree. They’re grown now, but I love the memories of that time we spent together.
There are so many ways to craft for the holidays! I promise there are ornaments “just waiting to happen” to decorate your Christmas tree.
Decorate The Coffee Bar For Christmas:
Add Christmas decor to the coffee bar.
It adds just a bit of holiday cheer to ordinary objects on your coffee bar.
Place small votive candles in teacups. You have to admit that votive candles just look better in a teacup!
Create A Christmas Vignette Under Glass:
Everything seems to look prettier under glass.
Find something small enough to place under a cloche and use it as a centerpiece for your table. Add a sprig or two of holiday picks to it.
I have a vintage suitcase full of various small bottle brush trees. A gathering of small trees looks better together rather than isolated.
I actually store these trees all year long in this suitcase, so I know right where to look come December! It’s a great place to store them and then a great place to display them!
Create a little cocoa station for a sweet holiday vignette on a cake stand. By adding candy canes to a white creamer, it suddenly looks Christmas-y.
Don’t Spend. Donate Instead:
You can always donate to your favorite charity or volunteer to help feed the less fortunate. That is so much more rewarding than buying or receiving presents.
If you’re on a strict budget, my advice is to avoid the stores altogether. I tend to get overloaded with tinsel and glitz everywhere I look anyway.
Using what I already have and avoiding the stores where I’m tempted to buy, I enjoy a frugal holiday on a budget.
Put away the credit cards. Save your cash and make do.
Then pat yourself on the back for not spending too much money during the holiday season.
(This post was updated on July 24, 2024)
These are some fun ideas! I tried to do more of this.
xo
Sheila
The red and white gingham touches are particularly charming. I realize that if I just pull out a checked cloth and put it on the table, my dining area will be ever so much more festive. Thanks for the lovely photos.
Brenda your home is just perfect for Christmas decorations! Touches to your regular great red and white decor. I have bought only one thing new for my Christmas decorations and a couple of new ornaments which I do each year especially for my Grandson. A few gifts and no debt! I've made a couple of donations also. I am so blessed this year I am trying to share where I can. Wishing you a good week! Hugs!!! Linda
I actually got rid of a lot of my Christmas décor this year. Gave much to charity. It was great to pair down to just a couple of plastic boxes. Most that I used this year are things I can keep up until spring, except for the tree.
I love the way you take ordinary things and turn them into Christmas decor such as the colander filled with beads around a candle. Beautiful! And I love the cloches. I could use a few of those to keep things safe from the furbabies, but can't find them now. Enjoy your pretty house and stay warm!
Great "free" decor ideas! Red is such a happy color!
By the way, I have your blog on my sidebar (under blogs I read) and it hasn't updated in two weeks. I didn't know you had posted for a few days until I checked to see if you had posted in the comments about the beeping noise that was bothering your poor baby so much. Any ideas why it hasn't updated in two weeks?
Great post! I love how you make bright and festive arrangements using some of your everyday pieces. And these are great tips. There is so much temptation in the stores. I did know I wanted some gold for my mantel this year and I was pretty good about just picking up some candles and garland. I also find it hard to avoid shopping on the internet when I get the sales in my email box. I've learned to just delete them without looking. It's not easy though, the advertisers and media are very savvy.
XO,
Jane
We need more people like you in "blog land"…instead of all the glitz and glamour I am finding! Thank you! 😉
So pretty Brenda! You did it up just right. I went super light this year and I am enjoying it much better myself.
These are great ideas for decorating. I agree that you don't need to break the bank in setting up for Christmas … it all starts to miss the point then doesn't it. I like to decorate with greenery more and more … some bought, some snipped from the trees (sparingly!) from my backyard. It makes it feel woodsy & cozy inside. And who wants to store all that strictly Christmas decorating stuff?! Best to change what you have with a little imagination. Great post! I'm following the Tis the Season tour a bit late, but I've been a bit busy 😉 Wendy x
Brenda, I find this post and your advice to be so encouraging! Thank you!! My husband and I are down to one income so that I can stay home with our baby girl. I so want to try and do fabulous things to decorate but it's just not a good idea now that we're so budget minded. I'm trying to look around and find things to decorate with. Have a great weekend! ~ Jamie
Amen! No wasting money and time buying more valueless decorations! And gifts, goodness! I Totally dislike buying gifts for people because it's
the season and one feels pressured
to do so. And I even more dislike
receiving gifts given in such a
fashion. Then there is always the
one upmanship factor. You know,
the person who says "no gifts", but
then gives you something and then
acts all smug. Ugh.
Food to animal shelters is the only
gifts I give. People always tend to
forget the animals with the big push
to give toys to kids. Shelters really
need any type of donation this time
of year.
Beautiful and sweet vignettes, Brenda!
Beautifully done Brenda. I love to use what I have to decorate. It's just part of the challenge. Less is so much more!! Your home is true to your blog name!!
Have a great weekend. Hugs
Everything looks so pretty and festive, Brenda. There was no money spent on Christmas decorations this year. We had more than enough. xo Laura
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Great advice Brenda, and so true. I love your collection of cloches…they are getting so hard to find around here now.
Jen
Yep you always do it up right whether it's big or small.
Great advice, Brenda. I've used items I already had, (or that the kids and I made!) for all our decor this year. We have plenty of everything we need (except money- haha) No need to stress about what we can't have, we just make do and have fun with it. Love all your cute things!
Every year I just start putting things out and it never goes in the same place twice, so it's always different! A great idea is to take a wreathe, whether you want to use a white Styrofoam or a faux green one is up to you, but take your old and beloved broken Christmas ornaments, you know the ones the kids made or that are missing a leg, feathers have fallen off, a crack in it and you're afraid to use it, just start putting them into the wreathe, either with pins or ties, hot glue, add a bow if you want, and you'll have the cutest wreathe when you are done.
I totally agree with you! A friend of mine who has a PT job at Michaels, told me today that all their Christmas stuff was 70% off. I said, "That's nice. I wouldn't want any of it even if it were free!" She just laughed. I explained to her that I already have enough. Even with giving away lots of Christmas decor last year. Don't need or even want anymore.
You've done such a creative take on Christmas…there are so many things to love, like the trees in the suitcase, cloche-covered greenery, and, one of my favorites…the candle in the colander! This is a great lesson not only for Christmas, but for everyday decorating. I was wandering around Home Goods earlier today, looking for new things, but left empty-handed, and decided to "shop" my house to use old things in new ways. Thanks for the reminder, Brenda!
This is a great reminder post – less consumerism is a good good thing – look at your lovely treasures, and you never had to leave the house! How great is THAT!???
Have a blessed weekend.
At work we decided on a potluck and said that was our gift to each other. Suddenly everybody is buying a small gift for each employee. We're all at the age where we don't need any more ornaments, etc. so I find it's a waste of money and adds more stress trying to come up with a small gift for 8 or 9 people. I enjoy the potluck, the gift exchange not so much. I'd rather we each donate a food item or two to the food shelter and I think I'll suggest that…again. Good post, Brenda. It's easy to buy way more than what's on your list at this time of year.
I was about to panic. I hadn't seen a post from you and went to your blog. Your last post was 2 weeks ago. I knew that wasn't right, but then I found this one. I signed up my email address hoping that I won't miss posts now. Your house looks nice and cozy. You are so right. I do stay out of stores. I do buy Christmas but I buy things that are wanted and I shop for good prices. Happy Holidays.
Your home is charming. I love using what I have. I cannot justify spending money on ornaments year after year.
Your house is beautifully decorated for the holidays! You always have a special touch, making things look perfect. I'm not buying anything new. I'm using what I have or thrift finds. Enjoy your weekend!
Brenda, Your decorations are very pretty . I like that you make do with what you have on hand…we need to do more of that. Blessings to you dear Brenda. I think of you often. xoxo,Susie