One delightful decoration for the holidays is to stuff an inexpensive strand of lights into a clear vase or jar, and simply plug in the lights. Tie the jar with a bright ribbon.
Everyone seems to have an unused clear vase or jar in the closet. Even a tall mason jar stuffed with about 2 strands of mini lights would be beautiful, topped with a ribbon. I prefer clear lights but that would be totally up to the individual.
With this idea, there are no limits! It is only limited by your imagination.
By carla from Huntington, WV
This page contains the following solutions.
A few years back I purchased this table runner for .50 at a thrift store. It has Thanksgiving fabric on one side and Christmas on the other. While I lived in Salem, OR, I had it magnetized to the front of my door for the months of November and December.
I haven't bought new Christmas decorations in years, because I can find items nicer than the ones I could afford, in thrift shops. I add them to my collection of decorations, which I store every year until Christmas.
Don't spend a lot on your holiday decorating. There are so many inexpensive outlets nowadays. If you haven't been in one lately, the dollar stores have wonderful Christmas goodies all for a dollar.
My old Christmas Star Topper does not have any lights. I really like how the new toppers have twinkling lights but they cost $20-30.
I bought these snowmen at an after Christmas clearance sale for about 50 cents each, and used colored markers to write my grandchildren's name on them. I will either display them next Christmas or give them to the grandchildren
Clip Art for Holiday Decorations. There is SO much free clip art on the web - especially good for holiday use! I downloaded a nice smiling pumpkin for my door from Avery.com.
I like to recycle pieces of used Christmas decorations. I used this small piece of tinsel that broke off from last year. It is so pretty and reflects the light in such a pretty way!
If you don't wear those old Christmas pins, display them in your window. Just get $1 store suction cups, attach, and enjoy.
All year long I buy holiday decorations after the holiday. You can get great deals up to 90% off. I also find neat things a garage sales and put all the decorations in a plastic tub...
Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
What are some budget-friendly Christmas decorating ideas? I'm a starving college student with my first place and I love Christmas. That being said, I have no Christmas decorations. Since I'm a college student I'm on a budget, but I'd love to decorate for my favorite holiday!
I found the following Christmas craft/decoration on Martha Stewart's website, just to give you an idea of what I'm looking for: http://www.marthastewart.com/article/magazine-christmas-trees. (spray painted magazine Christmas trees)
By Jennie from Tempe, AZ
If you aren't in a dorm, here is something my late Mother did one year because she had seen the idea in a magazine and thought it was a neat look. She went out in the yard and found a nicely shaped tree branch that had fallen off a tree, then she spray painted it white, and also spray painted an empty coffee can white, then she found some sand someplace that she put in the coffee can and stuck the tree branch in the sand to hold it up, then she put a string of lights on it and some of the ornaments that we had on hand.
One easy, inexpensive idea would be to gift wrap a about three empty boxes and and stack them on a table or something. I just looked at Martha Stewarts site, which I never hardly do because I don't like her, lol and one cute idea that I saw was the angels made out of paper plates, you could make a group of 3 or 5 and set them on a shelf or something. The reason I refer to 3 or 5, or any uneven number is that an uneven number is more pleasing to the eye than an even number. You also don't want to place items directly in the center of a table or whatever. You could also cut snowflakes out of paper. Make stockings out of colored paper, which I saw on Martha's site too, but when I was in elementary school we did that to decorate the windows in the classroom, only ours were just plain red or green.
You can make pretty, inexpensive tree decorations by carefully poking holes in both ends of eggs, blowing out the contents (omelet for dinner!), rinsing and drying the shells then decorating with bits of colored paper, ribbon, colored markers, string, etc. Glue a loop of ribbon on as a hanger.
Pine cones make really pretty tree ornaments. Just paint the edges with a bottle of white acrylic paint (less than a dollar) found at Walmart and a cheap craft brush and they will appear as if snow touched them.
Get a bag of polyester filling (Walmart) for a couple of dollars and spread some under the tree to look like snow.
OR, bunch up a few white tee shirts and put around the tree base for snow.
Use uncooked macaroni and string them to make a long strand to go around the tree. You can paint the macaroni to suit your color theme.
Also, a box of candy canes look great and festive on the tree and they come in a lot of flavors and colorful stripes.
Leftovers can go in a pretty glass to decorate another area of the room.
You could also string wrapped Christmas candy on the tree that comes in assorted colors of foil and is edible after Christmas. You can get good prices at Family Dollar or Dollar General.
Get yourself a few pine branches if you have a friend or relative with pine trees and tie together in the middle with a ribbon and place a Christmas pick or two on it.
Could also use regular old branches fallen from trees and decorate. That would be pretty on your door or over the door.
Any Christmas cards you receive, drape them on a string and let it hang from top to bottom or string across the room.
You could also place the cards into a Christmas tree shape on the wall or door.
Got any Christmas carols (words or music) and tape the song sheets to a poster board and hang on the wall. Add a few embellishments (bells, bows) or draw them into the background.
The poster board could be cut larger than the paper and made to look like the songs were framed and hang individually around the room.
Decorate your door with wrapping paper and use a different solid paper cut in long lengths for the ribbon and place it down and across the door. Add a bow where the ribbons cross and it's simple, cute and inexpensive. Make your own name tag and put your name and/or apartment no.
