Thursday, December 3

More Christmas bang for your buck
with simple embellishments


Decorating for Christmas is one of life's win-win situations for me. I love listening to Christmas music at top volume and decking the halls for all I'm worth. The process of decorating for Christmas is a lot of fun. And then, when the fun decorating projects are done, my house looks festive and welcoming.

But like many of you, I'm working to keep my holiday decorating costs as low as possible. One way I accomplish this is by adding free or inexpensive bolstering to decorating pieces I already own.

Here's the wreath for my front door. It's the right size, but it looks so sad. I'm not a big fan of artificial wreaths, but the real ones are too expensive. So I use this wreath as a base


and stuff real greenery (clipped from our Christmas tree) right into the artificial wreath. Suddenly my flat artificial wreath is looking plump and fresh:

And with some simple embellishment and a bow, voila:


Look at them side by side:


A big difference for no money!

I use the same artificial garland on my staircase from year to year, but I like to plump it up with some fresh greenery, too:


It's amazing how adding fresh greenery to an artificial base works. Somehow the whole thing seems fresh.

I also love to use poinsettias in my decorating. There's just something about their vibrant color that works for me. I'm a sucker for traditional red and green. You can find really inexpensive poinsettias at nearly any store at this time of year. The only thing I don't like about them is that they come in those foil-wrapped pots. Love the flowers, hate the pots. My solution? I remove the poinsettias from their wrappers and place the plastic pots in my DIY textured pots.  Then I add Spanish moss (available by the bag at Dollar Tree):


This display is in my entry hall. I bought four cheap poinsettias. The one in back is elevated on clay flower pot turned upside down. I like the way this gives the grouping a bit more presence, and the unsightly pedestal is hidden behind the flowers in front. The Spanish moss hides the tops of the plastic pots and keeps the attention on the flowers. I love the massing of flowers, and I spent very little money on it.

Do you have any tips for creating a festive look you love without breaking the bank?  Please share!


12 comments:

  1. Everything that you have done is just lovely! That poinsettia is gorgeous...I need to get to the nursery and see what they have in the way of Christmas inspiration.
    Susan

    ReplyDelete
  2. I never thought of adding real greenery to my fake wreaths...very clever...and it makes such a big difference...Everything looks so festive!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Just beautiful! I love the idea of adding fresh greenery to the fake...thanks for the great idea! Love the way your wreath and staircase looks! I have missed stopping by and hoping to eventually have a little more time to visit all my blogging friends. Thanks for the sweet comments you left me the other day. :) I wish I could say we are decorating away for Christmas...maybe we will have our remodeling done before then. lol Have a wonderful and blessed day!! Hugs and love friend,
    ~Victoria~

    ReplyDelete
  4. Richella, what wonderful suggestions for decorating for Christmas on a budget. How beautiful the wreath becomes with those extra special touches. I too love red and green for my Christmas decorating with a few touches of gold. Lovely photos!

    Blessings,
    Debbie

    ReplyDelete
  5. Richella, what wonderful suggestions for decorating for Christmas on a budget. How beautiful the wreath becomes with those extra special touches. I too love red and green for my Christmas decorating with a few touches of gold. Lovely photos!

    Blessings,
    Debbie

    ReplyDelete
  6. I love your traditional look!
    I am a red and green traditional gal so I appreciate someone else who also is!
    You are one classy lady!
    I have not spent a dime this year on Christmas decor ~ I am using everything I already had on hand in new ways
    My dad always buys me a poinsettia and I usually add some greenery to it ~ our new house has ivy, and a ton of it so I am planning on additing it to the plant this year
    Many Blessings

    ReplyDelete
  7. I'm a red and green traditional gal myself with a little white and red thrown in. I love poinsettias! I have to remember to pick a few up when I go to the store. Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  8. you are such a smart girl! we have an artificial tree, but i gathered some clippings from a friend. now i gotta think about how best to use them!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Very pretty Richella!
    I love the greenery idea. :)

    ReplyDelete
  10. I love the idea of filling a thin wreath with real stuff! You can also get free clippings from Lowe's or Home Depot. I decorate tables for our Women's ministry Christmas party every year, and I am VERY limited (per my husband, ahem...he knows me well!) in budget. I went to Lowe's and just asked them if I could have some clippings and the guy doing the trees said for me to take all I wanted. The bin was probably four feet by four feet and was FULL of clippings from all the different types of Christmas trees they sold, so I got a variety to make a table wreath. It turned out so pretty! And cheap! : )

    ReplyDelete

Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a comment! I read every one; they make my day. If you have a specific question, please be sure your email address is attached to your profile or leave your email address in the comment; I'll get back to you as soon as I can. Every blessing!