Frugal Holiday Decorating: Genius Christmas Crafts And Decorations For Your Home, Inside And Out
Want to make your home look festive for the holidays without breaking the bank? There are all kinds of creative ways to decorate your home for the holiday season that are fun, frugal, and sometimes downright stunning.
From tomato cage Christmas trees decked out with pine boughs and Christmas lights, to vases of bare branches by a sparkling fire, there are materials all around you to make your home look great for the holidays.
One of the best ways to start on your decorating plans is to look around your neighborhood or the internet for inspiration. Find the look you like, and then either brainstorm ways to do it yourself at home, or look for holiday hacks that have already been done online. Chances are, if you can dream it up, someone out there has built it or found an ingenious way to create a budget version of it.
One of the keys is to look around your environment to see what you have to use as raw materials for decorating. Both natural materials and man-made objects can be fantastic bases for holiday decorations.
To create whimsical holiday trees for next to nothing, turn tomato cages from the garden upside down and decorate them with pine boughs, garlands, lights, ribbons, ornaments or other decorations.
DIY Christmas Trees At The Mighty Team 2903!Use A Tomato Cage As A Base, Add Lights, Add Garland & Bow's For A Custom Festive Tree Anywhere! pic.twitter.com/64SlVyyVpc
— Drew Gentry (@drewpristine) November 21, 2016
Make your own DIY Tomato Cage Christmas Tree https://t.co/XCjzHz1CQ2 #DIY pic.twitter.com/1mFMZnJ3wK
— Dana Fox (@thewonderforest) November 24, 2016
You can be as elaborate or as simple as you like with this idea.
Upside down tomato cage + Christmas lights = Christmas tree #ididathing pic.twitter.com/Vj4cqdrKWN
— Marcus (@D_USA) November 18, 2016
Inexpensive DIY wreaths can be made from all sorts of materials, from branches to ornaments to balls of yarn.
Easy Adorable DIY Yarn Snowball Christmas Wreath from @thehappyhousie! https://t.co/G9SCGeCbET pic.twitter.com/irGyTpCfQ9
— Virginia Fynes (@FynesDesigns) November 15, 2016
if anyone needs a cheap craft idea, i made a wreath with a pool noodle and dollar tree ornaments?? pic.twitter.com/qyOcdQBrYe
— lex (@ahutchins123) November 21, 2016
Feel free to use natural materials that grow in your area, even if they don’t seem like typical holiday decorations. The effect can be beautiful and surprising.
We hung out with owner Gloria Cheung, of @FlowerFactoryCa where she shares a super-easy wreath #DIY on the blog! https://t.co/l8CNmbMaWv pic.twitter.com/vVWVvBWtFh
— Poppytalk (@poppytalk) November 15, 2016
Lots of sites online offer round-ups of all kinds of additional frugal decorating ideas and Christmas hacks.
Becoration offers 22 clever decorating ideas for making your own DIY Christmas tree, fashioned out of everything from logs to books to paper.
Frugal Mom Eh! suggests visiting thrift stores and consignment stores for holiday decorations, as well as adding in unexpected decorations such as a fully-decorated Christmas tree outside. She also suggests reusing and repurposing items from others seasons, such as spray painting Halloween pumpkins white and turning them into snowman decorations.
7 Tips for Outdoor Holiday Decorating – Frugal Mom Eh! https://t.co/it16RkhPgU #Christmas pic.twitter.com/BhKlxNbvMx
— Life Love Liz (@LifeLuvLiz) December 11, 2015
You can also use natural items for beautiful holiday decorations, both inside and outside the house. Items like driftwood, tree branches, and pine cones can make simple, but stunning decorations.
I love decorating! I also love saving money! Getting creative with pinecones for the holiday season. #Blogger #DIY https://t.co/bzMvAgWgwi pic.twitter.com/r3bPzFHdmz
— Pints and Pickles (@pintsandpickles) November 21, 2016
You can also find creative ways to reuse materials to create unique holiday looks, inside and out. Some items look downright garish when they’re not in their element, but can come to life in surprisingly gorgeous ways when you place them right and then set up the right conditions.
A6: we made this cd board to reflect Christmas lights onto the yard- it looks really cool outside #DIHWorkshop pic.twitter.com/aIyrAhBjl9
— Rebecca Lock (@alady3lads) October 28, 2016
Many people find creative ways to embellish Christmas lights and create more elaborate effects with items such as ping pong balls or even melted HDPE milk jugs.
So PRETTY "gardenias" Recycled Christmas Lights made from reused HDPE Milk Jugs! How to: https://t.co/9uL0q4s85V pic.twitter.com/43hrtLbGHG
— Close the Loop (@closetheloop) December 8, 2015
Jars filled with Christmas lights can make lovely decorations inside or outside. Use colored lights for a more festive look or white lights for a more simple, classic effect.
Ball jars and colored Christmas lights make a super easy, beautiful decoration. I made these 3 years ago today ? pic.twitter.com/TgjDl6PBnJ
— Eva Elisabeth (@evawut) November 14, 2015
Glass jars stuffed with #Christmas lights #ChristmasEve pic.twitter.com/BmD0rTPYKy
— Floormaker (@floormakeruk) December 24, 2014
You can also spray paint wine bottles to match your decor inside for beautiful holiday vases. Add glitter if you want to make it extra festive.
Create the perfect #Christmas #decorations with your empty #wine bottles!https://t.co/rxv8EQ8BxT pic.twitter.com/3gq6dJClT3
— Natural Vine (@naturalvine) November 20, 2016
Not up to decorating outside this year? Some people also take on holiday decorating with a sense of humor to get out of the job and still bring a smile to neighbors’ faces.
Genius. Minimal work, full Xmas decorating effect. pic.twitter.com/EoGrd5osbP
— P210 Productions (@p210productions) December 14, 2013
Don’t underestimate the effect that a giant red bow or wreath can create, too. Sometimes simple really is best.
No matter what you do, approach the project with creativity and imagination. Some of the best holiday decorations start out as unexpected or overlooked items that came to life with a little bit of work and by thinking outside of the box.
Remember also that sometimes less is more, and you don’t need to completely fill your home or yard with holiday decorations in order to create a simple, stunning, and beautiful effect.
Happy holidays!
[Featured Image by Versta/Shutterstock]