Christmas decorating doesn't have to break the bank. Brighten up your apartment for the holidays using items from your kitchen, past Christmases, and your back yard. Simple, inexpensive touches like candles, greenery and splashes of red, green and gold can quickly transform your home without hurting your budget. If you're artistically inclined, use simply obtained supplies like paint and fabricto decorate. Even if you don't have an artistic bone in your body, you can create a holiday showplace.
Step 1
Take a walk outside and gather natural items to use for Christmas decorating. Use evergreen branches, pine cones and holly berries to make garlands or wreaths. Spray-paint pine cones and nuts in matte gold or crystal white and put them in holiday baskets or clear glass bowls for an elegant, festive touch. Arrange cut pine boughs on your mantel with some colorful bows and candles.
Step 2
Use items you already have: place old Christmas cards as decorations on the mantel or bookshelves. Fill a glass bowl with extra Christmas ornaments and a few pine cones for a festive centerpiece. Arrange holiday pillar candles in groupings on end tables, and float small ones in a shallow bowl of water. Hang holiday cookie cutters, pine cones or extra Christmas ornaments in the windows on different lengths of red ribbon or gold cord.
Step 3
Transform simple food items into holiday decorations. Stud fresh oranges with whole cloves and stack them in a basket or bowl with some gold ribbon. They not only look beautiful, but they add a spicy holiday fragrance to the room. Use a needle and thread to string popped popcorn and whole cranberries to hang on the tree as garlands. Decorate holiday cookies and hang them on cords in the windows, or use some to decorate a wreath.
Step 4
Use inexpensive rolls of red and gold ribbon: Cut varying lengths to hang candy canes and ornaments in the windows or from lights overhead. Make bows in different sizes to use instead of ornaments on Christmas tree branches. Tie ribbon around glass vases, lampshades or plain throw pillows to add a Christmas touch to your everyday decor.
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Writer Bio
As a national security analyst for the U.S. government, Molly Thompson wrote extensively for classified USG publications. Thompson established and runs a strategic analysis company, is a professional genealogist and participates in numerous community organizations.Thompson holds degrees from Wellesley and Georgetown in psychology, political science and international relations.