Last Minute Holiday Touches
on the Cheap
by Kathy Wilson
Last minute details can take a holiday home from ho ho hum to
spectacular, and doesn't have to cost a lot of cash! Here are
some great quick, easy, and inexpensive ideas to wow your guests
and comfort your family.
*Use those leftover bits of wrapping paper and a hole punch to
make confetti. (Great job for the kids!) Use the colorful
confetti to sprinkle across holiday tables for festive cheer, or
save for that midnight moment!
*Invest in a large roll of wire edged ribbon in gold or silver,
so that it can be used for all holidays right into New Years.
Learn to tie fanciful bows, or just tie a simple bow to the backs
of dining chairs, around stemware, or around your silverware. Let
it ribbon through holiday centerpieces, over mantels, or stream
it across doorways. Go to
http://www.save-on-crafts.com/howtomakebows.html to learn to tie
several different bows!
*Use graham crackers, a little frosting, and cookies and candies
from the dollar or discount store to create a wonderful
Gingerbread House centerpiece in no time! This is one of those
projects that make memories, so bring the kids to the table, make
a replica of your own home, or make replicas of friends homes and
give as gifts! The best frosting to use is a stiff one, with no
ingredients that will spoil. Remember, you can color some
frosting to make grass and trees.
*Have your children pitch in with holiday decorating, and ask
them if they have any toys that would like to watch for Santa!
Tie ribbon around the neck of a teddy and tuck onto the mantle,
use wooden blocks to spell out Christmas words or sayings- create
a toy wonderland from your own "backyard" so to speak!
*Drop by your dollar store and pick up some Christmas wrapping
paper. (Yes, it is just a buck!) Wrap some of the pictures from
your walls like gifts, add a bow, then rehang. I like to do this
just in the entryway for more impact using less dollars! You
could also "wrap" your front door or window with a bow and
ribbon, and some packing tape.
*Cut simple holiday shapes out of paper or felt, then hang with
thread from curtain rods, hanging lamps, doorways or over the
outside of a lampshade. Try your hand at paper snowflakes, and
hang them in groups in your windows.
*Stamp holiday shapes on your glass windows with craft paint. Mix
acrylic paint with an equal amount of dishwashing liquid soap,
then use to stamp snowflakes, stockings, and santas on the inside
of your windows. After the holidays, it will clean right off with
window cleaner and a non abrasive scrub pad. (You know, the kind
that is safe for non stick cookware, so that it doesn't scratch
your windows.)
*Finally, light those candles, and bring the sparkle of the
holidays right to your table each and every night, don't wait for
company!
Enjoy the joy of the season, and Happy Holidays from The Budget
Decorator!
Want more free home and garden ideas? Kathy Wilson is a home and
garden writer, author and consultant and is the home decorating
expert for LifetimeTV.com. Visit her for more home and garden
ideas at http://www.TheBudgetDecorator.com and
http://www.TheGardenGlove.com. Also visit her at
http://www.Women-on-the-Net.com where any woman can learn to make
money on the internet!