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Last Minute Holiday Touches on
the Cheap
by Kathleen 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 bits of leftover wrapping paper and a hole punch to make
confetti (a 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 that can
be used through 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 it as a gift! 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 and then re-hang. I like to do this just in the
entryway for more impact using fewer 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 Santa’s on the inside of your windows. After
the holidays, it will clean right off with window cleaner and a non
abrasive scrub pad (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. Happy Holidays.
About the author
Kathleen Wilson is author of
Quick Decorating Ideas Under $20: The
Budget Decorator's Bible and editor of the popular ezine, The Budget
Decorator. You can find more free ideas and information on ordering her
book at http://www.TheBudgetDecorator.com
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