The signs of the holidays have arrived: dropping temperatures, changing leaves and, of course, pumpkin spice everything. Bringing some of the holiday cheer indoors through decorations is a simple and fun way to transform a house into a home. Decorating doesn’t have to be difficult or a budget breaker, either. Take a cue from our list of ten easy tips below to help prepare your home for the festive season with items you can find around the house or grab in a quick trip to the dollar store.
CENTERPIECE ON A BUDGET
Bring a special room together by adding a centerpiece to your mantle or table. You might be surprised to find that many of the materials you need to create a fantastic DIY centerpiece are already in your home. Fill a vase halfway with popcorn kernels, and add a candle to the center. Or, simply place a glass hurricane in a bowl and surround it with pinecones.
TIP: Hot glue cinnamon sticks to the outside of several candles of varying sizes for an instant centerpiece with a bonus — when you heat the cinnamon it will release a lovely scent.
PUMPKINS
Purchase a bag of tiny pumpkins, and simply stack them on a side table. The decoration should seem almost unintentional, so don’t think too critically about placement choice. To make the arrangement last longer, soak your pumpkins in bleach before placing them out in your home. Mix pumpkin colors or add height by placing a particularly interesting pumpkin atop of a smaller table or stool.
PINECONES
Borrow a bit of the outdoors. Collect pinecones to use as decorations, just make sure you eliminate hitchhikers first. Bake the pinecones for 45 minutes at 200 degrees to get rid of any bugs.
DRIED FLOWERS AND HERBS
You’ll need to purchase a straw wreath-form for this project. Your local craft store is sure to carry wreath-forms, especially around the holidays. Once you have this base, spend some time collecting blooms and foliage in a variety of colors and glue them to the wreath frame. The savory scents and array of colors will combine to create a sensory heaven in your space. Add a glass hurricane and candle to the center of the wreath and display flat, or tie a ribbon to the top to display on a wall or the front door.
FALL MASON JARS
Collect a grocery bag worth of leaves, round up some mason jars and stop by the craft store for glue. Remove the stems from the leaves, soak them in mod podge and apply them to your jar (stop with one for a minimalistic look, or layer them for a different effect). Once the jars have dried, you can fill them with candles, and add twine and glitter.
FOUR DOLLAR TOPIARY
Make your neighbors jealous with a gorgeous topiary that is unbelievably cheap – ringing in around four dollars. Purchase foam pumpkins from the dollar store, and paint them light cream. Shiskabob them atop one another on a bamboo skewer, and place in a planter. Add floral moss between each pumpkin as well as at the base to cover any blank space (if you prefer a different look you can add colored leaves rather than moss). You can also apply vinyl letters onto each pumpkin for a holiday message. Update the topiary throughout November with Indian corn.
DOLLAR STORE CLIPBOARD
Give a dollar store find a quick face-lift with free printable. If you already have a computer and printer, then your creative options for this project are endless. Find a sizeable clipboard from the dollar store. If you don’t love its color, give it a quick coat of paint before beginning this project. Then, Mod Podge the surface and apply your printable – carefully applying to ensure that you have no air bubbles. Glue magnets to the back of the clipboard to create a simple, aesthetically appealing reminder board for your refrigerator. Add any extra crafting supplies you have handy at home, like twine or burlap, to make your creation season-specific.
DIY BURLAP
Pick up fabric paint, burlap fabric and letter stencils. Arrange the letter stencils on the burlap fabric in your desired message and then go over the letter stencils with your fabric paint. Iron over the paint to set it. For a perfect, last minute runner on Thanksgiving try ‘GIVE THANKS’.
CANDLES
Candles instantly improve the aesthetic in any room, and the chances are you have some around – or can easily find them. Place leaves on a surface, then group candles together atop the leaves. Choose candles of staggering heights for a clean look.
SNOWFLAKE MOBILE
….and one for winter. We may not always see snow flakes in the south, but that doesn’t mean we can’t use them as decorations. Create the illusion of snowdrifts by cutting out handmade snowflakes and stringing them from a simple mobile with thread. Attach them to a spray painted branch, existing pendant lights or chandelier if you don’t have a mobile handy.
In the fall spirit but need a house to decorate? We’ve got you covered! Our real estate agents are experts in Middle Tennessee real estate. Call us at 615.807.0579 to start searching in time to find your home for the holidays.
