How to Decorate for Christmas on a Budget

Today we're talking about Christmas and home decor. I've never really mentioned much about my home on the blog but many of you wanted to see how I will be decorating for Christmas this year, when I recently asked in an Instagram poll. My overall style with home decor is pretty simple; cozy. I want people to feel hugged by my house when they walk through the front door. I like neutral colors, but I like different textures and fabrics. I love antiques, vintage furniture, and items with a story. To me, I like my home to evoke a feeling of happiness mixed with memories. Nothing has to match, but everything has to flow. Christmas decorations are no exception. This is the first year I've really decorated for Christmas in my home so I wanted to share with you some ways that I've decorated that are budget friendly and still go along with my design asthetic. 

Let's first talk about my tree because it honestly wasn't preplanned, it just kind of happened. I searched christmas trees on Amazon and this 5 ft white tree came up for $35. I have always loved the idea of a white tree and decided 5 ft was the perfect size for my little apartment, so I quickly bought it and the inspiration went from there. It's no secret that I love metallics and neutrals in everyday life, so after going to Target to browse ornaments, I found myself gravitating towards metallics, browns, and really rustic and natural colors. I didn't have many of my own ornaments so I purchased about $40 worth at Target and that is mostly what is on this tree. While most of my ornaments are within this color scheme, I purchased some red, green, and even pink ones, because I love the look of a mismatched, not perfectly coordinated tree. I even found a $4 gold sequined star that slips easily onto the top of your tree. Sugar Paper Designs did a collaboration with Target this year and the result is awesome! I highly recommend visiting Target to scope out the items if you need some stylish, yet inexpensive ornaments or decorations.

The other place I visited for ornaments was Cracker Barrel. The day I went all ornaments were buy 4 get one free. I grabbed some gold jingle bells, silver glass balls, and a cute white and brown glittery owl. My tree wasn't pre-lit, but I was able to cover the tree well with 200 white lights found at Target for $10. Overall I think this tree cost me about $100 to purchase and decorate and I love it. The white tree brightens the room up and still feels so cozy. 

I placed my tree next to my entertainment area/book shelves which I then wanted to transform a little for the holidays as well. In my home I don't have a fireplace so I decided to hang my stockings on either shelf to frame the TV. I also picked up a $3 garland from the Target dollar spot, and wove it around the shelving and above the TV to connect the two shelves. I feel like this makes my entertainment center (which is really a TV stand sandwiched between two ladder bookshelves) look like one cohesive piece. I just so happen to have this star lamp from IKEA year round on this shelf, but I think it adds to the Christmas feeling. 

Next up we have my coffee table. This table runner was gifted to me last year and I love how it adds a little bit of color to my table. In order to stay organized with remotes and such, I like to have a little tray or something centered. I found this wooden board again in the Target dollar spot and decided it would be perfect. They even had a $3 coffee mug in the dollar spot that I decided would be perfect for holding remotes, pens, and all the little things that end up on this coffee table. I love the look of using items in an unexpected way and this coffee mug is no exception.  

This next DIY is one of my favorites. As mentioned before, I love antiques and could spend hours going from booth to booth at antique markets. I love to find new uses for older items. One of my favorite things to find is old postcards. If you've been to my house, you may have seen my valentine garland in my hallway, which is a collection of old valentines sent in the 1910's-30's that have the cutest little sayings and love poems. Recently, I took this idea and made it more christmas inspired. I purchased holiday postcards at an antique shop and decided to clothespin them to this garland in my living room. There's something about the vintage artwork that is very comforting. 

The last item I want to discuss is Pomander balls. Yesterday I got together with some of my close friends to start a tradition. Every year we want to get together to make some sort of holiday decoration and this year we started off with Pomander balls. I used to make these as a child and was so excited to share these with friends. Not only are they so beautiful and customizable, but they smell amazing and can be treasured for a long time. I learned how to make them from Martha Stewart, so here is a link to her directions.  We used a nail to poke the oranges before inserting the cloves and it worked great. We sprinkled ours in arrowroot powder and cinnamon to preserve them and make them smell even better. It's amazing how just one of these in a room can really make it smell like Christmas. If you google citrus pomander balls, you'll see loads of inspiration on how to design and create your own. 

There you have it. So far this is how I have decorated for Christmas. So far everyone has told me I've nailed the cozy factor right on the head, so I'm happy it's coming along. Let me know what you think and please share your Christmas traditions with me! I love to hear about what unique things people do for holidays. 

Now I'm off to go make homemade bagels. Have a relaxing and wonderful Sunday friends!

-Andrea