Inexpensive Decorative Ideas

Inexpensive Decorative Ideas

Entertaining can be costly at any time of year, especially Christmas, so here are a few inexpensive ideas for some festive fun and sparkle. Oranges, pine cones and even brussel sprouts can play a part.

Often difficult to find in France, Crackers don’t have to be expensive or shipped in. There are plenty of instructions about how to make them online but, instead of trying to squash an oversized gift into an empty loo roll, why not pop a clue inside for a post-lunch search? You could also add a kazoo or harmonica for some merry tunes at the table. Decorate with flowers, foliage, ribbons, bows, cut outs, or you could draw merry snowmen faces and finish with scarves.

Here’s another of our inexpensive decorative ideas: pine cones are fabulous painted with coloured spray, finished with glitter and placed in a basket by the fire. Or paint the cone edges with white “snow” and hang upside down. Bleached pine cones are pretty too. Use two parts bleach to 1 part water and put in a container, weigh the top to ensure they remain submerged, and leave for 48 hours or more. Drain and place on paper towel until dry and opened up. Decorate with bows, bells, ferns and berries for a delightful centrepiece or hanging display.

Let everyday objects unlock your creativeness and conjure up happy memories by spraying old keys and hanging them with pretty ribbon from the tree. Lightbulbs of various shapes can also be turned into pretty tree ornaments with a swirl of colourful paint and bows.

You’ll never look at an LED tea light in the same way again! Decorate with faces and add felt hats, scarves and earmuffs, then hang from the tree.

Don’t forget those fruit and nuts! Fill a tall glass vase with walnuts for a nutty display (or, for something different and just a little nuts, you could try Brussel Sprouts to give a quirky green effect). Enjoy a spicy aroma by tying ribbon around an orange (secure with pins at the top and base) and stud all over with cloves. Hang or place in a dish. Dried orange and lemon slices are great in a wreath at the front door, and a glass of orange liqueur would be something different for Santa.

More Inexpensive Decorative Ideas – really bright ones!

Remember those summer wine bottles and jam jars with lights? Add some holly with berries, greenery or tiny white balls to give them a Christmas make-over. For a stunning effect, place them next to icy snow puffs which are really simple to make. Just stick as many toothpicks as you can into foam balls, keeping the stick length the same, then spray the whole thing white. For an all-white angelic effect, spray empty bottles with white paint or glue and roll in white glitter. Simply beautiful.

Use your garden urns or pots to create a festive welcome by topping with a foam circle or triangle studded with baubles, foliage and lights.

Starry starry bright is the aim when a large foam ball is wrapped round and round with fairy lights (secure with pins now and again). Use three balls together for a surreal effect. Paint the foam ball black or dark blue to create the appearance of a round ball of lights miraculously hanging in the night sky. Or carefully wrap around a balloon, then burst the balloon for a see-through effect.

Now that’s Christmas magic!

First published in the November/December 2019 issue of The Local Buzz

Images: Shutterstock