Now that halloween is over, it’s basically Christmas. Skip the turkey and the mashed potatoes, bring on the wrapping paper and the eggnog (preferably spiked.) And besides the gift giving, the best part of the holiday season is the decorations. The hours of sweating, and hanging, and “now where do I put this” are so worth it when you step back and stare at your masterpiece.
The real struggle is not over decorating. We are all guilty of walking past those “super-cute” “gotta have it” Christmas decorations that rack up our Target bill from weekly groceries to “um your total is $256.” And then once we get home we have no idea where to put the stuffed Rudolph that sings in four languages.
Lucky for you, there may be some solutions for your decoration problem…(other than just avoiding Target in general)
- Embrace your inner Martha Stewart
Find things around your house that you can transform into cute, rustic decorations with just some paint or ribbon. Things like mason jars, or wine bottles can be used as vases or candle holders. Pop some paint on them and fill them with some winter floral arrangements and you have a cozy, cheap decoration.
2. Save that firewood
Using wood pallets or boards work great as a rustic canvas. Any craft store has them, or recycle some pallets. Just a paint brush and some paint work as a simple fix. Even if you aren’t the best painter you can even make simple, cute creations like the one below with thread and nails.
3. Oh Christmas tree
Here’s a little challenge for your pine-scented beauty: less is best. This year instead of loading the tree up with everything that has a metal hook within a four-mile radius of your home, try color coordinating and using less ornaments. Not only will it de-clutter your tree; just think, the less decorations you put on it, the less you have to take down, or the less that will get broken…can you believe it? Funny how that works.
Of course, you still should hang up the cotton ball santa that you made in Mrs. Smith’s art class in 1984 because you put blood, sweat and tears into that. But try to keep the crazy stuff to a minimum.
- Take the Ornaments off the tree
Use some of your extra ornaments to make some simple crafts to display around the house. You can hang them from some lighting fixtures, fill vases with them, or even make your own creation with some extra stuff you have laying around.
5. It smells like Christmas in here
Want your house to smell like chestnuts roasting on an open fire but without the fire and the chestnuts? Perfect, get ready to get your wax on. We all know that candles are a quick easy fix to make your house smell like Santa’s workshop, but they can get pricey. Surprisingly local craft stores such as Hobby Lobby or Jo Ann Fabrics sell bags of unscented chipped wax, scented oils and even the wicks. This is so easy I don’t know why everyone doesn’t do it. You can put them in anything, but mason jars are usually the go-to. Just melt the wax in the microwave, add a few drops of the oil, stick in the wick and wait for it to dry.
The holidays are an exciting time in the Queen City. Whether it’s decorating your current home or searching for a home to put all your great ideas in, keep Red Door Real Estate in mind! Come see us or give us a call at 716.768.1177
