How to decorate for Christmas on a budget when you’ve moved & need all new colors!

Last year I finally got my Christmas decorating to the point I could stand back and say “ahh…this all goes so well together and I love it!”

And then we moved.  And painted everything blue and white.  And all my Christmas decor is red and gold.  Blerg.

I don’t have the budget for replacing everything, nor do I think that I should waste money on color coordinating everything when there are people with real problems in the world (you know I heard a statistic yesterday that said that the average American family spends more for Christmas day than over half the world makes in a year?  Yikes.)

So I want to keep it minimal, use what I have, and still have a lovely and inviting home.  Here are some of my ideas.

My front living room is a complete departure from any decor I’ve ever had.  So here are my on-the-cheap solutions.  I used some white flour sack towels that I had sitting in a drawer and with some blue scraps of decor fabric appliqued JOY onto a pillow that fit right in with the rest of the bunch.  Simple.  Subtle.  But Christmasy.

I had greenery in that basket, so I rummaged through my flower graveyard (aka the box in the basement with pieces of every flower arrangement I’ve ever had) and tossed in some white hydrangeas, pine cones, and a few berry sprays.

Those frame on the wall? I did those when we first moved.  Got them at a thrift store and painted them an then filled them with our family portraits.  We’re ghosts.  We don’t show up in photos.  Just kidding.

I love my Ikea Besta bookshelves and didn’t want to change anything on them.

So it’s subtle, but I just added a few pine cones.  Instant holiday.

I got some really cheap wreaths at Michaels, they were like $2 or less.  Then I had one of those after Thanksgiving coupons that took another 40% off.  I took old garland that I have no where to put and smooshed and wove it into the wreath to beef it up.  Hung with a pretty ribbon and viola!  Oh, and the little tree in the burlap?  Have had it for years, probably another after Thanksgiving Michaels score.

So that’s my ultra simple, ultra cheap Christmas update for this room.  Next I’ll have some ornament updates for you.  Can’t use all those glittery gold and red, so I have to come up with some ideas.  I can’t wait to share!

Related posts:

1. Some After Christmas Fabric Sales
2. Tutorials for Christmas Tree Skirts
3. Rag Quilt Christmas Stocking ~ Tutorial Found