Wednesday, November 29, 2006

Decorating without Michael's

My next posts will be about sprucing up your home for the holidays without resorting to a craft store like Michael's or Joann. As you know, I love decorations to be fresh, free, or both! This year I'll be economizing more than ever. Between the move and the baby, my personal stash of Christmas goodies is at an all time low. I only have one roll of ribbon left! While most of my decorating tends to be one-time yard sale finds, I'll try my best to share ideas that all of us can do. And I hope you'll chime in as we go along. I always say the comments are my favorite part of Like Merchant Ships!

I'll be able to upload photos from my husband's computer, so I'll be back later to kick off our Christmas celebration. In the meantime, send the kids outside with shopping bags and tell them to gather all the pinecones, acorns, and lichen-encrusted bits of bark they can find!

7 comments:

Rebecca said...

Here in Oklahoma you can get mistletoe if you have access to land where it grows on the trees.

Marsha said...

I've been grateful, amazed and also a little ashamed at how my first instinct in decorating this year has been to buy, buy, buy. We moved immediately after Christmas last year and I'm not sure where many of my things are (don't get me started on the incompetent moving company or the apparent insanity of the moving men themselves). Anyway, I was contemplating some Christmas needs this year and remembered as I read your post that I already have 1) red paper plates (bought on clearance after the Fourth of July) to use for gifting homemade cookies, 2) red brocade ribbon for bows on the staircase garland and 3) empty Altoid's tins that will be great for packages the wine charms I've made.

Thanks for the reminder that often what we need is right in front of us, just waiting to be noticed.

Marsha said...

That first bit should read "grateful that I've been able to avoid acting on the instinct."

Jeez. I guess I should never try to comment on blogs when one kid is asking questions about Saturn, my husband is packing and wondering where his socks are and the cat chases a rubber ball around my feet!

Carrie J said...

One of my favorite things is to create Christmas ornaments from interesting materials. My own tree was done last year in a snow theme. One of my favorite decorations on it were the chandelier baubles from an old light my sister gave me.
On my blog right now I have pictures of a tree I decorated for a Festival of trees. It was a last minute thing so I used materials on hand and decorated it for $14. It sold for $200 at the preview. I wouldn't have paid that much, but I was pleased to help. I'm one of those people that would change the tree every year if possible, luckily I have space constrants or I probably would. This year we are back to the family tree, it is my son's favorite and I got to do something different and creative last year. Next year will be my turn again or maybe I'll just do another tree for the charity and get it out of my system that way.

Someone Beautiful said...

Oh this is wonderful, and I can't wait to hear your ideas. I have some of those tiny jello molds too, and was planning on giving them to a friend, but maybe I can use some to decorate first. :) I'd like to see how you do it. I have very little counter space, and don't want it to look even more cluttered. Thank you for the pinecone idea! We made some but gave them as gifts, and now we'll make some for oursleves! We trimmed the edges in silver glitter, all the pinecones in different natural looking imperfect shapes, and it was really more beautiful than the ones in the store.

Someone Beautiful said...

P.S. I would love to see how you make a wreath from tree trimmings. Do you hold it together with wire? I would like to make a wreath for the front door, and the vineyard I visited said I can come in January for some vine, but I would like something now. :) I remembered you mentioning making them.

Meredith said...

I will be making wreaths tomorrow. I don't even have any vines, but you don't really need them! It's so easy you won't believe it!