May I just preface this post by saying that I have no idea how to take inside pictures of house stuff.
I tip my hat to all you DIY bloggers out there.
Okay, moving on.
Some of you may remember that when we originally came to Seattle it was only going to be for around 5 months, very temporary.
Now, we’re in some sort of semi-permanence here (don’t ask), but the point is, half of our stuff is still sitting nicely in our home in Mesa.
Including all the Christmas decor.
Let me pause a moment and explain to you that I am a Christmas decor fanatic.
I’m pretty sure that the single biggest dream of my childhood was to one day have the Clark Griswald house.
You know the one.
That’s covered in lights and has all kinds of cheesy lighted yard decor.
I know. Dream big.
In high school, I spent money from my weekend job waiting tables to buy more Christmas lights, because I didn’t think that what my parents had was quite enough.
And then I commandeered the job of light hanger from my dad and shimmied up onto the roof every Friday after thanksgiving.
I mean, what 16-year-old girl does that?
So you got it.
I’m weird.
You can perhaps imagine now, why I’ve spent the last month (or two) kind of obsessing over the fact that 8 years worth of collected Christmas decor is sitting in nice boxes on the shelves Mr. built, 1500 miles away in Arizona.
How will it ever feel like Christmas without that little gingerbread house figurine?!
So we improvised, and did Christmas decor on a dime.
(and by we I mean me, because I’m the only one fanatic enough to obsess about this. Mr. is sooo much better at taking these kind of situations with a grain of salt.)
The benefit of being fanatic, however, is that when you obsess about something long enough you figure out how to do it cheaper.
Back in AZ I have 2 fabulous fake trees. I know, I know. Not as magical as the real ones. I have one word for you. Sap. Once that almost ruins one of your precious heirloom ornaments, you go fake…
Anyways.
First: the big tree.
I have this gem of a fake tree back in AZ. 8ft tall, thick, very realistic looking. I mourned that tree for the last month.
I was also determined to find another, and I didn’t want to pay a lot.
But I still wanted it to look fabulous.
I’m a have my cake and eat it too kind of person…
Total cost of the tree was $105.
And that’s including the tree.
The breakdown:
9 ft. Tree: found off craigslist for $50
Lights: $20 (choke- it took so. many. strands)
Tulle: $15 (from Michaels)
Burlap Garland: $10 (also from Michaels: two rolls $5 a piece)
Ornaments: $10 (Walmart and the Dollar store.)
Burlap Tree Skirt: Scrap Burlap I already had.
I don’t know why, but I love pairing tulle with burlap. I love how the textures play against each other. Plus, I’m just a sucker for burlap anything.
I still wanted to do 2 Christmas trees this year because we have this neat overlook at the top of our stairs and it’s right off the loft where the littles like to hang a lot, so I thought it would be the perfect space for a “littles” tree.
cool over-look. and a little.
Normally this would be covered in all our special ornaments, but since they are on vacation this year, we made bows out of scrap fabric, hung some lights, and wrapped the tree in tulle and burlap garland left over from the other tree.
I found the tree for $20 at Target.
The mantle.
A few things from around the house and some Apothecary jars from Ross filled with pine cones, and berries, spare ornaments and bells. A pennant made out of spare fabric from my sewing room. (Recognize the chevron fabric??) And one of the few things brought from AZ, our snowman nativity.
The stairs: Cheap evergreen garland, tulle, burlap garland for the bows, a couple strands of lights, and some scrap fabric. (all mostly scrounged from around the house)
Outside decor:
Wreaths can get pretty pricey. But I picked this twig one up for $3, bought $2 worth of berries, pulled them apart, stuck them on it, and hung it from the door with scrap fabric.
Another pennant for the front door and a grapevine garland from Michaels.
I put a few lights on our bushes, (in a very Charlie Brown Christmas kind of way) and called it enough.
And there you have it. Our Christmas decor on a dime.
now link-up anything you want below!
A fabulous Christmas frock, your tree, a lovely wreath, anything goes!
That is gorgeous, everything. Specifically love your tree and the wreath for its cost efficiency. Your home looks festive, no one would ever know you are missing your favorite things. Bravo.
oh. my. goodness. (!) you really need to start decorating homes for Christmas! If I were a millionnaire, I’d DEF hire you! Beautiful beautiful job on the decor!
I have that same snowman nativity!! It looks much cuter amongst your Christmas decorations than mine though. You have such good taste. Love everything!
I’ve never thought of doing a tulle or burlap garland:) I love it! Your pictures turned out beautifully. I also love your staircase. Would you like to fly to Indiana and give my decorations a little tweaking? Stay Fashionable! Love, candy http://www.candysclothescloset.blogspot.com
This is lovely, Cori! At my office we had a decorate the tree party and tried to make our own CHristmas tree and stuff. So fun! Some people said the DIY tree doesn’t look as good as store-bought, but who cares. We had a great time!
One word, wow!! Love the decorations! Who ever told you you’re not good at taking inside decor pictures, I think they are amazing. I’m slightly in love with your snowman nativity set, hahaha, so cute. Also love the apothecary jars, I’ve got some filled with sand and seashells. Might steal your idea and fill them with festive stuff. Happy holidays! x
Hi there! I’ve been reading your blog for a few month now and I love it so much you are like one of my style icons for real:). Just wanted to let you knoe I found amazing how you did you christmas decor! so pretty and lovely and most importa budget friendly! really makes me realize you don’t need a lot of money to do beautiful and breath taking things;) Congrats on having such a great blog and such awesome DIY projects.
Wow! I love that you have two Christmas trees, but literally everything pictured is just beautiful! Your obsession has paid off! You truely have a magical home.
I just came across your blog and it’s amazing! I’m a new follower (twitter!) If you have a bit of extra time, I’d love if you stopped by mine!
Hi There, I just love your tree. It is so beautiful. I also live in Mesa, AZ. I just found your blog and am now your newest follower. I can’t wait for more!
Very pretty! The part where you talked about wanting to have a Clark Griswald house and being totally obsessed with Christmas lights is exactly how I am!! Nice to know that I am not alone in my Christmas-crazy light obsession! You did a seriously awesome job decorating your house!
I love your touches of fabric and burlap, a freshing take on Christmas decor (besides the normal green and red) Great job!
That is gorgeous, everything. Specifically love your tree and the wreath for its cost efficiency. Your home looks festive, no one would ever know you are missing your favorite things. Bravo.
oh. my. goodness. (!)
you really need to start decorating homes for Christmas! If I were a millionnaire, I’d DEF hire you!
Beautiful beautiful job on the decor!
Wow you are so talented Cori, everything look amazing!
I have that same snowman nativity!! It looks much cuter amongst your Christmas decorations than mine though. You have such good taste. Love everything!
You did a wonderful job! With a house of that size and setup, you really have to do some thinking for it not to look sparse…and you nailed it!
I’ve never thought of doing a tulle or burlap garland:) I love it! Your pictures turned out beautifully. I also love your staircase. Would you like to fly to Indiana and give my decorations a little tweaking? Stay Fashionable!
Love, candy http://www.candysclothescloset.blogspot.com
Your house looks wonderful!! I love love love your home!!
Love all your decor!!! and love your blog!!!!
Great job.
i love your decor! i think you did great on a dime! i hope you don’t mind, i just tweaked my inspiration workshop from gussy sews. ;)
OMG. Your tree is absolutely MAGICAL! Seriously it looks like something out of a magazine. As does the rest of your house. You have a gift!!!
You did an amazing job on a dime! Thanks for posting so many photos (which look great by te way)
That is so stinking gorgeous. Seriously?
Also, you should link it to my {Thrifted Thursdays} because that looks like the mac-daddy of all thrifted goodness.
http://beautifulblendings.blogspot.com/2011/12/thrifted-thursdays-week-7.html
This is lovely, Cori! At my office we had a decorate the tree party and tried to make our own CHristmas tree and stuff. So fun! Some people said the DIY tree doesn’t look as good as store-bought, but who cares. We had a great time!
Visit me:
LeeAnne, Style N Season
http://stylenseason.blogspot.com
One word, wow!! Love the decorations!
Who ever told you you’re not good at taking inside decor pictures, I think they are amazing.
I’m slightly in love with your snowman nativity set, hahaha, so cute.
Also love the apothecary jars, I’ve got some filled with sand and seashells. Might steal your idea and fill them with festive stuff.
Happy holidays! x
We always have two trees – a real one and a fake one. We are off to buy the real tree today. Can’t wait.
Not sure how I found your blog but it’s fantastic and I’m a new follower. I just linked up to your party. Merry Christmas!
I had to look at this again. Is that the farmhouse table that you built in one of the pics?
So pretty! You have given me such good ideas for decorating!
Hi there! I’ve been reading your blog for a few month now and I love it so much you are like one of my style icons for real:). Just wanted to let you knoe I found amazing how you did you christmas decor! so pretty and lovely and most importa budget friendly! really makes me realize you don’t need a lot of money to do beautiful and breath taking things;)
Congrats on having such a great blog and such awesome DIY projects.
LOVE the tulle and burlap! Great dime decor!! Thanks for hosting!
Wow! I love that you have two Christmas trees, but literally everything pictured is just beautiful! Your obsession has paid off! You truely have a magical home.
I just came across your blog and it’s amazing! I’m a new follower (twitter!)
If you have a bit of extra time, I’d love if you stopped by mine!
Luvv, Leigh B
Hi There,
I just love your tree. It is so beautiful. I also live in Mesa, AZ. I just found your blog and am now your newest follower. I can’t wait for more!
Love your Christmas decor! Thanks for the beautiful photos — very inspiring!
very pretty! :)
That is so impressive! What a great way to make Christmas festive while far from your normal decor!
Very pretty! The part where you talked about wanting to have a Clark Griswald house and being totally obsessed with Christmas lights is exactly how I am!! Nice to know that I am not alone in my Christmas-crazy light obsession! You did a seriously awesome job decorating your house!
Buying new tree this year. Do you prefer pre lit or unlit trees?
I prefer unlit, that way if a bulb goes out you’re not stuck with a bum tree.
Hello. Did you wrap the tulle around the garland before hanging?