Effortless Festive Elegance: DIY Christmas Decor

I was going to title this post “the overwhelmed person’s guide to decorating a house for Christmas“, but even if you are not feeling overwhelmed, the Christmas decor ideas I am sharing are for anyone who likes to find budget-friendly and easy holiday decorating ideas and inspiration.

You know that I enjoy finding ways to keep my decor on budget and rarely buy expensive seasonal items that will sit in storage for 11 months of the year.

This year though there is one big difference. All the Christmas decorating that I just finished putting up, I will be taking down in a few days. You may be asking, Why am I taking it down???

The exterior damage was fixed right away, but we have had to wait for the interior contractor who will repair the ceilings in the guest room and kitchen. It is going to be nice to have new ceilings and no more popcorn. When we thought more about it we figured while they were at it we would have the living room and office ceilings done also.

Well guess what, the contractor called earlier this week and said he can start right away. So as I write this post sitting in my living room that is all newly decorated for Christmas there is a lot of banging going on upstairs and in the kitchen.

It is all very exciting, but very disruptive for it to happen this time of the year. For the ceilings to get done we have to move out all the furnishings! Removing the popcorn ceiIings is something that I have always wanted to do, but it is a big and messy job that I kept putting on the back burner. Now after the water damage that insurance is covering, I can’t let the opportunity pass, even if it is disruptive.

Also something very exciting happened in the kitchen yesterday. I will post more about what is being done in my next post, but for now I will show you how I decorated for Christmas.

Editing My Holiday Decor

Even before I knew that the ceilings were going to get done I was planning to keep the Christmas decor I added to the house very simple.

Simplicity, comfort –strike comfort this year, and traditional red and green is the look and feel I was after, not too much, but just enough to make the house look festive for the season.

With so many holiday decor items available to buy this time of year you may feel the urge to buy new holiday themed pieces you see online, on blogs or in stores like Target and HomeGoods without thinking about how the items will all work together in your home and even more importantly with your personal decorating style.

Holiday decorating as much as your regular decor demands that you be choosy and edit what you buy and how you use what you already own so it works together in a harmonious way and doesn’t just become a bunch of unrelated holiday stuff displayed around your home.

Create a Collected Look

When decorating on a budget, using what you already own is one of the best ways to go. I like to gather “like items” to create a collected look by placing them together to create impact.

I did just this by gathering all the cylinder glass vases I use around the house and placed them all on the mantel so they became a collection that creates a curated feel.

All the greenery on the mantel are cuttings from the cedar and pine trees in my yard. Since the mantel is high on the wall, there is not much room above it to hang anything large. I tried many items, but they all were too big or too dinky looking.

Another way I added a collected look was by placing white ceramic houses in the dough bowl on the console under my wall-mounted TV.

Add Layers To Create Texture

For the wall above the mantel, I found by leaning and layering a small empty frame over a larger one on the wall filled the space nicely. At the same time the frames created texture and an easy way to hang a wreath since I can’t easily hang it directly on the brick wall.

I made the mix of plaid stockings last year.

The battery-operated pillar candles in the glass vases are a mix. Some are from Pottery Barn and others Luminara. Most of the cylinder vases I bought at thrift stores.

Ribbon is the Budget Decorator’s Best Friend

Using ribbon is the most cost effective and fastest way to instantly transform your everyday decor displayed in your house into Christmas decor. No need to buy holiday themed decor that you will have to store in a bin after the holiday season is over.

I used a lot of ribbon this year, starting with the ribbon bows I used to decorate the blue and white Christmas tree in my bedroom.

For the Christmas tree in the living room, I used red velvet ribbon to create simple garlands around the tree.

After I had the ribbon garlands on the tree, I cut up leftover plaid fabric I had into strips and simply tied them on the tree branches. I didn’t add any ornaments.

In the Kitchen

My kitchen is small and there are not many surfaces to decorate. Every year I like to add festive holiday touches to the open shelves. With the changes happening in my kitchen, I had to use less decor and make the shelves be more functional to hold the dishes we use on a daily basis.

I didn’t want to buy anything new for the counter space under the shelves and found that leaning two Christmas cookbooks and a gift wrapped frame that I used on my mantel last year were all I needed to add some Christmas spirit.

The small wreath and tree trunk slice are from Hobby Lobby. The lamp I have had for many years and is no longer available.

Add a Glow

Harsh lighting can kill all of your holiday decorating efforts. If you can dim the lights everywhere in the house this season it will take on a magical feel. Every room feels better with soft light.

And if you don’t have a dimmer, just unscrew a bulb or two. And for real drama use lots of candles all around the house. I love and use the battery-operated kind.

My favorite way to add a soft glow is using my collection of Kosta Boda Snowballs. One year I may use them on the mantel or massing them as a centerpiece on the kitchen table. This year, I placed 3 of my 8 on the shelves. They have votive battery-operated candles in a warm white color in them.

More Ways to Make It Festive With Ribbon

After using ribbon on the tree and in the kitchen, I used more on the candle sconces on the wall in the dining area of the kitchen where I hung a small wreath and tied a bow on the sconce using red velvet ribbon.

Out in the foyer where I keep a trio of large wood candle holders, the addition of a band of ribbon and a candle wreath easily transform them into Christmas decor.

Another place where ribbon and jingle bells transformed an everyday decor item into a holiday one is in the foyer on the ceramic Dachshund that was Ed’s moms. His name is Bruder and he likes to look out the window and greet people, some even think he is real at first glance. 🙂

Look around your home to find items you can add a festive touch to using ribbon when decorating your home for Christmas this year.

Don’t Forget Christmas Ambiance Includes Sound

Christmas at home is not complete without the right mix of holiday music playing in the background. A great Christmas music playlist not only provides festive acoustics, but can bring back fond Christmas memories. I like to make my own mixes or find lists on Spotify.

Don’t Strive for Perfection

And finally, don’t get hung up on perfection when decorating for any season.

When I was gathering glass cylinder vases around my house to display together on the mantel, I was one short for the look I was after. With a bit of searching through my decor stash, I found a low, wide glass jar I bought at an antique store a few years ago. I have never used it until now.

When you look closely you can see the ridges on the top of the jar where the lid screws on. Overall, you don’t notice that it is different from the rest.

I think many of us can get too focused on having everything magazine or Pinterest perfect. Lessen your perfection scale and simply enjoy what you can create with what you have.

Have you decorated your home for the holidays? Did you do anything different this year? If you need more ideas for everything you need to celebrate the holidays, don’t miss my All Things Christmas Ideas right here on my blog.

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