We’re dreaming of a warm and cozy Christmas this year! Partly because Charleston is expecting a VERY cold winter. Mostly because I saw some beautiful Christmas garlands at a local boutique that inspired a slew of comfy and soft DIY holiday projects.
Unintentionally, every Christmas holds its own theme in our house. Our first married Christmas the theme was “minimalistic”. (AKA we were poor newlyweds and only decorated with an 18″ metal tree I bought for 50% off at Hobby Lobby.)
The next year was our son’s first Christmas so we went with traditional (but muted) red and greens and loved the awe in his little eyes every time we lit the tree.
Last year we had just moved into our first home. I called our decor “A Simple Christmas.” With limited storage space and a lot of recent expenses, we kept it simple and let our new house be the main attraction for the holiday season.
Christmas 2019 will be warm and cozy. The projects maintain the heart of frugality and minimalism from years past and prove a special and beautiful Christmas season doesn’t have to break the bank.
The projects below offer inspiration and details for simple and affordable Christmas decorations. As years pass and tastes change, they can be easily incorporated into future trends. So grab a mug of your favorite holiday drink and get yourself in the Christmas spirit!
Pinecone Trees ($5.50 each x 1 = $5.50)
A trip to the Dollar Tree is one of our favorite post-nap activities. There’s always something new and is sure to get the creative juices flowing. When I spotted bags of scented pinecones, I knew we had hit the jackpot. Luckily foam cones were also in stock so we had the makings of an easy afternoon Dollar Tree DIY! Each pinecone tree requires 4 bags of pinecones, 1 foam cone and half of a cylinder gift box equaling a mere $5.50 project! Get step by step instructions here!
Fluffy Cotton Trees ($2 each x 2 = $4)
After realizing how many bags of pinecones I would need for 4 trees on the mantle… I did some quick planning adjustments and am pretty obsessed with the end result!
I noticed the sweet ladies at Hobby Lobby wrapped masking tape around the piping before cutting. Why? Because there is thin threading encasing the piping to hold it together. Without it, the piping starts to loosen and unravel. This is bad for actually using as piping… but great for making soft, fluffy trees! Just wrap and glue the unraveled piping around a Dollar Tree foam cone, add a base and swoon over your TWO DOLLAR handmade tree! Get step by step instructions here!
Wire Christmas Tree (Free)
I try to decorate on the rule of thirds. So for our mantle it’s only fitting to add one more tree to our display. To offset the wood and the cotton, I’m adding in metal with a hand bent wire Christmas tree. With leftover 20 gauge wire these trees were basically free. But if you need to purchase supplies, you’re looking at less than $10 for a small forest. Now that’s good decor!
They were so simple, I don’t have a separate blog post. I cut 5 foot of wire for a 2 foot tree and 4 foot of wire for a 1.5 foot tree. Fold in half then keep bending to create branches. That’s really it!
Cotton Tassel Garland ($2.87 each x 4 = $11.50)
Large tassels and pom poms are all over the Christmas aisles in every store this year. I love the soft, playfulness of both and knew it would be the perfect addition of our Warm + Cozy Christmas.
While searching for supplies for another project, we stumbled upon the Holy Grail of Warm + Cozy decorating: cotton piping. Oh my goodness, y’all. If you’re looking for the most bang for your buck, substantial decor and the perfect color and texture, then cotton piping is your answer. At 56 cents per yard I was stoked about this find!
In decorating, I’ve found that multiples make an impact, so instead of 1 strand for the mantle and banister, I went with 3 for the perfect layered look. I tried making dense pom poms, but my choice of yarn did not suit the look. It reminded me of a Fraggle Rock character. Alternatively, large, thick tassels were a lot easier to make. After cutting 6 strands of piping to 2 yards each, I finished each end with a handmade tassel. I love the finished product! Get step by step instructions here!
Linen Fabric Poinsettia Garland ($1.25 each x 2 = $2.50)
I fell in love with a felt poinsettia garland at a local store. The 6 foot garland rang up at over $20 – out of my spending comfort zone when I knew it was something I could recreate. A quick visit to Hobby Lobby cost less than $25 and yielded supplies our entire mantle and banister decor.
I purchased 2 yards of lightweight cotton linen at $4.99/yard, but only used 1/4 yard to make 12 fabric poinsettias. A simple template cut with my Cricut, Aleene’s Tacky Glue, a few ivory beads and good ole fashioned twine were all supplies I had on had to complete the project. While this garland took a couple hours to complete, it was an enjoyable #naptimeDIY while I caught up on my favorite shows! Get the step by step instructions here!
Antique Jingle Bell Garland ($1.75 each x 2 = $3.50)
I love the neutral on neutral look but to really make it pop, we needed one more element for our mantle and banister. I started to purchase mini ornaments to spray paint antique gold and then Hobby Lobby saved the day again with these darling jingle bells already painted the perfect color. And at 50% off 28 only cost $3.50. My favorite little helper strung them on simple twine as I knotted each one. I love the classic Christmas touch they provide!
The evergreen garland was purchased from the Target Dollar Spot for $5 each. I purchased one for the mantle and one for the banister.
Knotted Cotton Christmas Tree Garland ($11.56)
I fell in love the cotton piping for the garlands so much that I went back to Hobby Lobby and purchased 21 yards for our tree. Yes, there were raised eyebrows and questions as to why I would need so much without also purchasing fabric…
I love a full overflowing tree with coordinating but unique ornaments. However allllll those strands of garland and specialty picks can really do a number on the wallet. For a whopping $11.56 (only $6.94 after the weekly 40% off coupon!) I have garland that screams Warm + Cozy.
To give it more pizazz I added a simple sailors knot known as an “eight” or “overhand” every 12″. This also added a bit of weight in areas to offer more dimension to the drape.
The cotton piping garland is the perfect first layer of our Christmas tree decor!
Linen Shirt Christmas Tree Skirt (Free)
Say that three times fast! When we lived in Hilton Head, I looked forward to the annual Festival of Trees. I planned our tree decor early on in the year and loved everything about the experience. The first year, inspiration struck in a thrift store in Birmingham Alabama. A uniform shop hand donated dozens of deep teal button down work shirts. I’ve always had a love for repurposing mens shirts, so the wheels started turning… could I use these to make a tree skirt?
YES!!
Three matching (or coordinating) button down shirts equals one gorgeous, easy, no-sew, repurposed tree skirt! It became my signature every year at the festival.
Whether you shop for them at the thrift store, or borrow them from the closet for the season, this is THE easiest impactful Christmas DIY ever! Get the step by step instructions here!
Choose what you do with your savings!
So there you have it. Eight projects for $38 and some change. I was able to purchase several items with my 40% off coupon from Hobby Lobby (because I made several trips…) So my grand total for our mantle, banister and tree garland was only $23!!!
My favorite part of the DIY process is choosing what we do with the excess. In total, I made 8 garlands + 16 feet of tree garland. To purchase that from the store would have cost approximately $175. With a little creativity and a couple naptimes of fun DIYing, I saved $150 we can use elsewhere this season.
I love the warm + cozy vibe our home holds for the holidays – and I hope it inspires a few projects of your own!
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