Tips for Bargain Holiday Crafting/Decorating

An easy, inexpensive way to make decorations for the holidays is to use what you already have! You might be surprised at what treasures you can find in your own closets.
Most of us tend to pick up bargains at sales during the year with the intention of making things - then life happens, we are busy with one thing and another and forget what we planned to make and what we have. And let's not forget those little impulse buys, those little things we just can't resist that are so darned cheap we don't see why we should even try.
I recently bought an adorable, nice sized flannel snowman at the dollar store and a package of cute little drums on impulse. I was supposed to be buying cards and gift bags but - well - you know - it's fun to browse around and that's when we make a few impulse buys. So, big deal, I spent two dollars on something I didn't really need or have any use for.
However, those two little impulse buys inspired me!
The next day as I was finishing a floral arrangement of Poinsettias I noticed my little impulses
sitting nearby and thought that snowman would be cute as a centerpiece for a wreath. I was sure that I must have one I could use in the house, at least a used one I could recycle. I rummaged around in a closet and voila! - a brand new pocket wall basket totally forgotten! I thought the snowman was perfect for the centerpiece in this. Then I needed greenery, so I looked through my floral supplies but didn't find anything suitable. I wanted something Christmasy so went into my Christmas decorations from previous years and finally found a pine garland that was never used. I simply twisted it into loops that looked like branches and stuffed it into the basket, then added Mr. Snowman. Browsing through the floral supplies again, I spotted a small bunch of leftover red Poinsettias, a couple of branches of Statice, and one long spray of red berries! Further browsing provided a couple of small pieces of Statice, several small bunches of red berries, and plenty of leftover red and green plaid ribbon.
I couldn't have made a cuter arrangement if I had deliberately planned and bought everything.
And those little impulsively bought drums were such a nice finishing touch that my son even remarked that they were cute. Amazing! The male population in this household doesn't normally notice my decorating efforts. If you live with men you probably know what I mean.
Discover what treasure you already have tucked away and save money while having fun.
Blessings, Gilly