Thrifty Decorating Ideas for the Holidays © Terri Seymour of www.seymourproducts.com

Decorating for the holidays is a fun and exciting way to bring the holiday cheer to your home. But, it can also be very expensive. Over the years, I have used many of the ideas below to save money and spruce up my holiday decor.

Halloween

Use tin cans for eerie jack-o-lantern luminaries. Before you throw those cans away, make more use of them. Poke holes in them in a scary face design and then use tealights or votive candles for lighting. These are great for indoors or out.

Paint empty coffee cans to look like witches, goblins, ghosts, pumpkins. They look adorable and are great for holding, snacks, treats, etc.

Use pieces of plywood to make scary headstones for your yard!

Thanksgiving

Make a beautiful Thanksgiving centerpiece, with a pretty birch log. Drill holes in the log for autumn leaves/branches, birds. Be creative and add what you like. This is a great idea for a Christmas one as well. You could also use a pumpkin for a pretty Thanksgiving or Halloween centerpiece.

Fill baskets with leaves, mini pumpkins, guords, acorns, and other natural autumn items.

Paint some tin cans to look like pilgrims, pumpkins, or scarecrows.

Christmas

Evergreen boughs! These can be used for centerpieces, mantle displays, arranged around candles, displayed on your wall with bulbs and other items. Add some pine cones, silk pointsettias, birds, etc. as well.

One of my favorite decorations is a pretty glass bowl or basket filled with colorful glass balls, pine cones, and little evergreen boughs. This makes a wonderful centerpiece or coffee table display.

Make a pretty potpourri basket filled with pine cones, evergreen sprigs, dried oranges/apples.

Decorate empty canning jars and turn them into Christmas lanterns with votive candles.

Decorate your dining room chairs with pretty ribbon.

Turn old cds into mini-wreaths for your tree. Glue small pine cones, glitter, cotton (for snow), evergreen boughs, ribbon, stars, tiny glass balls.........the possibilities are endless. You have never seen all those free CD's put to such good use and what a fun project for the whole family!

Look around your house and use your imagination. Almost everything can be turned into a pretty decoration with a little creativity and work. ;-)

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