Holly Jolly Christmas House Tour

Oh! It's that wonderful time of the year. Thanks so much for stopping by for our Holly Jolly House Tour. I hope you will grab a cup of your favorite coffee or hot chocolate as you sip and see our home.

The silver tin angels welcome you in the front door along with some plaid deco mesh ribbon hanging on the winter greenery. It was really an accident that the plaid ribbon ended up looking like it was gathered around the mirror. It was originally tied to a wreath last year and became a redo this year.

As you enter the dining room you will see the Goodwill Outlet lighted swag on the mirror and three candleholders rescued from a garage sale (Thrifty Honey painted them white), sporting some striped ribbon for the Holly Jolly Christmas. A little greenery placed around them with some big ornaments adds color and dimension. On the other end of the credenza is a white tray with some Christmas mugs, ornaments and a framed Christmas print.

Moving on into the kitchen you just have to add a little joy to the top of the fridge. A couple of wooden trees, a gift and of course who can resist a snowman. Plus candy canes are always in order for this time of year.

The kitchen table is where all the important things take place so out with the white tablecloth and red placemats. What would Christmas be without the reindeer? Many years have seen these four reindeer plates on a table at our house. Lots of greenery covers a multitude of problems so that's what is surrounding the hurricane vase full of red and green ornaments. Then there is that chandelier you must put a garland and some candy canes with red polka dot bows to add to the festivity. LOL!

Any little area gets some sort of attention during this time of year. This cookie cutter tree is on the bar that separates the kitchen from the living room.

Now to the crown jewel ... the tree. We've had this tree for at least eight years and it still looks good with a little fluffing. Decorating it is such a special time seeing the ornaments from years past as we reminisce about where they came from or who gave them to us.

The last part of the tour is the mantel. This is a special part of our house for me. For many years we didn't have a mantel and I used a faux mantel with some of those silly plastic logs that had a light behind them to look like they were burning. Now that we have the real thing it gets special treatment. By adding a few Christmas books, a homemade Noel banner to the greenery and ornaments you've got it merry and bright.

Thanks for stopping by our Holly Jolly Christmas Tour. Be blessed with your home as you make it special for your family. While Christmas trees, candy canes and fun decorations are important don't forget to celebrate the real reason for the season ... Jesus.

"Make Do" Christmas Decor

Well, aren't we all beginning to get in that holly jolly mood. I've got a couple of make do decorations to share with you. The first one is a scraggily Dollar General (cheap tree), left from a couple of years ago, with a Goodwill Outlet wreath added to the bottom to fill in the empty space. Not bad for a $.50 fix.

The second one is a real make do creation. A month ago I was helping someone move and they were throwing out this old bench. Enter ... a Pinterest idea. The board with letters and a wreath spelling JOY. Thrifty Honey helped get the bench apart (what a man). You all know that barn wood or distressed wood is priceless for projects. Then I got the letters from Hobby Lobby 1/2 off. Total for the letters 10.99. The red paint was free from Lowe's Valspar give away last year. Of course the wreath is from the Outlet ($.50.) The ribbon was a leftover remake from Christmas past. Total for the Joy board $11.49.

I hope these ideas spur you on to see the thrifty possibilities in old stuff you already own as well as things people are throwing away. Free is always best for a "Thrifty Sissy."

Have a wonderful week and remember to stay "Thrifty."

Christmas Thrifty!!

Hello, welcome to all things thrifty.

Today's post is about combining some new items with the old stuff to give it a different spin. I just started my Christmas decorating this past weekend. I was determined to find places for the all the decorations I snagged at the Goodwill Outlet. If you will remember at the Outlet you pay by the pound only $.79 for home decor.

The first picture is a greenery swag. It even has battery powered lights. All I had to do was fluff the greenery a bit, add a bow made out of the roll of ribbon from the Outlet and hang it up. Final cost $2.00.

This is the first year I have decorated the inside of the antique hutch. Those snowmen are from the Outlet as well as the wooden box with all of it's decorations. ( See previous post about the box) Those plates came from Dollar General a few years ago. The books and candles were leftovers from Christmas past.

That little red truck on the top shelf came from a yard sale. I thought I over paid for it at $7.00 but when I compared it to the one I really liked at Target that was $20.00 I felt pretty thrifty. While Target is one of my favorite places to shop they can be a little pricey but you can get some great ideas! 

This little number combines a couple of ideas from Pinterest. The sled with the wreath on it and that little black tub with the birch logs, lights and greenery. I had the sled. The wreath and ribbon came from the Outlet as well as the black tub. Our neighbor cut down their birch tree so I brought a couple of limbs home for Thrifty Honey to cut so they would fit in the tub. Don't pass up something you can use even if someone else has thrown it out. LOL! Total cost for this project $4.00.  

Here's hoping as you begin your decorating for this wonderful season you will be inspired to look at the things you have in a completely different way. Total cost for all these new decorations $13.00. Oh, and don't forget to stay merry, happy and Thrifty during this season.