I’m officially done with my Christmas shopping (finally!) and started my gift wrapping tonight. Gift wrap can be really expensive for something that will be torn apart in a few seconds, but I love beautifully wrapped gifts. Here are some inexpensive ways that I wrapped my gifts this year:
These first two are great for Secret Santa or White Elephant (aka Yankee Swap) gifts. I think a cheap gift becomes more exciting when there’s creativity in the presentation.
Faux Frappucino
I found the idea for this one on Pinterest from Little Cakes. The barista at Starbucks gave me an empty cup and I made it a Peppermint Mocha Frappucino by using a brown paper bag for the bottom of the cup, surrounding the gift card with mini candy canes and putting white tissue paper on the top. A little red curling ribbon adds to the fun.
Popcorn & A Movie
Here’s a fun way to present a movie theater gift card. A package of movie theater butter popcorn is in the bag along with the gift card. [click to continue…]
It can be hard to get excited about decorating for the holidays when you live alone. I live in a studio apartment, so I don’t technically have a hall, much less multiple halls, to deck. While I love the idea of putting up a big tree and lots of lights, I decided to find some faster and less expensive ways to bring holiday fun to my loft.
The Christmas Tree
My lovely Christmas tree (see above) was a gift from my mom when I moved into my apartment. It stays decorated while it’s in storage and all I had to do was move it and plug it in for some instant Christmas cheer. It will be easy to move back into storage when the holidays are over (and there won’t be any pesky pine needles to deal with).
Ornaments on Tiered Trays
I’ve seen lots of great ways to display ornaments in glass containers this year. From mason jars to vases and trifle dishes, I’ve been envious of all the fun dishware that can be used to creatively hold shiny ball ornaments. I found some silver shatterproof ornaments at my parents’ house, but I then realized that I don’t own any large glass dishes. Before committing to buying something new, I looked around my apartment and decided to use my tiered tray to show off the ornaments. I think it looks pretty festive for being free.
Santa Squirrel
I started collecting squirrel ornaments in college in honor of my sorority mascot. They’ll look great in a big tree one day, but they’re currently displayed in different areas of my apartment. I found a big squirrel for 75% off at World Market last weekend. It was on sale because it only had one ear, but with a $1 Santa hat from the Dollar Tree I now have fun new Christmas decoration.
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas in my apartment and it took just a few dollars and minutes to decorate. I’ve also been sure to keep my place “company ready” just in case someone wants to stop by for some eggnog or cider. No dirty dishes in the sink, the bed’s always made, and no dust on the baseboards (mom would be particularly proud about this one) will be here to welcome my holiday guests. They’ll just find lots of festive squirrels.
How did you decorate for the holidays this year?
“I am sharing my holiday home decor and cleaning tips for the chance to win prizes from The SITS Girls and Great Cleaners.”
