Dollar Store Design for Christmas

First I want to say thank you for all of the lovely people that have visited from My Romantic Home's Show and Tell! THANKS!

As much as we'd all like to deny it, the economy is not in great shape. I'm hearing from everyone that times are TIGHT and we all are pulling our belts a bit tighter! Getting new Christmas decor drops to the bottom of the list when 3 of your kids want IPOD TOUCHES! I'm not saying Ol' Saint Nick is going to comply but you know what I mean.

Fortunately/Unfortunately we have a new Dollar Store next to our grocery. It's a little too easy to pop in there now and then for a big movie box of SUGAR BABIES (my current candy obsession). Yesterday, I stopped in to see what Christmas decorations I could get that would be inexpensive and update our Holiday decor. I think I SCORED!

Let me back up a moment and say that the first idea with the Ball jars isn't mine. I saw it on another blog and I've lost the link...sorry and if you know who's it is, let me know so I can give them credit. Anyway, THAT imaginative blogger had a NEW ball jar and put EPSON SALT in it with a little tea light for some ICY CHEER! I LOVED it! Considering I have this old milk carrier filled with OLD BLUE Ball Jars and my family room (You can sorta see the color above the board and batten molding is a GORGEOUS soft Robin Egg blue (if i do say so myself) in one of the photos, they fit perfectly with my color scheme. I poured epson salt from the dollar store into the jars, popped in some tea lights from Ikea (you know the pack where you get like 50 for 2 dollars and they have a lovely vanilla scent) topped it off with some FREE branches of Holly and lime green cypress (I think that's what it is) and a bit of bow from a roll of ribbon from the dollar store. This bit of ribbon was left over from the lenght I used on my re-styled wreath. QUICK. EASY. CHEAP!

This petite ladies antique shoe form is from Bob's, Ye Ol' Curiosity Shop (you know the one, in the show and tell post below). I'm currently have a girl crush on her. I snipped some greens from the front walk, put on a little ribbon from the dollar store and 2 dollar store bells that came in a mega box from the DOLLAR STORE. They were left over again from my re-styled wreath! I think she's so PRETTY NOW and festive and almost FREE!

This wreath is an extra from what we put in the windows every year. Look how utterly SAD it looks all squished and lonely there on MY NEW(OLD reclaimed wood) ISLAND TOP (more of that to come in a future post...it's still not all done, so you'll have to come back for my kitchen reveal party).  She's had a 11 month long sojourn in the basement and she needs a little spa treatment.   I fluffed her up and added some FREE branches of Holly and lime green Cypress clippings. tied on big gold bells from my mega dollar store box. I clipped off red berries from my BUNCH of $1 red berries from you know where and wired them on. Slapped on a fresh bow from the ribbon roll from the same ol' cheap place where everything is a DOLLAR. VOILA! She's ready for the front door that I'm going to stick to our leaded glass door with one of those 3M removable hooks (again I saw that on someone's blog and I don't know where...sorry). We haven't had a wreath on the door since we put in the new leaded glass one SEVERAL YEARS ago!

Last but not least, we used to have a 80's style oak rail covering part of the step down into our family room. Years back (maybe in '01) I told Matt how much I hated it. I don't have a photo to show you. I went to work that night and came home, and as I pulled into the garage, there was the railing up against the wall. In place of it was this pretty pretty white column. Instint UPDATE. Matt wraps a lighted garland around it every Christmas. Here's where the handy dandy DOLLAR STORE comes into play. While there, I picked up a couple packs of little white birds and a couple packs of glitter covered snow flakes and we put them on the garland covered column. It's so icy and festive!

That's my Dollar Store Decor for the Holidays! ;-)

BEFORE HER MAKE-OVER

AFTER HER MAKE-OVER