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Heirlooms to treasure, or just plain creative family fun — either way, there’s a special magic to Christmas decorations that you make yourself at home, and it doesn’t have to cost a lot of money. Here’s a round-up of patterns and how-to tutorials for frugal holiday decorations that you can make yourself:

Cardboard, glue, tiny pine cones, and scraps of birchbark — topped off with a sprinkle of glitter, the only special craft item you’ll need to do this — create a rustic miniature Christmas village! Kristin Nicholas –”Getting Stitched on the Farm” — gives a clear step-by-step tutorial for making your own.

Snuggle the houses on a landscape of poly fibrefill or quilt batting snow, if you’ve got some on hand, or just drape a white cloth over crumbled balls of newspaper to make a winter landscape to showcase the minature village.
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Bad Advice for Frugal Halloween Decorations

Bad Advice for Frugal Halloween Decorations

As for decorating your place for Halloween on the cheap –

“Decorate your home and yard with everyday items and almost-trash, like leftover candle stubs and toilet-paper ghosts,” the glossy magazines tell you.

Right. Not.

Who was the genius to suggest that lighted candles and paper products were a good mix? Now throw in gangs of rambling trick-or-treating kids wearing capes and robes and all manner of flammable costumes? Uh-uh.

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Halloween Treat Buckets

Halloween Treat Buckets

Why send the kids out to collect Halloween treats in a tacky plastic pumpkin, when there are more attractive treat containers to be found — like these cheerful reusable buckets in felt or painted metal? Reusable and durable items means that you won’t be shelling out for new treat containers, year after year. And when [...]

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Glass Lizards

Glass Lizards

Elizabeth, over at the Chic Design Cafe, got me into browsing the Christmas ornaments at West Elm — Not your Grandma’s Christmas ornaments, she says, and right on! Venetian glass lizards for the Christmas tree, anyone? Nothing says “Happy Holidays” like an elegant reptile…

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Quick and Pretty Thanksgiving Table Decor

Quick and Pretty Thanksgiving Table Decor

Much as I absolutely despise the kabillion pop-ups that plague the Better Homes and Gardens site, I do enjoy some of BHG’s quick-and-easy holiday decorating ideas. Here, for example, asparagus spears and long green beans make Thanksgiving-theme wrappers for simple pillar candles. It’s all done with a couple of strong elastic bands, and a length [...]

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