Inexpensive home decor tips to make your house feel like Christmas

In these tough economic times, Christmas will end up being cut back for many families this year.  And festive Christmas decorations are going to be one of the things to go.  But if you still want to get into the spirit of Christmas, here are some inexpensive ideas on how you can make your home look more like Christmas.

• Buy candles in festive colors and scents.  For colors you should pick red/burgundy, green, silver and gold.  For scents, think cranberry, holiday spice, gingerbread and Christmas tree.  You can even buy the inexpensive ones from the dollar store and embellish the candles yourself.
• Collect pinecones in the forest, dry them and then scent them with either Cinnamon Spice or Christmas Scent.
• When in the forest, pick up branches that could be used as decor, then spray paint them either gold or silver, depending on your decor.
• Make up old fashioned popcorn balls.
• Make your own candy canes
• Make this super, super easy tree skirt for your Christmas tree.
• Make your own Christmas crackers, and personalize each one with paper and toys for each specific family member.
• Dry orange slices and put them in a bowl with cinnamon sticks.
• Inexpensive ways to set a Christmas dinner table on no budget.
• Knit Christmas stockings with these free patterns
• Buy men’s gray worksocks for stockings and embroider them for each family member with leftover yarn.
• Make salt dough gingerbread men, women and other seasonal ornaments.
• Quilt a Christmas quilt.
• Give your presents in felted gift bags you knit yourself.
• Make these very inexpensive yarn snowflakes
• Fill a vase with fresh cranberries and water for a quick and easy decor idea. You can then add flower or greenery stems to the case if you wish.  Every day or two, rinse the cranberries and replace the water in the vase to keep them fresh longer and avoid the water from getting stagnate and smelly.  You can also add cranberries to bowls of floating candles too.
• Make cinnamon stick Christmas ornaments.
• Can’t afford seasonal throw pillows?  Get some Christmas ribbon that complements the pillows and tie the ribbon around the pillows like a present.
• Put a favorite holiday greeting card in a picture frame and place on the mantle or hang on a wall.  Or use a greeting card your kids have designed.
• Do a Christmas Cross Stitch or crochet something festive.
• Use a wide winter scarf as a table runner.