Decorating - Karen's Perspective

What to do With Your Christmas Tree after the Holidays

Christmas Tree

1.) Make a feeder for birds and squirrels!

First, remove all ornaments and lights. Take the bare tree and move it out to your yard still in the stand. String it with popcorn and cranberries, sprinkle with birdseed or hang bird feeders from the boughs. Smear pine cones with peanut butter, hang apple rings or orange halves. Hang hollowed-out orange halves in the tree and fill them with nuts.

Enjoy the show as the birds feast on your gift to nature! Not only will the tree provide food for wildlife during the cold winter days, but it can also be a place for them to hide from cold winds.

2.) Mulch the tree for your garden. It can then be used in the landscape as a cover around trees, shrubs, and flowers. This helps insulate the soil, conserve soil moisture, and retard weed growth. It also helps return nutrients to the soil as it breaks down. Pine needles are great for ground covering and mulch.

Decorating Tips for the Holidays – Inexpensive!

Are you trying to get by with less this holiday? And now, it’s time to decorate!

I recently moved to a new home so I can’t simply put up the same decorations in the same place this year. And, I don’t have enough to go around anymore. And… if I’m going to spend money this season, I want it to be on gifts, not decorations.

So, what to do? Well, I went to a local crafts store (Michaels) and bought 5 rolls of ribbon. I have bows everywhere! And, anything that is to be a gift is wrapped and sitting out as a decoration.

What’s under the tree? I pulled out my kids old stuffed animals that I had boxed up as well as a wonderful Brio train set.

The house looks cozy, all the old toys add to the memories and feelings of fun, and I spent almost nothing on decorations (less than $10!).

One more inexpensive idea, slip Christmas cards into some of your frames for instant holiday decorating!

What creative ideas are you using?

12 / 06 / 2009
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18 Ways for Loving Your Home on a Budget

Don’t you love watching the flip-it and home makeover shows? Don’t they make you want to redo your own home?

Well, we’ve already talked about a lot of inexpensive ways to update your home in Decorating on a Budget – Paint, Decorating on a Budget – Accessories, and Decorating on a Budget – Exterior. But, here is another list of economical updating ideas.

Interior:

Change the hardware on your cabinets. You can do this in the kitchen or bathroom or anywhere you have knobs that are dull, outdated, or you just don’t like. A great place to find them is at the Habitat for Humanity Restores, yardsales and flea markets.
Change out your lampshades. Check out Target or start noticing lampsades you like at yardsales, even if you don’t like the lamp they’re on!
Paint interior brick. We painted the fireplace in our last house a dark forest green, almost black. When renovating homes we purchase, we usually paint the fireplace brick (interior) an off-white to match the trim in the room. If your brick is blotched or discolored, this really gives a clean, new look to the room.