Hi friends! Isn’t this Tablescape absolutely beautiful!!! What if I told you, I was able to create this look using free décor? The only items I did pay for, only cost a few bucks? Would you believe me? Well… I promise it’s true! I created this look for last years Christmas. I love it so much, I will be doing this again! Our home is the hub for our family and our extended family for gatherings. I have hosted many holidays, birthdays, and events. With that being said, we went from a two income household, down to a one income household, years ago so I could stay home with our kids. Over the years, I have became very good at putting together spectacular backdrop ideas on a tiny budget. I love doing this around the holidays especially! I love creating a beautiful backdrop for all those special moments, but I don’t necessarily have a big budget to do so. I use lots of things we have collected over years, second hand items, things we have made and free items! Last year I showed a Christmas Home tour here on the blog, with hopes of giving you all some inspiration and budget friendly ideas. (I’ve pinned last years post to the top of the blog if you would like to read that one) This year I am just going to show a few top ideas that I feel I will use again and again! They are easy tips and tricks, that are super cheap and beautiful!
Let’s start with the Tablescape above… Last year after we found our perfect tree, we headed to check out. The gentleman helping us from the Christmas Tree Farm trimmed the bottom branches, and gave the stump a slight trim as well. He threw everything into the green waste! I gave my daughter THE LOOK, and she stared kind of chuckling. I am like, “um sir, what do you do with all the clippings?” He said, “we throw them away!” My crafty brain about exploded knowing they throw all that beauty away!!!! I asked if I could take some. He said YES absolutely! So my daughter and I started grabbing all the clippings and wood cuttings we could carry as my husband was shaking his head. I wasn’t sure exactly what I would do with it all, but I knew I would craft something! The next day I decided to make a Tablescape!
I started by laying the pine clippings down the center of the table. I added in the wood cuttings miscellaneously. I dried out some oranges and staggered those along the pine branches as well! Lastly, I added candles!!! Candles are almost always apart of my Table settings. I have tons of these glass candle holders, and white candlesticks from the Dollar Tree. I use them for lots of different set ups. I also collected some pinecones from a neighbors tree to add onto the table. So Voila!!!! This beautiful Table setting using , free clippings and Dollar Tree candles was born! This was so beautiful in person, and my whole dining room smelled of pine trees! I am telling you, faux greenery can be beautiful but there is NOTHING like the real deal! Since this table décor is both natural and neutral, it looks beautiful with any dishware you may use! Hell, you can use paper plates if you wanted and it will still stunn!
I have since stopped by the tree farm for additional clippings and made floral arrangements too! It’s so easy to throw them into a vase, and have real holiday greenery that smells amazing! It looks super cute on a coffee table, dining table, or even a night stand.
So stop by your local Tree farm or whatever local business is selling real trees, and don’t let those clippings go to waste!
Ok next up I am loving the dried Oranges!!!!!!! After using them for the table, I fell in love with them and kind of started adding them to everything last year! For the below ideas, I grabbed one bag of cranberries, and one pack of fresh rosemary at Walmart and it lasted for all the below ideas. They are such a cheap and easy way to decorate for the Holidays! To dry out the Oranges, you simply slice and dab off extra juice with a paper towel. I baked mine on parchment paper in the oven for 2 hours on 200 degrees. The plus to doing it this way is your entire home smells amazing as you do this! I used these in so many ways! One idea is to add them to little gifts. This was a Hostess gift for a friend that hosted a holiday gathering. I just added a sprig of rosemary and tied with twine! How pretty is that?
They look beautiful tied to any wrapped gift with twine as well! Last year I made a dried orange garland for over our kitchen window. I just threaded twine through the middle of the oranges and draped it over the window. I hate dishes like the next person, but it definitely gave me a smile as I did dishes in that window for the season!
I also used them to decorate my cheap store bought cakes, or box cakes through out the season. I’m telling you adding some dried oranges, rosemary, and sugar covered cranberries on the side of any dessert just feels so festive! This is a Walmart bakery lemon cake below! I love keeping desserts out on our cake platter for the entire month of December. This is such a cute little festive add on! That don’t look like no Walmart cake to me hahah!!!! Lookin real Martha Stewart LOL!
These same ingredients can also make a great simmer pot!!! For those of you who don’t know. A simmer pot is better than any candle you will ever find!!! You simply throw real ingredients into a pot and simmer it on low to create an aroma that will fill your home with magic! I had no idea this is what my mom did for the holidays until I hosted my first Holiday. She stayed the night to teach me her ways, traditions, and recipes and this was the first thing she showed me. Just add your left over rosemary, oranges, and cranberry to a pot of water. Add in some cinnamon sticks and vanilla and let it simmer. It let’s off this beautiful, earthy Christmas smell! It smells better than any candle or baked goods! I promise!
Lastly, this year I added the dried oranges to our tree as ornaments. I just tied a little twine around them and hung them from our tree and added a few to the mantel arrangement to match. I love it so much! Here is a close up of the tree and mantle.
I really love a Christmas look with natural elements! I would be fine with clippings, dried oranges, garland and pinecones. However, my children love that over the top red and green Christmas themed, Dr. Seuss Whoville look. I tried to really mix those 2 styles together this year. I can say this is my favorite so far!!!
Always know Christmas is about so much more than décor. I know that down to my core!! You don’t need any Christmas themed décor for it to feel magical. However, there are some really budget friendly ideas and options to add Christmas décor if that’s something your heart desires! You do not have to break the bank to do so. I hope the ideas I shared inspire you in some way! If you have any budget friendly ideas or traditions’ that you use, I would absolutely love to hear about them below! Also, as always, if there is something home related you would like me to cover on the blog let me know below!!! Follow along on Instagram and TikTok for more beautiful, cheap ideas for the holidays!
Thank you for stopping by the blog today! From our family to yours, we hope you have a blessed December and a Merry Christmas!!!
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