14 cheap ways to decorate your home for Christmas

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Christmas Styling 2014, Bhavin Taylor Design Bhavin Taylor Design Commercial spaces
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Now that the festive season is upon us, you might be keen to see if you can decorate your home for less. After all, you don't want to blow your present budget on baubles and tinsel, do you? 

We've taken a look at how interior design teams have managed to welcome in the holiday spirit on a shoestring and we've come up with some fantastic tips for all you seasonal savvy shoppers.

Don't think of this as you being a Scrooge. Instead, simply congratulate yourself on creating such a festive feel for less and fa la la la laaaaaaa all the way to the bank!

1. Fairy lights in the garden

You don't want to forget your garden when it comes to getting in the festive spirit, so fairy lights are a quick, easy and cheap outdoor lighting option to decorate your plants and trees.

Remember though, the more you have the bigger your electricity bill will be!

2. Paper decorations

If you have an afternoon free, grab some printer paper and scissors and make your own decorations, There are even lots of origami tutorials online, in case you fancy trying something a little trickier than snowflakes!

3. A homemade tree alternative

Whittled sticks and a string of lights is all you need to make a cheap, reusable and, above all else, chic contemporary Christmas tree alternative.

You could even add some handmade pom-pom garlands!

4. Foraged table decorations

Grab a bag and get out into the great outdoors for a frosty walk, as you will find plenty of fallen foliage that will make for wonderful table decorations. Just remember not to let anyone eat the berries!

5. Hand-printed bunting

Any old fabric offcuts you have laying around will make wonderful bunting, but for that extra Christmas touch, stamp some fun sayings, pictures or even just some glitter onto it. This would be great fun with kids!

6. Repurpose old items

If you love a shabby chic aesthetic, now is your time to shine! Grab old step ladders and turn them into fantastic decoration displays and try to stick to naturally-coloured items.

7. A mini tree

Not everyone likes to go all out with the Crimbo decorations so, if you prefer a more pared back look, a mini tree is really all you need. Add some miniature decorations and a burlap pot cover and you're done!

8. Simple candles

Red and white is the staple Christmas colour scheme so, to add a little cheer to your mantelpiece, choose tall red and white candles. They'll look incredibly festive and cost just a few pounds!

9. Handmade stockings

Just like with our bunting idea, you can repurpose old fabric scraps to make pretty and totally unique stockings. If you're not handy with a sewing machine, fabric glue will make this a super quick and cheap Crimbo make!

10. Foraged garlands

Christmas Lifestyle, M&S M&S Rustic style bedroom

While you're out looking for pretty things to add to your dining table, keep an eye out for longer branches of fallen foliage as they make wonderful mantle garlands. 

Add a couple of baubles or some simple white lights and people will think you had an interior designer in!

11. Homemade wreaths

If you have extra baubles laying around, grab them and a hot glue gun to make a simple but impactful wreath for your door. You can even buy super cheap packs of baubles so you'll never feel like you wasted money buying colours you aren't keen on!

12. Use nature as your theme

The simpler your Christmas theme, the more chic and cheap it will be to put into practice. 

A nature-themed decorative touch means that pine cones and fallen fir branches are all you need but for a little extra glitz, gold spray paint looks beautiful when applied to your pine cones!

13. Recycle cardboard

If you're handy with scissors, we bet you could knock up a cardboard tree, like this one! 

Simply save any and all packaging from present buying and recycle it into something stunning. You could even make a topper and add glitter.

14. Handmade clay ornaments

Salt dough is super easy to make, only needs things from your kitchen cupboard and is brilliant to work with, so why not spend an afternoon making some hanging decorations? 

Our top tip is to make the string hole while the dough is fresh, or you could break your decorations if you try to drill one later!

For more seasonal inspiration, take a look at this Ideabook: Mistakes you (probably) made Christmas decorating.

Which of these ideas will you be trying?

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