It’s here!!! It’s finally here!!! The Decorating for the Holidays Blog Hop is here!!!
How many blogs are participating? What do we do at a Blog Hop?
We have 23 blogs participating. Each blog is unique and was supposed to write a post on “Decorating for the Holidays.” Somewhere in the post they are supposed to give a link to the next blog on the sign-up list. Each reader of the post is asked to go to the next blog on the list. Thus, blog hopping! It gives you a chance to meet some new blogs and gain some new ideas for Decorating for the Holidays. Leave comments on the blogs and let them know how you enjoyed their posts!
Who are the 23 blogs participating?
The 23 blogs that signed up to participate are:
1. The Frugal Housewife
2. Confessions of a Psychotic Housewife
3. Kids Meal Crowd
4. Insights from a Superheros Mom
5. Lenox Knits
6. WillOaks Studio
7. Marga Animals Blogs
8. D & G Gardens and Crafts
9. The Sewing Mom
10. A Second Cup
11. Winding Threads
12. Grampy and You Decorating with Grandchildren
13. Cute as a Buggy
14. The Frugal Kennedys
15. Cher@Mamas Money Savers
16. Grandmother Wren
17. Thrifty Creativity
18. Grandmothers Dollhouse
19. Harmony in Motion
20. Tips & Treasures
21. At Home with Auntie E
22. Laane on the World
23. Beyond Motherhood
Please check back here if a link gets broken, if the participating blog doesn’t have their post up yet when you are hopping, or if you get lost in the blog hopping.
Now on to my post –
One of my favorite parts of Christmas is decorating for the holidays. This year we toned it down a bit because we have a new addition to the family — a cute little 3 month tom kitten. He’s a bit active and was sure to pull down the big tree that we normally put up. So this year we put up the smaller tree on our bar and I loaded it down with lights.
If you put up a big tree like we normally do, sometimes you will have gaps in it. What do you do when that happens? I use Christmas floral picks. They are inexpensive and come in a multitude of shapes and designs. They can be picked up for less than a dollar at the dollar stores. I also pick up new ones at the end of the season sales.
Another way that we decorate is by hanging wreaths around the house. This is one of the wreaths that I made in years past. These wreaths cost less to make than some that I priced at some stores. I probably have about $12 worth of items in each wreath including the wreath itself. I picked the undecorated wreaths at the dollar store. They looked a bit bare but they fluffed up rather nicely. By storing them in a large plastic container they are protected while stored in my shed.
One more way that we decorate is by little remembrances of loved ones that are no long with us. This year one way that I remembered my second dad who passed away 11 years ago Christmas day (I was fortunate to have 2 dads — my biological dad passed when I was 9 and my mother remarried and my stepdad adopted me) was to use a wooden bowl that he made as the container for the kitchen table centerpiece. It was really easy to make and when I look at it I remember him. I simply took wired ribbon and made bows (another filler for the Christmas tree) and placed them in the bottom of the bowl. Then I took floral Christmas picks and cut the pick off and laid them on top of the ribbon.
Lastly, I scour the after Christmas clearance sales looking for snowmen. I’ve started collecting them and eventually will have them scattered throughout the house. By watching the sales, you can find inexpensive items that you can start a collection and add to each year.
Christmas doesn’t have to be expensive. For my family, it’s all about remembering the reason for the season, remembering family, and enjoying our time together.
For more Decorating for the Holidays ideas, be sure to check out Confessions of a Psychotic Housewife.
Till next time,
JT Locke
The Frugal Housewife
About The Frugal Housewife
Sorry about the delay! I was just able to post mine now:
http://thefrugalkennedys.blogspot.com/2009/12/frugal-decorating-for-holidays.html
Thanks so much for organizing the hop. I’ve really enjoyed it and can’t wait to get to the rest of the blogs. Great tips here for inexpensive ways to decorate. I tried to do the same in my post. I particularily like the way you remember those who have passed in your decorations. That is something I will try to do in the future.
So you too, have a cat that would love to take your tree down. I love the wreaths and sure glad to find out how to do one. I have always wanted to know that. Nice post
I don’t know why I never thought of putting floral picks in the tree to fill up spaces. Brilliant! I also like the way you remember your dad by using his bowl as part of the centerpiece. Nice post. And thanks for hosting this blog hop.
I love all of your ideas, and that wreath is beautiful! Thanks for hosting the blog hop, yet another great idea!
Thank you for hosting this delightful blog hop! What fun!
I like all of your ideas – I smiled at your having to adapt to your new family member. We’ve just added a five month old puppy to our family. She’s made a hobby of cruising by the tree and snatching an ornament from one of the lower branches.
Have a very Merry Christmas, JT, and thank you again for the Hop.
What beautiful wreaths! And I love the idea of something to remember those we can no longer spend the holidays with.
Thanks! I made that wreath about 3 years ago. It is especially important for me to remember my dad on Christmas day. The day itself is one mixed with joy and sadness. It’s much better for me to remember him through something that he loved doing which was woodworking.
Thanks!!! It’s been a while since I’ve had any kittens. I’ve forgotten how big they feel at times and then how they also need to be babied. Someone dropped this one at my house two weeks ago on a night that it was supposed to snow. He was barely old enough to be weened. He sort of adopted us. He came up while I was feeding the feral cats in the neighborhood. It was very obvious that he was not feral when I opened the door and he walked right in the house like he belonged here. Wish us luck with getting my two tame cats to accept him! Oh and he hasn’t figured out how to get up on the bar yet. I fully expect him to at any time though!
Thanks! I had another wreath pic but it slowed down the loading of the page quite a bit. I’ll post it sometime this week.
The floral picks add a bit of variety to the tree plus they are pretty cheap! Using wired ribbon and making bows is another way that I hide those holes in the tree!
Thanks! Wreaths are fairly easy. I use wire ribbon, floral wire, and sometimes hot glue. I think these wreaths cost about 3 dollars at the dollar store and then I found ornaments on sale. Wrapped wire around the top and wired it into the wreath. The bow was made the same way as in the post on the Fall centerpiece that did a couple of weeks ago.
Thanks and I’m looking forward to stopping by your blog! I love knitting and love to come by and see your latest creations!
No problem Marcy! Will be stopping by soon to visit your blog!!! Can’t wait to see the post!
Fun idea for a blog hop. I would like to find some posts that could be a guest post on my blog. Merry Christmas!
Diane
Stopping by from the Blog Tour! Great Tips and love the Snowmen!
Hi!
Thanks for including me in your blog hop. It was fun. I finally have my blog hop post up at http://superheroesmom.com. It is about making a video E-card for the holidays.
Thanks for doing this blog hop! I only have 4 more blogs to go and I will have commented on them all! It is a great way to find new and interesting bloggers. I love your remembrance in honor of your second dad. Happy Holidays.