Holiday Staging Part 2: Decorations and Gift Wrapping....on the cheap!
As NJ Home Stager, I look for creative, inexpensive ways to create a themed Christmas, always coming up with new and fresh ideas. This year I was inspired by pine cones, candles and bottles......and it grew from there. Tip one: HomeGoods is a great store to find all kinds of jars, mercury glass, vases, candle holders; even a Driftwood Christmas tree.
Rather than spend a lot of money on thin, mediocre wrapping paper, bows in a bag and tacky name tags, I've come up with some money saving, beautiful alternatives to the traditional gift wrapping process that often looks cheesy ordinary, yet costs a small fortune!
I buy my wrapping paper online from Uline in bulk for ¼ of what store's charge! It's thinker, higher quality and comes in a dispenser. Then I get creative and use what I have, (sea shells, pine cones, acorns, twine (for my garden), and leftover greens from trimming my tree.) I use scraps of ribbon, twine and tulle or refresh my stock from craft stores or online.
This year I found burlap ribbon & tree skirt along with old fashion name tags at Ballad’s , which fit perfectly into my design.
The items you will need to create your own holiday wrapping: paper, ribbon, twine (found at garden stores, Home Depot and craft stores), scissors, glue-gun, pot purée (optional, but great for decorations), tulle in varying colors for ribbon, name tags and anything that inspires you like a coastal or nature inspired look, using pine cones, acorns and greens. Always look around your home and yard BEFORE you shop.
My theme this year is A White, Nature Inspired Christmas.
One of the advantages of using a glue gun is that your bows and decorations will stay in place. Using tulle on the lower presents allows you to stack your gifts without squashing or losing the bow. The great thing about using greens is they dry, but maintain their look and color...
This really doesn’t take any longer than the typical way we wrap gifts, but it yields gorgeous, festive presents that look beautiful, and add ambiance to the whole room. Moreover, the recipient of your gift will think you spent hours and lots of money.......when really you didn't!
This wrapping style can work for all holidays, birthdays and weddings. Tailor it to your own colors and the things that inspire you. Have fun, get creative and do as little or as much as you like. Best of all this is a cheaper way to wrap gifts then buying your ribbons, bows, name tags and paper from your local stores.
The full effect...A Nature Inspired White Christmas!
Next year who knows? I may do a kid's Christmas with my nieces and nephews, using colored lights, popcorn and cranberry garland with paper cut out ornaments. Or, I could get really crazy and do all red and green!
What I do know is I love to inspire others by sharing my tried and true, realistic, economic ideas to make your holidays more festive and beautiful. I promise you will love the process as much as the effect while saving a lot of money!
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