I used to love the holiday season.Growing up, my mother always put red and green M&Ms in the bowl on the counter, hung our stockings on the wall and spread holiday cheer throughout our house with Charlie Brown Christmas decorations.But now I’m an adult — and this year was my very first holiday season in my first apartment, which meant the decorations wouldn’t magically appear one day when I get home from school…… and that I’d actually have to do them myself. *cue panic attack*Considering this was my first time and I’m not exactly the most creative person on the planet, I was going to have to figure out a way to get into the holiday spirit this year without spending a fortune or turning my one-bedroom apartment into a huge .My apartment is small, so adding just a few festive pieces could really make a difference — and keep me from turning into a Scrooge in the meantime.A few caveats, though: My mom sent me a small light-up Christmas tree and stockings for me and my dog — she didn’t think I was actually going to try to decorate my apartment myself.

C’mon, Mom, I’m an adult now! I can do these things! I had no idea what I was doing, so I decided to go to Michael’s, the arts and crafts store, to see what it was selling this year.I easily found the holiday section and nearly gagged when I looked at the price tag for a wreath: $69.99.Nearly 70 bucks for a fake wreath that made a huge glitter mess whenever it moved?! The cool thing, though, was it was only Dec. 1 and all the holiday decor was already half off! I obviously wasn’t going to buy the wreath for $35, but there was a medium-sized plain one next to it for $6.99 before the discount. I figured it was a steal, and considering I didn’t have one, I bought it. If you head into Michael’s and it isn’t having the same sale, be sure to check its coupon site before purchasing your items. I found one for 50% off any full-priced merchandise before I went in. Other than that, I noticed that most of the decorations consisted of garlands and centerpieces. So, I decided to head back home and make these items myself — for way less.

Once I got home, I perused Pinterest for inspiration. I picked a few wall decorations and center pieces that looked easy to make and started there. I don’t have a dining room table (when I say my apartment is small, I mean ), so I opted to decorate around my TV, since we mainly hang out on the couch.To make these simple decorations come to life, I went to my local dollar store and bought the following:As stated earlier, I didn’t have much, but I did have some stuff to make crafting easier. decorate your room for guysHere’s what I already had (and didn’t need to spend money on!):christmas decorations ideas for front door I ended up making my own wreath, a garland and some light-up, wine bottle centerpieces. cheap wholesale home decor

The rest of my apartment is furnished with art I’ve accumulated over the years, so I didn’t need (or want) to go too crazy.For less than $25, I was able to add just a touch of holiday cheer in my living room (without feeling like Buddy the Elf came and vomited holiday cheer everywhere). My favorite part is the garland I made — it was super easy. I made the reindeer and Santa in his sleigh from a stencil that I found online. home decor trade shows 2014 ukI don’t have a printer, so I taped notebook paper to my computer monitor and traced the stencils. home decorating stores chicagoThe wreath took 15 minutes to make. dorm room decoration giftsAll I did was glue on the bows and tie the ornaments on with string that came in the packaging.

Overall, it may not look like much, but it actually has made all of the difference in my apartment. For the first time ever, I’ve gotten into the holiday spirit — all by myself!And, if I decide to stick with my $25 or less budget in the years to come, I’m sure it’ll all start to accumulate and look even better.Your turn: DId you decorate for the holidays on a budget this year? Let us know in the comments!12 Brilliant Dollar Store Hacks Every Parent Should Know We love all that makes life pretty Inspiring Pretty is a home for all the things in which women find beauty. From raising a family to planning a wedding to finding creative crafts and recipes and everything in between, we are here to share the things we love the most while beautifying your life as well. Read our site biography and our writer biographies in order to find out more about who we are!$5 and Under, Decor, Holiday Crafts, Tutorials » Turquoise & Red Valentine Heart Wreath I have a lot of random jewelry components in my Craft Hoarder’s Paradise™ (aka, my garage), so I’ve been dipping into that stash to create my latest wreaths.

For today’s wreath, I used a color palette I’m very fond of (turquoise and red) to create a small fun and funky wreath that has a bit of a folk art/Scandinavian flavor: a Red & Turquoise Valentine … $5 and Under, Decor, Kids, Tutorials » Novelty Yarn & Gemstone Wreath Have you every succumbed to the siren’s song of novelty yarn? Today’s wreath project answers the age-old question “Now that I bought this novelty yarn that looked so cool in the store, what the heck will I do with it?” In an attempt to use the stuff in my stash, I created this Novelty Yarn Wreath, covered with plastic gemstones, and full of a kaleidoscope … $10 and Beyond, Decor, Kids, Tutorials » Tea & Frosting Decoden Wreath Today’s wreath will teach you how to decorate a wreath form with frosting-like clay (decoden), and embed an adorable tiny tea set, creating the cutest wreath for tea lovers. I got the wreath form at the dollar store, and the rest of the supplies for this craft from my stash.

This wreath is super easy to make, and it looks so darn cute when it’s … $1 and Free, cheap crafts, Tutorials » Mixed Media Paper Star Wreath Did you hear that I’m making a wreath every day? Today I made a paper collage wreath created out of  mixed media pages from one of my journals, then punched into star shapes. I love how it turned out – it has a happy, colorful quality that also evokes graffiti and found objects. If you have some scrap paper and spare art supplies, you can … $1 and Free, cheap crafts, Craft Challenges, Decor, Tutorials » Make a Recycled Gift Wrap Wreath Today I would like to show you how I took my favorite gift wrap from the holiday season and re-purposed it into a new wreath! I used stuff I got at the dollar store, and things I already had in my craft stash to make a cute and funny wreath that I’m excited to hang up in my office. Do you have extra gift wrap … A Wreath a Day: Is She Crazy? I’ve made a new commitment for 2017: I am going to make a wreath a day for the entire year!