I know it's slightly (okay, you caught me...VERY) early for Christmas. Don't be mad! After Halloween ends for some reason I'm always in a crazy rush to get our Christmas stuff out. I promise I'll wait at least until after remembrance day.
Christmas has always been a huge thing in my family. Tonnes of parties and many trees to decorate. Every year we would unpack so many decorations, and every year it would be a total thrill to unveil all these wonderful shiny things you only see for a month or so, before they go back into a box once more.
I seem to have accumulated my own large mass of decorations as well. After living on our own for only four years or so, we have bumped up to seven or eight bins already! I really don't want to get much further than that to be honest. Most of the things we now have are hand-me-downs or family treasures I could never part with. Last year I bought the silver tree of my dreams and every year I make at least one christmas tree craft to add to the collection. Other than that I'm trying to slow it down to a halt.
I definitely didn't start out with everything I have. When I had my first apartment, all I had was a $10 garage sale tree and a package of ornaments I bought at Sears. I wanted to do this post for anyone who is just starting out. Maybe you're in a new apartment on your own for the first time or maybe you just bought your first house. Also for anyone who's on a budget this year. Are you doing the smart thing and pinching your pennies? Absolutely anyone can enjoy a vintage inspired holiday if you know where to look and how to be a little inventive.
Step One.
If you don't have the cash to shell out for an actual christmas tree, get a small bottle brush tree. It's fairly easy to find vintage ones, but nowadays it's even easier to find them in stores. It seems like every company is recreating this looks right now. You can even go to a craft store and buy what you'll need to make your own! So whatever your budget allows, go get yourself a mini tree or two.
Step Two.
Buying fabric is one of the easiest ways to get festive quickly. You can make tablecloths, throw pillows, a tree skirt (if you have a tree already), anything! You can even cut a doughnut shape out of cardboard and wrap holiday inspired fabric around it for a quick Christmas wreath. I am in love with this new fabric pattern, because it's atomic era inspired and it's versatile enough to work into your home after the holidays. You can use it all year round if you want to!
Step Three.
Get a few vintage ornaments. It's so easy to keep your eye out at garage sales for these during the summer. It may feel very weird to buy Christmas stuff at this time, but this is generally when people are ready to get rid of these types of things. And for great prices too. You might walk away with a set of old Shiny Brite ornaments for 50 cents! Even if you only have a couple, mix them into your existing ornaments and it'll still give them a good vintage effect. And again, if you don't have a tree, don't worry. Put them in a nice bowl on your coffee table or hang them from string from the curtain rod on your windows.
Step Four.
Christmas dinnerware can be pricey, so what do you use for holiday get-togethers or parties you might be hosting? Just use what you have and mix in a few pieces here and there. Investing in some cute Christmas glasses might be a better way to go. This small vintage set of four is a good way to start. They'll be much cheaper and easy to mix in with plain glasses and white dishes. Here's where you could make napkins from the fabric above to set at your table too. (Make sure you wash the fabric beforehand, to prevent the red from bleeding at the party if something spills!) I picked these cute glasses because the back and pink details are not typical of what you might find. If you get pink or black Christmas glasses, you may still be able to use them year round. Gold is also another colour you can use all the time, and it's really easy to find!
Step Five.
If you have some casserole dishes that have red or green details, use 'em! Even this red and pink floral one can fit into a holiday theme. Even though this would typically be a spring or summer-type pattern, with your table set up, the actual pattern won't matter so much, as the colour palette will. Trust me, it'll blend in just fine! And if you don't have any parties to host, you can use your casserole dish as that "bowl" to put your ornaments in!
I hope this gave you some ideas for this year. I'm sure most of this stuff you can find laying around your home already. Or maybe you can make something similar. I know there are tonnes of crafty people out there!
I'm going to do another blog post on dream Christmas items very soon. Oh yes. Holiday decorations that are just too out of our reach financially. We can all admire them from afar together.
See ya again soon!
Marissa xo
