Today, getting the decorations FINISHED. Yesterday I scrubbed the house down and put away the non-holiday decor that was replaced with the holiday decor today. MD is putting up the tree. Actually found a use for a bag of craft picks that I picked up two years ago for 5 cents a piece, when I was crafting, and almost pitched them out last year. This year, they filled up a new Lenox bowl (gift) BEAUTIFULLY. And cheap!

I think one of my favorite cheap decorations is to take a nice bowl, crystal or china or colored, not expensive but classy, and fill it with round ornaments. The cheapest ball ornaments we've had for twenty years just take on a whole new look in a cheap crystal bowl. I also like to fill opaque bowls with picks, add a bit of nice ribbon, especially wired ribbon, and just make an arrangement. Baskets are great, too. I've filled some with pinecones from the yard, tossed in a few picks and a nice bow with remnants of craft materials, and friends actually asked to buy them from me last year.

Lots of candles, too, hand painted or rub-ons or whatnot. I'm so allergic to scents, that getting the plain white candles and adding my own designs really works best. And candles in the craft store are only $1 for a pillar, so I feel like I'm saving.

The one area I blow money in decorating each year is on TOWELS of all things. Our bathrooms are all white, and I want a nice rich color for the holidays, red or green, burgundy or blue would be okay. So every year, I buy towels that are not supposed to fall apart, and every year I find myself and all my laundry covered with red or green fuzz. Especially nice when washing my hair. WHY CAN'T SOMEONE MAKE A RED TOWEL THAT LASTS?