Stylish holiday decorations often come with hefty price tags. But you don’t need to spend your holiday money on décor. Instead try one or all of these DIY ideas so you can put those dollars elsewhere during the holidays.
Each one takes under an hour and costs less than $10 to make. These holiday pieces will look beautiful on your dining room table, but they also work anywhere else in your home.
Illuminated Apple Bowls
You'll need a glass vase or bowl, tea lights, greenery, melon scoop, apple, and cranberries.
Carve out a hole in the top of the apple that is equal to the circumference of the tea light candle.
Scoop out just enough that the candle sits level with the apple.
Put the apple in your glass bowl with some cranberries and fill with water.
Add some greenery to complete your centerpiece.
For small tables, use one vase. For larger tables, position a variety of glass vases down the center of the table, with some additional greenery. Purchase long-burning tea light candles, and light them just before guests arrive.
Upcycled Can Vases
You'll need holiday fabric, tin cans, scissors, and hot glue.
Add hot glue to the exterior of the can and firmly wrap the fabric around it. Add hot glue along the inside of the overhanging trim, fold the fabric over, and press down firmly. This not only hides the edges, but it also covers up any sharp parts on the can.
Cut the fabric to the size of each can, leaving ½-inch extra at the top of the can.
Fill the vases with greenery, flowers, or anything else you like. If necessary, add water. You can display several together as a centerpiece or to create a focal point in another room. If you’re positioning them in a dim corner, add some votives or twinkle lights to complete that classic holiday touch.
Giant Ornament
You'll need a large inflatable ball, scissors, gold thin-gauge wire, low-temperature hot glue, small plastic cup, and gold spray paint.
Poke two small holes in the top of the plastic cup and string the gold wire through them.
Use gold spray paint or gold acrylic and paint the exterior of the cup. If you’re using spray paint, make sure to apply it outdoors. Let the painted cup dry completely.
Make sure your hot glue gun is on the lowest setting. (Note: If your glue gun doesn’t have a low setting, use a strong nonheat glue like Tacky Glue or E6000; high-temp glue guns will be too hot for the inflatable ball.) Add a thin layer of glue around the rim of the plastic cup and secure it firmly to the inflatable ball. Let the glue dry completely.
This giant holiday ornament also works as outdoor holiday decor.
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The good things in life don’t have to be out of reach. Rent-A-Center is here to make the things you want and need accessible, and Front & Center is your resource for living well on a budget.
Each week, we’ll bring you tips and tricks for infusing simplicity, style—even a little fun—into every aspect of your life and home. From decorating advice to money-saving strategies to opportunities to share with others like you, we’ll give you ideas that inspire. Live well, friends. And send your submissions, suggestions and questions for the blog to blog@rentacenter.com. For all customer service inquiries, please contact our Solution Center team at 1-800-422-8186.