I’ve shared that one of my favorite approaches to decorating is "simplicity in abundance." Meaning I like to find a few things for seasonal décor and utilize many of them throughout the room I’m decorating (flowers, branches, candles, pumpkins, etc) I wanted to add some new elements to my holiday collection but just like many people out there, we’re on a tighter budget this year than we have been in the past. Since moving to the suburbs/ small town outside of Seattle, I’ve found myself running errands at Walmart periodically (for those who live outside of the Puget Sound area – Seattle actually has no Walmarts within the city limits). Before diving into the usual groceries and home goods one day, I thought I’d check out their seasonal department and found myself pleasantly surprised with what I came across.
Here are some of the things I picked up. I repurposed them a bit. Their price points made these options budget friendly and allowed me to pick up a higher quantity to achieve the look I was hoping for.
*Of course Walmart is not the only place to find inexpensive options. My hope here is really to share that with a few small adjustments, discount finds can be a great way to expand your seasonal décor and that decorating for the holidays does not need to break the bank.
Store Finds:
How I used them:
These wreaths were easy to put to use. I hung them in our breakfast nook windows (one of my favorite spots in our house). I chose a bold ribbon leftover from a black and white colored wedding. A double faced satin would be really pretty with this simple wreath too.
I spray painted the red bells a matte black to take on a kind of cast iron look and re-strung them with a simple grey velvet ribbon. I split the 5 pack in two for both corners of the fireplace but in hindsight kind of wish I'd bought a couple more sets of bells. (The flocked garland is also a find from Walmart!) I ordered some gold bells later on in the season from a much higher end department store and was so disappointed with them they barely left the box before returning them. These black bells might be my favorite find of the season!
Similarly with the bells, I spray painted the flower pots black to coordinate with the other decor and our dining room chandelier before potting the bulbs. I added some grey velvet ribbon to finish off the look. (Are you seeing a trend in my efforts yet? Maybe this post should be called "Spray paint and Velvet Ribbon")
In a normal year, I'd probably stock up on one shade of ribbon in multiple widths to use throughout the whole house for more continuity, but since I'm trying to minimize outings, this was a "use what we have" kind of year.
And last, the mini bell ornaments I picked up got a simple makeover by removing the gingham ribbon and twine they came with and replacing with a hand dyed raw silk ribbon. I love the softness of the ribbon edges in handmade silk ribbons and I thought using a higher end notion elevated the overall look of the bells and trees. Because I can't quite haul heavy things and barely fit in our attic this year, I opted for a few mini trees in our living room instead of our big tree. These affordable finds helped to stretch our decor even more.
Prices on each Walmart find: Wreaths - $13 each
Flocked Garlands - $13 each (I used two on our mantel)
Red Bells - $6
Mini Bell Ornaments - $2 each
Paperwhite bulb kits - $5 each
Additional budget friendly note – At a recent stop to IKEA, I came across some more great finds with their throw pillow covers. I stocked up on some plaid and faux fur covers to make the throw pillows in each of our rooms look festive. Each cover was under $10!)
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