Over the next several days leading up to Christmas, Tribune columnist Loretta Gillespie will be sharing Christmas tips with our readers. They will include recipes, craft projects, unique home decorating ideas and more.
Most people start out with good intentions about holiday spending, but by the time Christmas Eve gets here, those good intentions have flown out the window.
There are many ways to give nice gifts without breaking the budget, after all, not all among us are Kardashians, or the Christleys (and thank goodness for that!), so let’s take a look at ways to give without overspending.
In the South, we have an abundance of thrift stores of all levels of chic, be that high or low end. Try browsing the shelves in your favorite Goodwill or consignment store. These are things you might want to look for:
- Clean, gently used toys
- Ball jars (we’ll talk about this in another segment)
- Picture frames, almost everyone has pictures to display
- Quilts, towel sets
- Sheets and quilting pieces to use for rag garlands
- Cute containers for making candles (we’ll hit that one, too)
- Mirrors in shabby chic frames, or ones that can be made shabby chic
- Barely worn scarves
- Baskets of all kinds
- Old farm implements, garden tools (wedges, pulleys, sharp knife, shovels, rakes, etc.)
- Old teapots
These are just a few of the things we ‘ll use to make Christmas brighter!
About those jars…you’ll need some rock or Epsom salt, fresh cranberries, some tea candles and a glass of water.
Step 1) Clean Ball jars in dishwasher or hot water. Dry with towel to prevent spots.
Step 2) Carefully, to prevent salt from clinging to clean glass, pour your salt into the jar, filling it no more than halfway.
Step 3) Carefully add cranberries, stopping just short of where jar starts to curve
Step 4) Nestle tea candles in center of cranberries
In some jars, leave off the candle and slip in some fresh greenery. Use several for a centerpiece, or to line your walkway, or give as gifts. These make excellent teacher gifts!
As always, be cautious when using candles, and never leave them unattended.
In the next few days we will explore other ways to be inventive using the inexpensive items from the list above.
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