Decorating From The Dollar Store

'Tis the season to be pinching pennies and with the economy in the toilet, we need to be frugal more than ever. Our Grandmothers were always clever about saving a dime here and there and I know they would have loved the dollar store. There are a number of them out there. Some are better than others. We have one here (in Oregon) called "The Dollar Tree", and it's wonderful. Check yours out and don't forget the thrift stores. Look for components that can be taken apart and reassembled into something new and wonderful.

The ribbon for this basket, and the basket itself were the only expense. The cones were found on a hiking trip, the greens were cut from the garden. The basket was from an import store ($5) and the ribbon was from the Dollar Store.


The candycanes, the poppies, the red sparkly are all from the dollar store. The bucket was from a craft store ($7).


The poppies are a great find. Most flowers from dollar stores are a bit cheesy, but you can find some keepers if you dig. I bought all the poppies they had because they looked so cool and the color was definately Christmas. You can get ribbon at the Dollar Store, but often there isn't much on a spool. You may be better off buying it at a craft store or try to get it from a floral distributor. Always check how much ribbon is on a spool before buying.


This is one of my favorite finds. The baby stockings were in a pack of 3 for a dollar. I also found the tiny closepins there. A bit of ribbon brought it all together.


Poofy tulle bows with oversized jingle bells give the tree some sparkle. All elements were from the dollar store and then wired together.


This tree topper is an Allium schubertii that we dried from the garden, painted white and sprayed with glass glitter. Bulbs for this wonderful allium can be bought at garden centers in the fall.


These snowflakes are Dollar Store finds. They usually have lots of them in differant sizes. The smaller ones are usually 3 or more to a package. Hang them around your tree from the ceiling, or in a window.


This simple little tree was decorated with red balls from the dollar store and ribbon from the craft store. Don't throw the ribbon away after the holidays. It can be ironed and reused each year.


A friend found these sugar cones when she was camping. A little ribbon and we had instant window decorations.


These red vases and the silver garland inside of them are dollar store finds.


Little pinecones found under a tree in the garden were spray painted gold and wired onto tulle.


The Teddybear Tree is decorated almost entirely from the dollar store. The Teddy Bears, the Candy Canes (big and small, the red balls...all from the dollar store. The red stars and the little chair were thrift shop finds and the ribbon was bought at a surplus sale.