It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like...

A few weeks back, I posted how our house was nominated to be in our neighborhood historic home holiday tour. It took place on the first weekend of December and while it was a lot of work, Brian and I had a lot of fun meeting our neighbors, other historic home enthusiasts, as well as hanging out with friends and family who were kind enough to stop by and keep us company. I snapped a few photos of our house that day if you care to take a peek. :)

One of my main concerns in decorating for the tour was budget! It is so easy to go a bit crazy with the Christmas decor shopping, but here are a few tips I learned through the process to keep your budget in check!

• Use foliage from your backyard! Instead of buying expensive centerpieces that will get tossed out, see what kind of greenery you already have. You may be surprised how dressed up things look in a simple vase. If you have a neighbor with a green thumb, you may be able to persuade him or her to let you snip a branch or two. I would bring baked goods to persuade them. :)
• Shop the year before for clearance Christmas decor. The day after New Years you will find me roaming the aisles of Target grabbing up the 70-90% off decor. Be careful to only buy what you will actually use. I have a bad habit of buying something just because it is an amazing deal.
• If buying fresh flowers, try putting them in multiple small vases around the house instead of large ones. Personally, I think flowers look more beautiful in small arrangements and then you get more bang for your buck!
• I found this idea on Pinterest and really loved it! Buy inexpensive holiday colored candies and make a cute display out of them. Your guests will probably enjoy having something to nibble on, too.
• When decorating on the outside, I think sometimes less is more. Our house is definitely on the small side, so all I ended up buying was a wreath and two bows which kept the total under $25. I love homes that have simple, classic decorations on the outside so the focal point is the beautifully decorated tree as a show-stopper in the window.

Feel free to peruse my Pinterest Holiday board if you are looking for inspiration! I spent more time pinning ideas for this home tour than I would like to admit. :)