Okay, I do not want to freak you out or anything, but Christmas is less than 3 weeks away! Ack!

Are you finished decorating your house?

Have you started yet?

I haven’t! Unless you call this “decorated for Christmas”…

Jonathan and I found this little tree, that used to be my mom’s, while we were getting some things out of our guest house (aka: storage building). The boys were so excited when they saw that little tree! Precious.

I am hoping to get our real Christmas tree up this week.

So if you are like me, you are still looking all over blogland for some great Christmas decorating ideas.

That’s why I am so excited to have Carmel, from Our Fifth House, here on my blog today!

She is going to share some great ideas for simple and inexpensive Christmas decor.

And guess what?

She’s another Kentucky Girl!

This state is loaded with DIY talent! :)

She lives in the city right next to me, but we have never met. I am hoping we can get together during the new year. (Got it, Carmel?!)

Now, here she is…

Hello, I’m Carmel from Our Fifth House, and I am so delighted to be here today! I was so very honored when Traci asked me to participate in her Christmas series! She said she was running a series on simple and inexpensive Christmas ideas, and I thought to myself, “Wow, is she reading my mind or something?” I honestly can’t think of two other words that would better describe how I like to decorate my home for the holidays!

To deck the halls in a simple and inexpensive way I follow three basic rules.

Christmas crafts don’t have to be time consuming. When you keep things simple you can create a lot in a small amount of time.

I made this wreath using some clothing that my son had outgrown. The shirt had a small stain and the vest had a hole in it, so they weren’t worth donating. Repurposing these items kept them from realizing their trashy future. ;) The wreath form and wooden letters I purchased at Hobby Lobby. It not only took just 15 minutes to make, it also only cost about $5 - thanks to a nice little 50% off sale!

I also made a little Christmas village to use as a centerpiece on my kitchen table.

This was another very simple and easy craft project. These paper mache houses ranged in price from $3 to $6. I placed a battery operated votive in each house and in the evening they are so cute! My kids love this village and my daughter is begging me to add a snowman. That may be my next craft project. ;) Those evergreen pipe cleaners are probably my favorite. You can do so much with them from making a sweet little Christmas tree to using them as napkin rings!

My second rule is the easiest to follow.

Decorating with the cards that you receive brings in such a warm feeling and personal touch to your decor. We’ve yet to receive any cards just yet, so I hung up a few photos. You really don’t need to a buy a Christmas card holder. You can string up ribbon, twine, or a crochet chain (like I did) to your windows and use clothespins to hang your cards and pictures.

Simple and sweet!

Last but not least is rule number 3.

Even if you don’t have a chalkboard you can turn a mirror into a message board using dry erase markers. I love adding some of our favorite Christmas movie quotes and scripture verses to lots of wipeable surfaces in our home. It’s just a fun way to bring in even more holiday cheer!

Apart from following these rules, my main focus when it comes to decorating my home for Christmas is bringing in the feeling of hope and joy. I want to cherish and be grateful for the very best Christmas present that we’ve ever been given – Jesus!

Thanks so much Traci for inviting me over to your beautiful and inspiring blog! It was such a honor to be here today!

Cute stuff, Carmel! Thank you so much!

If you have never visited Carmel’s blog before, you are in for a treat! Just click on the button below to check it out!

Also!

The Winner of the 20 North Ora $25.00 Gift Certificate is…

Shirley (daisyjean@******)

Congrats!!

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Today, I am excited to continue my Simple and Inexpensive Christmas series with another wonderful post by Tracie, from Cleverly Inspired!

Tracie is from Kentucky too!

So today is double the Traci(e) and double the Kentucky!

The recipe Tracie is sharing with you sounds so simple and so delish!

Here she is!

Hi, my name is Tracie and I am the author of Cleverly Inspired. My mission with my blog and anything that I write on it is to inspire you to be clever in your own life. I hope you find projects that you go out and do for yourself…and I hope you enjoy every minute of it. There is a sense of accomplishment that is so powerful when you can say…”yes, I made that…” A sense of pride is always a good thing. I am a firm believer that you are never supposed to stop learning. And the best part about learning something new is to share it with someone else. I am always sharing…whether it is a recipe, project, decorating tip, photography skill, the list goes on and on. My hope is that you enjoy learning too…and you pass it on.

I am so thrilled to be sharing here at Traci’s today! I thought it would be fun to share a recipe that would make great little neighbor, teacher, or hostess gift….fits so many occasions! Package the little loaves up with some wax paper and baker twine…a sweet card and your done! Something homemade is always in style…and appreciated!