MakeEveryRoomFeelLikeHome.

Our first Christmas in this house, I spent almost $400 on decorations before New Year’s Eve. Even after spending that much, half of everything looked cheap. Mark still reminds me about it every November. Since then, I’ve made it a personal challenge to keep our Christmas decorating budget under $150 for the entire house. Some…

The first year we lived in this house, I poured all my holiday energy into the living room. I completely ignored the bedroom. That changed when my sister asked to see it during a video call in mid-December. The room still had our everyday navy pillows, and a laundry basket was sitting beside the closet….

Our staircase is the first thing people see when they walk into our house, but for the first couple of Christmases I barely decorated it. I’d hang a wreath on the front door, style the dining table, and leave the banister completely plain. Last year I finally decided it deserved some attention, but I also…

Every year, I pack away the Christmas decorations on New Year’s Day. Then I spend a week staring at our bare mantel before deciding what to do with it. Our mantel is pretty simple. It’s an oak-look shelf above a gas fireplace insert, nothing fancy. During our first two winters in this house, I either…

Last December, I spent almost $200 on porch decorations before I had even hung a single light. By New Year’s, half of it was cracked, faded, or had blown into the neighbour’s yard. That experience taught me an expensive lesson. Instead of buying whatever looked festive, I started looking for budget Christmas porch decor ideas…

Every November, I tell myself this will be the year I create a magazine-worthy Thanksgiving setup. Then real life happens. Juice cups appear on the table, someone bumps the gravy boat, and Biscuit leaves nose prints on the “good” tablecloth. After four Thanksgivings in this house, I’ve found decorating ideas that still look beautiful after…