Hi guys… it’s me Liz. The girl who is addicted to trimming bushes, trees, & plants in my yard and bringing them inside. I guess it’s just something I’ve always done since we got married because well, it’s pretty & it’s free. I always thought it was something everyone did until I got so many emails about [this post] and how it was such a neat idea to bring in greens for the holidays from outside for a quick and affordable Christmas decor. That caught me off guard & made me really think that this is something that we need to talk about more I guess because I think it’s probably the best thing ever & I always want to share the best things with you guys…
Ok, so I know we all don’t live on a farm like we do so pine trees and other greens aren’t always super accessible, but there are other ways to get around this. When we lived in a suburb I was known to go out in our yard with a pair of scissors to get clippings of our boxwood bushes to make wreaths out of or even sometimes the weeds mixed in with flowers could make great filler. I’m not a florist by any means clearly, but bringing the outdoors in is always a passion of mine.
One year I even asked my mom if I could come over and cut some pine branches out of her woods behind her house because I didn’t have any. So, you can ask around if anyone has pine branches or some greens from their yard. It is the season of yard cleanup so it’s a great time to ask! If you don’t have any greens or you can’t locate someone with some free greens you can go to a local Christmas tree farm and sometimes they have a pile of scrap branches they will give you or charge a very small amount for.
If that doesn’t work, head to your local greenhouse or garden center as they will most likely be selling fresh winter greens for an affordable price as well. I just love using fresh when I can! Ok.. to my point of the day! You can decorate for Christmas for free & I hope you know that. I LOVE buying Christmas decor & I love decorating for Christmas, but I want to show you this option because I know it’s not always doable & people, like me, are constantly sharing new decor to buy, but even though I LOVE sharing decor and other things I love that there is always an option to go the free route. In these greenery arrangements I gathered some pine from our yard some eucalyptus I’ve had drying in our house since this summer that were gifted to me & various other pine branches I picked up at a local garden center.
This year some of the Christmas decor is just that… free. I gathered some greens from around our farm & our local garden center and placed them in various places around the house. I shared one the other day on our TV stand [HERE] that I placed in some antique urns that I had. Recently I placed some in our entryway in an antique suitcase as a DIY “vase”. I’m basically sticking greens in just about anything around our house this day & I’m not made about it. When you are putting the winter greens around the house you can always hide a vase of water inside the vessel that you are using to keep your greens super fresh. A little secret: there is a vase of water in that suitcase with the greens sticking out. This is a tiny area in our entryway where I have this flea market find dresser that I scored for $40 & some of my antique books. I also have these sheep figurines which I thought brought in the nativity scene a tiny bit. & of course that big vintage suitcase with greens. Just simple & ready for the holidays with some free greens! Sometimes our Christmas decor doesn’t have to come from a big box store and we can think outside the box to create a cozy Christmas vibe.
This isn’t a new idea, but it’s an idea that we can all go back to using & maybe something you haven’t thought of this holiday season as you start to deck the halls. I hope this post encourages you to shop your home & your yards for some “free christmas decor” this year & helps you fall in love with your homes this Christmas without spending a ton of money. Also to look at your homes differently… it doesn’t always have to be santa clause and snow men, but those subtle natural touches that give that winter vibe are the perfect route to take. Thank you guys for stopping by the blog today and every single day to see what we are up to & I hope you are inspired every single time you visit! You can see more of our holiday decor [HERE]. xx
Other Christmas Decor post you may enjoy:
A Cozy Nostalgic Christmas Dining Room
Holiday Housewalk with Balsam Hill
Simple Cozy Cottage Holiday Decor
The Best Cozy Cottage Christmas Decor
I always clip pine and other branches out of my yard and use to fill my window box out front and the urns on my porch. I like having something in there even if it’s not growing. I collect the fallen pine cones from outside and fill my olive buckets up and sit around the deck and porch outside.
How long does it keep green for? I have thought about this but avoided it due to the thought of a huge mess before Christmas arrives. ?
Yes! Love this! Also, if you have a Tree Farm nearby, they often give away their extra evergreen clippings for free or sell them super cheap. ?
Where did you get your sofa and chair ? I could not find it in the archives. Thank you !