Glorious Christmas Decor Haul!

I will not apologize for immediately diving into Christmas before Thanksgiving has even graced us with it's presence. Why? Because I've made my peace with my lack of "fall decor" and have explained my reasons a few times on here. Therefore, I shall move on. 

Now I will say that this haul wasn't necessarily completed within one shopping trip, nor in one day. It's more of a collective haul that I've slowly purchased before actually decorating. Now that things have come together and I've dispersed my festive decor all over the house - minus the tree, because unfortunately tree stands haven't opened up yet - I can finally share with you all my hauls, Christmas decor ideas, and DIY's galore! After all, we only have 6 weeks (45 days) until Christmas!!! That's not a lot of time to share with you all the glorious things you can do to show your festive side! Granted if you don't celebrate Christmas this may not be beneficial to you and for that I do apologize. I love you all and this is all for smiles!

Let's get into it shall we?

First up I found these beautiful little travel mugs that are [temporarily] Christmas themed! I say temporarily, because you can customize them. Want to know how much I spent on these awesome finds? $2!!! That's right, I spent $1 per mug and I can customize them to my own liking! The color range at Dollar Tree (where I found these) was a bit sparse - green or red - but regardless the chance to actually design my very own mug for extremely cheap it's awesome! 

How they work and a inspiration for your very own mug design is coming soon in a DIY I will post here, so check back!

What I love most is that even though the color isn't the most versatile, it can be worked with for all year 'round! I can literally design a new logo for each holiday, season, or for every day use! 

Next up is a candle that my soul has wanted since I was little. It's literally called "Fresh Fir". Now I know this may seem a bit odd that I'm ranting and raving about a simple candle that's about the size of a shot glass covered in silver glitter, but believe me when I tell you this $3 find from Target warmed my heart and every day I cherish it (and shall keep on cherishing it ti'll the day it dies). Not only is it called "Fresh Fir" - as in Douglas Fir Christmas tree's - but it ACTUALLY smells like a Christmas tree! I mean it! It's thee only candle I've ever come across - so far - that genuinely smells of the most joyous decoration piece I can possible purchase every year. 

Most of the time the candles I smell that claim to be of Christmas trees, simply smell like an air freshener with more "pizzazz". No, I want raw Christmas tree! I've always said that the smell is what kept me vacuuming all winter long and dealing with the countless needles left over. The smell is euphoric to me, as it represents a part of my childhood that I will forever hold near and dear to my heart. Simply put, it IS Christmas and now I can have it all year long.

These two gorgeous wooden finds, are stocking hangers that I purchased from Target for $3 a piece, bringing the total to $6. The most expensive duo of the bunch. 

Normally I stick a thumbtack in the wall and use our stockings as decor pieces, but not this year! This year I finally have the bookcase of my dreams, so I decided to jazz it up with the stockings. Thing was I would NEVER put holes in my precious bookcase, so I needed to figure out a solution. When I came across this pair in the dollar section, I hugged them with glee. If you think I'm joking, you're underestimating my love for Christmas and all the wondrous things that come with it. 

Both are solid wood, giving it enough weight to hold up a light-ish stocking, but I certainly wouldn't suggest filling it to the brim with heavy items. Although I haven't exactly put them to the extreme test. You can tell though that these were not main to hold heavy items. 

The overall appearance and feel is not cheap in my opinion, with glittered wood cutouts pasted on them, and painted designs. One is white with a silver snowflake, while the other is wood colored displaying a painted ornament, with a silver snowflake pattern on it, surrounded by "snow" dots. Both equally loved.

This is another item that will be featured again in a future DIY post that I will not tell you about, purely because it's amazing and I don't want to spoil any surprises! 

I found this in roll form at Goodwill for $1, but I've been told you can find similar "plastic" at a craft store, although I'm not sure the price. 

The bricks are bright red with mild designs on them, giving them the illusion of being real brick. It's easily cut-able, as it's a plastic closely resembling a cheap table cloth, but not cheap looking. It's also shiny and very well spread out. The portion wasn't bad either, running about the length of a smaller table cloth as well. 

I had an idea that I've been trying to complete for a while and this was exactly what I needed to accomplish it! Like I said, it's a pretty sweet DIY and I will be posting all the details soon on my blog! It's all part of my DIY's for Christmas. Trust me, you don't want to miss that DIY, because I know MANY of you can relate and quite possibly will want to recreate something extremely similar. Especially smaller homes, apartments, or those who want to liven up your bedroom during the holiday season!

Another find from Dollar Tree, was these two plastic shaped cookie/treat dishes! I love having these $1 (each) lovelies on my coffee table, so that if I have guests I can put out some treats for everyone to enjoy. 

I'm a simple person with an old soul so believes in being a good host. Mostly because if I invite you to my home, you must be a big deal to me and actually matter. No offense to anyone, it's just that this is my sanctuary and as a self proclaimed hermit of sorts, I don't just invite anyone into my humble abode. 

I purchased one blue snowflake and one green Christmas tree, as they were the only two patterns available. They did have a red Christmas tree, which would've made a nice pair with the green, but I loved the snowflake and couldn't leave it behind. 

They aren't necessarily big in size, but nicely fit a handful of cookies. For reference, the snowflake plate is about the size of a smaller plate. They are NOT dishwasher safe, because they are a cheaper plastic, so simply be careful with how you use them. Anything hot may be a risk, but like I said, I'm more of a simple person, so cookies and chips it is. These would be great for a nice Christmas party as well, to serve your guests themed food.

Yet again another DIY project in the making. In the picture, you can see a sneak peak of what's to come (perhaps a little too much, but that's alright). 

These glowing lights were from Dollar Tree for, yes, $1. They are NOT meant to shine white, but are true to their yellow. I would say more on the orange/yellow side of the color spectrum, but it was perfect for what I needed to make. 

The major thing I loved about these, was that they are battery operated, which means it's less electricity. That correlates with a cheaper electric bill and God knows I need all the help I can get during the Christmas season. 

I'm not exactly sure if they have any white lights, but personally I like these. They also make for a perfect accessory when it comes to taking photography, especially flat lays! Easily movable and not too bright (this is during the night time to show the full effect) when used in the day time. Regardless, I love them and I couldn't be happier. 

 Last but certainly not least, I found a "glittered drape" for $1 at Dollar Tree. 

I'm not precisely sure the true purpose for this "drape" but I personally saw this as the perfect solution for "fake snow" underneath our lit village. 

I'm not a fan of the "sprinkled snow flakes" (even though it gives a lovely effect), because I don't like the mess it tends to bring. With a 5 year old padawan running around and hands surely to find there way to the "flakes", I make sure to steer clear of it. I specifically wanted a snow "blanket" so I could mimic the snow without a massive mess. 

Not only did this "drape" give my satisfaction at accomplishing fake snow, but it also has glitter specks sprinkled throughout, that don't come off with ease. Green, silver, and blue flakes shine all around and bring just enough sparkle effect to please my village. 

There you have it guys! A bunch of beautiful - and cheap - finds that I adore. Not only was I able to stay within budget to complete the last few details of my home decor this Christmas, but I genuinely love what I've found! 

Seeing as how I have a few DIY's coming up mentioned in this haul post, you will be seeing much more Christmas very soon! I told you guys I had big plans this season and I meant it! From tips and tricks to DIY's, along with recipe reviews and mini tours, you will be getting a full dose of holiday cheer from this momma!

Happy holiday hunting!