Thrifting Find: Vintage Wooden Ornaments

This year's Christmas tree in our apartment is studded with vintage wooden ornaments that I collected this November at thrift stores.  They are gorgeous and beat up a bit and perfectly lovey.  They definitely breathe a bit of child-like goodness into our apartment.  And the best part... 95% of the ornaments were only 25¢.  The other 5% were only 50¢.  I got over 75 ornaments.  That's about $20 for a tree full of vintage ornaments.  Considering how much the plain ole glass ornaments are... that's a stellar deal.  It's also pretty priceless not looking like everyone else. 

Nutcrackers are my favorite.

 

Our lights were the big vintage ones as well. So dreamy....

Super Easy and Cheap Christmas Decor DIY

Andrew and I were gifted a very large and very pretty vase for our wedding.  I think it's beautiful, but I wasn't sure how to decorate with it for Christmas until... I went on a walk with Bailey one day and was inspired.  So here's a very easy and cheap decor DIY for Christmas that is very easily customizable to your tastes and needs.

Step 1
First things first, gather your supplies.  You will need branches that fit your space.  Mine are about 2.5 feet tall. (yeah BIG vase)  You want your branches to be DRY, clean, and branchy.... with lots of little branches shooting off everywhere to create interest and movement. 

I found mine by just walking around outside.  You really shouldn't have to cut them off a tree so just keep looking so you can keep our trees intact. 

Step 2

Gather some ornaments, bows, ribbons, candy canes, lights, etc to decorate your tree. I grabbed some simple glass ornaments I got at the thrift store.

Step 3
Because I liked my branches the way they were, I skipped this step, but if you want, you can paint your branches to compliment your decor.  Gold, silver, etc.

Step 4

Arrange your branches however you want in your vase.

 

Step 5

Decorate till your heart is content.  For me, simple was better :)