Sure, the stores are filled with beautiful pre-made decorations this time of year. But do you really want your home to look like everyone else's?
We asked some HGTV designers what they could easily create out of two cheap, easy-to-find Christmas decorations: glass balls and cranberries, faux or real.
The visions were astonishingly diverse -- from creating a holiday mirror to wine glass "jewelry." Here are their designs:
Holiday mirror
By Jennifer Bertrand, host of "Christmas Crafts" series and winner of HGTV Design Star 2008
Small, unfinished wood framed mirror from craft store
Primer
Acrylic paint in two colors of your choice
Two artists' brushes
Stencils (optional)
Small decorative glass balls
Faux cranberry branches
Craft adhesive
Candles (optional)
Remove mirror from the frame to avoid getting paint on it. (It will pop out easily, like a photo in a picture frame with tabs holding it in place.) Prime wooden frame to ensure that paint will stick.
Paint frame a solid color using an artist's brush. Using a second color, paint or stencil a design onto the frame. Get creative by stenciling words from a favorite holiday song or a message to loved ones. (Optional: After painting, spray frame with water-based polyurethane and allow to dry following the directions on can.)
Once frame is dry, put mirror back inside. Remove hooks from the glass balls (so that balls are open at one end), then glue the balls onto the frame using a craft adhesive. Create any sort of pattern you'd like, clustering them together or sprinkling just a few on the frame. Balls located in the corners can be turned with their openings upward and used as tiny bud vases.
Cut faux cranberry branches to a smaller size to fit into the bud vases, or cut individual cranberries off the branches and glue them in a decorative band around balls that have been attached to the frame.
With the mirror lying flat on a table, place one or more candles in the center to create a centerpiece. If you'd prefer to hang the mirror, leave the center empty.
Table top wreath centerpiece
By Frank Fontana, host of "Design on a Dime"
Small or medium old red Christmas balls, and a few gold and bronze for additional color
Cranberry garland
Shimmery or glittered gold and bronze leaves pulled off other old ornaments for filler
Foam floral ring as a base
Hot glue gun
Spray paint in antique gold color
Spray paint foam floral ring gold. Once dry, wrap cranberry garland around floral ring to evenly cover as much of surface as possible.
Randomly insert red ornaments into sides of foam ring using hot glue and slight pressure (be careful not to damage the ornaments). Glue leaves on to fill in blank areas of ring.
Fill center of the ring with extra red, gold and bronze ornaments. (You can also fill the open center area with a bowl of holiday candy or guacamole.)
Cranberry photo vase
By John Gidding, designer on "Designed to Sell" and expert on "Holiday Inspiration" series
Cranberries (preferably fake, though dried would work)
Plastic jewels (or glittery ornaments)
Large cylindrical vase
Plastic foam half-sphere that fits into vase
Pearl-tipped pins
3-5 family photos (preferably black-and-white)
Red acrylic paint
Paintbrush
Newspapers to protect work area
Paint the plastic foam half-sphere red so that when cranberries are pinned to it, any plastic foam showing though won't be obvious.
Line inside of vase with photos. Fill the vase with cranberries and the sparkling ornaments to a few inches below rim.
Using pearl-tipped pins, pin cranberries in orderly rows on painted plastic foam, until it is covered. Place cranberry dome on top of the cranberries in vase.
Display as a centerpiece, on mantelpiece or in foyer as a welcoming decoration.
Wine glass 'jewelry'
By Kim Myles, host of "Myles of Style" and a designer from "HGTV's Home for the Holidays" special
Wine or martini glasses
8 (per glass) mini pre-wired Christmas ball ornaments
Create a strand of mini Christmas balls by twisting one ball onto the wire of a second ball. Keep the balls close together, like pearls on a necklace. (You don't want to see excess wire.) Keep adding balls until you've strung eight together.
Wrap the strand of balls around the base of the glass several times, securing the wire ends together to keep it in place.
Red 'ornaments'
By Angelo Surmelis, host of "Rate My Space" and designer from "HGTV's Home for the Holidays"
Old red holiday ornaments in various sizes
Clear, hollow candlesticks, trifle dishes and clear vases of different sizes
Piece of sturdy cardboard
Turn candlesticks upside down, and fill from the bottom opening with small red ornaments. Cover opening with cardboard, and turn candlesticks back upright (cardboard will keep ornaments from dropping out as candlesticks are turned over.) Once they are upright, slide cardboard out, and discard or reuse.
Fill clear vases, bowls or trifle dishes of different sizes with ornaments. Group the pieces together for maximum impact.