Kathy Wilson has a bag full of frugal tricks to decorate. One of her favorites is to use Dollar Store wrapping paper to cover artwork in her home.

Holiday Savings | Decorating Tips | Safe Decorating

"It makes the whole house seem like Santa's workshop," Wilson said. Wilson, editor of TheBudgetDecorator.com, said decorating on the cheap requires creativity. She said a room can be transformed for as low as $20. "The trick is to remember that it's about the season, not about how much you spend," Wilson said. Creating a plan and a theme are key. "Having a theme is as important to decorating a room as having a plot when you write a story. Even if it's as simple as a color scheme, such as red and green, or blue and silver," she said. "Having a theme keeps you from making impulsive purchases and keeps the home look pulled together." Here are a few of Wilson's ideas that will help you decorate inexpensively:

• Use a glue gun to attach novelties to your candles to make them one of a kind. Cinnamon sticks, twigs, candy canes and hard candies are but a few ideas.
• Make a temporary fireplace out of a large piece of cardboard. Paint the whole piece a background color -- an earthy tan or red will do. Tape off and paint a black box on the middle bottom to represent the firebox. Now use a rectangular kitchen sponge to sponge on "bricks" all over the background area, leaving the firebox black.
• You can make gorgeous luminaries for your walkways or porches. Luminaries are containers that allow a candle to shine through, while protecting it from wind and drafts. One type you can make is from a recycled tin can. Wash the can thoroughly. Remove the label. With a marker, create designs on the outside of the can, such as a starburst, or even a word, such as "Joy." Fill the can with water and put into the freezer. Once frozen, use a nail and a hammer to follow the design with spaced holes, about an inch apart. Once your design is finished, allow the water to melt, place a small amount of sand or gravel in the bottom, and drop in a tea light.
• Another quick and cheap luminaries uses recycled jars. Clean an empty glass jar, and remove the label. You can either leave the glass jar clear, or use glass paints from a craft store to paint or sponge a design on the jar. Now simply tie a ribbon around the neck of the jar, add sand and a tea light, and line them up.
• Make elegant little fans for the tree out of paper. Cut a rectangle about 4x6 inches, then fold the paper accordion style. Tie the bottom with a little piece of ribbon, then hang from the tree. This is a wonderful decoration for a more traditional room, and looks stunning en masse.

Five Tips

Carmen Natschke, an interior decorator, offered five tips to help consumers spend less when decorating.

Take inventory, be crafty, think multipurpose, be creative and shop smart.

Natschke, owner of www.thedecoratingdiva.com said shopping smart involves setting a budget and sticking to it.

Taking inventory is crucial before even setting a budget because you may not have to spend as much as anticipated, Nataschke said.

“Before you spend a dime on holiday decor look around your home, you probably have holiday decor, dinnerware and linens you had forgotten about,” she said.

Are You Crafty?

Natschke collects vintage jewelry to decorate with during the holidays.

"It's a stunning hit at a holiday party, but you have to be really crafty," said Natschke, an interior decorator for seven years.

Like Wilson, Natschke believes that being crafty will help save money.

If you are not really crafty and want to make your home sparkle in a unique way for the holidays on a budget, Natschke has several ideas.

Homemade ice sculptures as centerpieces and etching plates are two ideas that can be done while sticking with a budget.

Natschke said all that is needed for ahomemade ice sculptures are 48 hours, a mold, distilled water, freezer, food color, if desired and votives if they are part of the design.

"A lot of people like them for holiday parties," she said.

She added that using cranberries, and flowers as part of the texture can add even more beauty to the ice sculpture centerpiece.

Boiling the distilled water will get rid of any impurities and make the ice sculpture clearer.

Natschke said that etching on a glass plate should be done on the bottom of the plate or on the rim, but not where food touches.

Long-Term Planning

For next year, it's important to take advantage of this year's after-Christmas sales, when items have been marked off 50 percent or more.

It's also important to avoid buying anything that is trendy.

"Stay with buying traditional colors – green, red, gold and silver," Natschke said.

Additionally, it is important not to just buy to be buying.

"A sale isn't a sale if you are buying things you don't need," she said.

Acquiring wonderful holiday decorations will take several years. Keep this in mind when heading to the stores before or after Christmas. Each year, continue to build on what was already purchased.

More Resources

• How To Install Holiday Lights
• Fireplace Safety
• 10 Ways To Make Your Home Feel Cozy
• Holiday Plant Guide
• How To Hang A Wreath