Snowflake Decor for Pennies

I was in JoAnn Fabrics yesterday, and I noticed all the holiday decor was on sale. Deep discounts were everywhere I turned. So I snapped up a bunch of stiff, sparkly snowflakes on wire stems for just 23 cents each. I tucked them into plants on the front porch:

The porch is looking really festive now, with a fresh new doormat and a poinsettia that our gardener gave us. Roosevelt, do you approve?

I popped more of the snowflakes into some simple glass jars and vases filled with inexpensive sparkly things: I found the silver snowflake with rounded edges and the white paper snowflake at Goodwill. The gold one I made myself out of popsicle sticks, leftover white paint, and glitter:

The new snowflakes cast pretty shadows on the wall behind them:

This apothecary jar holds another snowflake, some pine cones I picked up while walking the neighborhood, and a little "gift" I made from wrapping an empty box with a scrap of shiny paper and a bit of leftover ribbon:

The snowflakes are cute present-toppers, too. This present, for my yoga teacher, is wrapped in a sheet of handmade paper (on sale at the local art store) and some brocade ribbon plucked for free off the tables at the end of a party for somebody's golden wedding anniversary:

Pretty decorating doesn't have to cost a bundle! Look for sales all year long, stockpile things that catch your eye (no going overboard and appearing on "Hoarders," please!), and look for things like branches, pine cones, seed pods and leaves that can be transformed with a bit of paint and/or glitter.

And maybe one glittery snowflake, on sale for just 23 cents.