5 tips to help you achieve the coziest and merriest Christmas kitchen for very little money!

Can you even believe Christmas is one week away?

This season has gone by so fast! I have to say that I've enjoyed every minute of it! Our home is so cozy and merry! You can view a video walk through of our Christmas home here.

I have an abundance of Christmas decor up in every corner of our home! Even some decorations that haven't made it out of the attic in years, were brought out this year, like this ornament wreath that I made using new and vintage ornaments.

We've even been blessed with some chilly weather that has meant lots of fires in our double-sided fireplace, adding to the warmth and coziness in our living room. I love how the fire makes the mantel sparkle!

I've been baking up a storm like I haven't done in years too, and trying to freeze the homemade goodies before my kids gobble them all up!

The kitchen got a little Christmas makeover too, and there are so many budget-friendly holiday ideas that I wanted to share them with you. Even if you can't get to them this year, you can save and Pin for next year!

5 Tips to Create a Cozy Christmas Kitchen

Tip #1: Start a Santa Mug Collection

Santa mugs have become so popular and ever since I bought my farmhouse mug rack, I've had fun decorating it for the seasons, so I decided to start a Santa mug collection this year. So far I don't have any of the really old (expensive) ones, I've just picked them up at the craft store for around $5 each.

And I admit I've bought several online and I'm anxiously awaiting their arrival! 🎅


There's just something about that jolly face that makes me smile! I've also found a few white and jade green ones that are in my black hutch in the dining room. You can see them in my video tour here.

And now I have something new to hunt for at thrift stores and yard sales! 🎅🎅🎅 I picked up the small Santa plate during our recent visit to the Biltmore, and I made the Santa face wood bead hanging this year. Let me know if you're interested in a tutorial!

SHOP THE LOOK

Tip #2: Make a Wood Gingerbread Village

After I saw this tutorial on Kelly Elko, I was inspired to make my own wood faux gingerbread house village! I found the wood houses in the dollar spot at Target. I also had my son cut me a couple more house shapes from some wood scraps and I stained them and made a couple more.

It wasn't until I was finished making them that I realized I didn't really know where to display them. Obviously I solved that issue, and they make a festive and charming backsplash at my stove!

There is something very satisfying about adding snow and embellishments to the gingerbread houses with white puffy paint! I found it a very relaxing craft.

I love that they're a central design element in my Christmas kitchen.

Tip #3: Hang a Christmas Cabinet Skirt

My coffee bar area always gets decorated for the holidays, and this year is my favorite! The skirted cabinet got a dose of festive Christmas decor with a red tea towel from Hobby Lobby. I didn't sew anything, just pinned a channel at the top for the rod to fit through.

This small, inexpensive touch adds so much extra merry to our hot cocoa/coffee bar and this is definitely my happy spot first thing in the morning!!

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Tip #4: Make Inexpensive Window or Cabinet Wreaths

Last year I hung wreaths on some of my kitchen cabinets ( you can see last year's Christmas kitchen here), but this year I reused those same wreaths in my Christmas bedroom so I had to come up with a new and budget-friendly plan.

I purchased an inexpensive Christmas garland (just a plain pine one) from Hobby Lobby and cut it into three equal lengths. Then I simply wrapped the ends around each other to create the most inexpensive wreaths ever! You could also use floral wire to tie the ends together.

They're not very full, but they're perfect to hang on cabinets or windows like I did here. I hung them with my favorite red striped ribbon, and even added a clip on light like the ones I'm using on my red and white dining room Christmas tree. The wreaths cost less than $3 each!

It's hard to get a good pic of the wreaths because the light from the windows is so strong! It's a small touch that adds a lot of holiday cheer and warms up those stark windows!

SHOP THE LOOK

Tip #5: Make Gingerbread Men That Will Last Forever

You may have noticed some gingerbread men on my cocoa bar, including this adorable gingerbread man sign that I made from a canvas. Talk about an inexpensive craft project!

I used this air dry clay to craft the faux gingerbread men, which means they'll last forever! I used the same puffy paint to decorate them that I used for the houses, and I think they turned out so charming! You can find the tutorial for the DIY gingerbread men decorations here.

I kind of like the fact that they're permanent; no one will be eating them! And I've got plans to make some gingerbread snowflakes too, but haven't got to that yet.

I can't let you go before sharing a few additional pictures of our Christmas kitchen.

I tried to add as much Christmas charm as possible in our small kitchen, without affecting the function. Because I do cook and bake here on a daily basis!


Some areas of the room, like my repurposed craft cubby, weren't changed much. I simply added some Christmas decor to the existing items.



These large snowflake wood signs I made last year were added to this awkward corner behind the sink.

I tried my hand at making some vintage inspired faux shiny brite ornaments this year and love the bright colors! I'll be sharing some of my favorite Christmas ornament DIYs next week.

Were these tips helpful? I sure hope they help you create that cozy Christmas look in your own kitchen!

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See you next week!

bringing beauty to the ordinary,