ON THE COVER Happy Thriftmas! Money saving tips

Take inspiration from these clever Christmas hacks to make the pennies go even further this yuletide season

HIT THE DECS

The beautifully themed and co-ordinated Christmas decorations in the shops are oh-so-tempting, but resist! Take a look instead at your existing decorations and see where you can upscale or modify to create a refreshed look. Add extra sparkle, re-colour or embellish with trimmings to match your chosen palette or theme, or even make some new ones of your own.

There are hundreds of brilliant ideas online to turn everyday objects into festive décor. Transform Christmas themed cookie cutters into hanging decorations. Simply bind the edges with ribbon and attach a loop to hang it with. Or leave them as they are and attach name labels for an innovative and stylish table place setting.

For a touch of f rustic charm, add a row of metallicsprayed twigs or cinnamon sticks around a plain pillar candlele and tie with a ribbon bbon or some twine to o finish. Pillar candles also so look great inside a glass ass lantern surrounded by foliage, berries or baubles.

Add a forest of wintry trees to your mantelpiece by painting fir cones green and adding “snow” by dabbing white paint on the tips. For a more contemporary look, make some cone-shaped trees out of sheets of carol lyrics, spare wrapping paper, tin foil… Let your imagination fly!

Fir cones can be sprayed with metallic paint and arranged in a bowl with fairy lights. Bowls or plates filled with baubles, bows, crystals or strings of beads – your local Hobbycraft has plenty options – make simple but spectacular centrepieces in no time at all. While you have the metallic spray out, spray a cluster of twigs and stand them in a tall vase to create an arty display for a hearth or corner.