I love decorating for the holidays. I love putting up the tree and hanging lights. Decorating for the holidays is fun and festive and brings so much cheer to our home. As most of you know, we live in a rental unit. Living in a rental makes decorating a little more complicated, especially during the holidays. For example, my lease states that I cannot open any holes in our walls or have any inflatables because they make noise. It can be frustrating and a serious downer during the holidays to have all these restrictions. It also provides an opportunity to get creative. I have learned a lot during my time as a renter and I want to share with you holiday decorating tips for renters.
Tip #1: Call your landlord or management company and ask about holiday decorating. This will only take a few minutes and is super important. Even though I noticed other tenants decorating their balconies, I made sure to call and ask what we were allowed to do. I learned that we can decorate our balconies with lights but they have to come down the first week of January and we are not allowed to put out inflatables.
Tip #2: Move furniture around to make space for a tree. Some people think that just because they live in an apartment, they won't have a space for a tree. WRONG!! Every year, I put up a wide, natural tree but this year my apartment has less space so what did I do: find a thinner artificial tree! This tree was easy to put together, came pre-light and will not leave me any mess on my floor! All I had to do was move the couch up against the wall to make a little more space.
Tip # 3: Add garland. Garland is just easy decor. All you do is hang it on what you already have. We added some over our ugly blinds and I draped some over bookcases and the TV unit.
Tip #4: Add decorations. Once your tree and garland is up, bring out all your Christmas plush and decor. I decorate as many spaces as I can find, including bedrooms and bathrooms. Christmas is everywhere in our home!!
Tip #5: If allowed, hang lights. Outdoor light displays just scream holiday fun. My kids have been bugging me about outdoor lights and I knew that I had to get them up soon. Since my lease stipulates that I am not allowed to open any holes in my walls, I knew I had to stock up on my trusty decorating favorite, Command™ Brand hooks, strips and clips. If you are a renter, these should be the first thing in your home when you move in. Command™ products are lifesavers. These products let you hang pictures, wreaths, garland and lights, indoor or outdoor, without damaging your walls! I use them all the time indoors, so I knew that I had to hit up my favorite aisle at Walmart to grab some Command™ Outdoor Light Clips ASAP!!
There are only a few steps you need to take in order to start hanging outdoor lights. First, wipe down your walls with a damp cloth. Let dry.
Prepare your clips. I knew I wanted to decorate all around my sliding glass door and create a fun display on the side wall. For the sliding glass door, I used 8 clips.
Then, I knew I wanted to make my space even more fun and I decided to create an outdoor light tree! Using Command Outdoor clips made this super easy and quick to do. I used 15 clips and just strung the lights in a tree pattern. Then, I added some ornaments. Honestly, it took no more than 15 minutes and now I have afun holiday light display!
I also have some ecstatic kids. According to them, we have the coolest balcony in the complex. I love being able to make the holidays special for my kids no matter what!! All is takes is a little creativity and a lot of heart to make holiday decorating special!