From: EPBLUESTAR

If you want really inexpensive Christmas ornaments, natural is the way to go.  
Ok, for wrapping paper, pick up either brown paper on the roll or I love the 
3M masking paper. You get it at Home Depot for only $5.00 for 40 yards. It 
is near the masking tape. It is a greenish color and looks like fine oriental 
rice paper. You can even use it for regular wrapping after the holidays.
Wrap your presents with the paper plain or you can sponge paint it. Tie 
each wrapped present with a raffia bow. Looks great and is so cheap.

Ok, now on to the tree. Use the same paper to cut out various shapes, 
Christmas trees, mittens, etc. Use your imagination. Make two of each, place 
some crumpled paper between two layers and glue them closed. This will give 
you little puffy ornaments. You can also sponge these with some gold or 
copper paint for a more dramatic look. Tie these on the tree using raffia 
bows as well. If you want to be really frugal, use the paper bags to you get 
from the supermarket to make the ornaments. Then slice oranges, 1/4 inch 
thick and dry them overnight in a 200 degree oven. Hot glue raffia bows and 
small pine cones to each and hang these on your tree.  Hmm, lets see. My boys 
and I usually scout the neighborhood for interesting things that have fallen 
from the trees. Dry seed pods, etc. They make lovely decorations when tied 
with a nice little raffia bow.  I hope this gets you started. 

I am doing a Mardi Gras tree myself this year.  I made masks with 
construction paper. I also made floats with crepe paper and oak tag and old 
tissue boxes. I also bought a giant pack of gold, green and purple coins for 
a buck that I hot glued together in threes to hang on the tree. I have a few 
other things like feathers to add as well.

I love doing different trees each year but hate to spend any money on them. 
There are so many things you can do for pennies. Your best bet is to pick a 
theme. That will help you focus. Last year I did Hawaii. It was my 10th 
anniversary and we got married there. Anyway, I cut tissue boxes on the 
diagonal and made them look like waterfalls with a bit of tissue paper and 
some white and blue paint. I also made butterflies and flowers out of copier 
paper. It looked great. The year before I used branches my boys and I picked 
up around the neighborhood, painted black and fans made out of red wrapping 
paper for an oriental Christmas tree. 

When you decide on your theme, just remember to keep the number of things you 
put on the tree in odd numbers. Like pine cones, oranges, paper ornaments, 
seed pods and um lets say, branches. (five different things)  Also, choose an 
interesting garland. For a natural tree use cheap rope you can get from the 
hardware store. Then next year, spray paint it a color and use it again for a 
different tree. I used plain rope for nature tree and then sprayed it gold 
the following year for my Oriental Christmas. Anyway, sorry to go on and on 
haha, but as you can see, this is my subject. Have fun. If I can be of any 
more assistance, please email me again.

Pamela