Mum Creates Grinch-Themed Christmas Display Using £1 Home Bargain Buys
- Renata wanted to make a Christmas display with a twist
- She created a Grinch tree using £1 buys from Home Bargains
- Her advent calendar was also inspired by a bargain purchase
- She jazzed up the advent ‘grotto’ using Poundland buys and cardboard
Decorating the house for Christmas can feel like a mammoth task sometimes, especially if you’re on a tight budget. But one savvy mum has managed to turn her home into a winter wonderland - with a unique twist.
Renata Kostialova, from Leeds, who is mum to Harry, 4, and works as a payroll administrator, told money-saving community LatestDeals.co.uk: 'I like to challenge myself and create happy memories. So any occasion, may it be special or just casual, is a good excuse to get creative. I have always loved to make and create things ever since I can remember and if time allows me on top of my work and daily duties as a mum.
'With Christmas fast approaching, I always love to make this time magical so this year I got inspired by the popular story of ‘Grinch’. Hence our Christmas tree theme this year. I think there are certainly a few lessons to be learnt from this character and especially with all the bad that is currently happening in our world, we could all do with a bit more kindness and less judgment towards each other.
'I got some decorations fairly cheap - £1 or £2 from Home Bargains, but also what helped me to save a few pounds was recycling last year's baubles by spraying them different colours from my old DIY leftovers.
'I also hand-made my other Christmas decor, like the Grinch baubles, at a very small cost. To make the large Grinch tree-hugging section, I purchased three large colour cards from Hobbycraft for £6. I freehand drew and cut out the rest myself.
'Sometimes I get ideas from just seeing things around me or searching the internet and upgrading those ideas and thoughts in my own way, putting my own stamp on it or personalising things the way I would like. Also, in many ways, my son is my biggest inspiration and motivation.
'My ideas continued once the Grinch display was up. Before the start of the Advent a few days ago, I had an idea to create something different instead of a classic chocolate or book advent calendar. I love the fact that kids should be kids for as long as possible because we all know how fast time flies, so I thought it would be great to make my son his own Santa’s Grotto advent calendar.
'I didn’t book many fancy Santa visits this year as in some cases it’s simply unaffordable. However, the homemade grotto made up for everything and his face on 1st December was just priceless. And that’s the magic I am talking about.
'It all started by purchasing a plain cardboard grotto house from The Range at the cost of £12.99, and once I put it up in my son’s bedroom the ideas started running through my head on how to make it better.
'I hand painted a brick design on the outside walls, and covered the roof with a snow sheet and icicles from Poundland. Then I covered the grotto with Christmas lights from previous years, cut out the fence shape from a cardboard box and hand-painted Santa and Snowman characters on top.
'I covered a few sections with the cotton wool to make it look like snow and I wrapped 24 different presents around the grotto. Most of the presents I got are from either Poundland or Facebook Marketplace. I use the latter to buy and sell many items; it’s a very practical cycle and it has already saved me a lot. We are halfway through December already, and the grotto is still the talk of each morning, so it’s all been worth it!
'Lastly, my son is a Santa believer - however, each year I have to make up our own temporary fireplace because we don’t have one. But of course, Santa needs to come down the chimney. For the last two years, I used cardboard boxes, and the final result was fine.
'However this year, I used real bricks. Those were some old bricks from our garden that I never managed to get rid of and they were stored in the shed. I can say that after a little cleaning those are now doing a good job of making a fireplace. With a few trimmings, lights and some accessories, it looks like Santa will be able to come down the chimney this year as well.
'I hope you all have a wonderful time at Christmas, and remember it’s not all about what’s under the Christmas tree. Just make it magical and enjoy the time with those close to you.'
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