Claire Douglas says she's saved loads of money by looking for Christmas decorations in her local woodland.
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00:00 (upbeat music)
00:02 I am an interiorist and DIY,
00:16 so content creator and freelance writer.
00:18 So I spend lots of time trying to think of creative ideas
00:22 and projects that I can do to help inspire people
00:24 to sort of build a connection with their homes on a budget.
00:29 That's kind of my thing really,
00:30 trying to show people you don't have to spend a fortune
00:32 to create a home that you really love.
00:34 So I kind of came up with the idea of foraging
00:37 to be able to create sort of bigger and bolder displays.
00:40 First, we've got to decide what you're doing.
00:42 So what's your project gonna be?
00:44 What are you displaying?
00:45 What are you sort of creating?
00:46 And then that'll give you,
00:47 you'll have something in your mind then
00:49 that you're looking for, which will help you.
00:51 You could literally just be using like your garden,
00:55 your friend or family's garden,
00:56 as long as you get obviously the permission of the landowner.
00:59 It could be as simple as walking down the street
01:03 and finding some twigs after a big storm,
01:06 or it could be a bit more of a planned trip.
01:09 So maybe going to some local woodlands
01:12 and sort of looking for some specific sort of foliage
01:15 or greenery to fulfill sort of for a specific project.
01:18 And then just have a bit of a sort of an explore really.
01:21 You can look in sort of hedgerows or on the path,
01:25 or in the fields, wherever,
01:27 as long as you're allowed to be there.
01:29 And then yeah, just sort of go exploring really.
01:32 So real sort of variety,
01:39 right down from some really small little bud vases
01:42 on your bedside table,
01:44 up to sort of like quite a big mantle display.
01:46 So I like doing on your mantelpiece,
01:49 quite big, bold sort of bonkers branches
01:51 and things like that.
01:53 And then the tablescapes and even things like,
01:56 I love twigs and branches.
01:58 So you can just sort of put twigs in the vase
02:00 and sort of hang decorations off of them, really simple.
02:02 And then more recently, like the Christmas tree.
02:05 So I've got a bit of a knaffled artificial tree.
02:09 So I thought, right,
02:09 how can I make this tree like a bit more attractive?
02:13 So I sort of faked a real tree
02:15 by using lots of branches
02:18 to sort of make it look as if it were for real.
02:20 (upbeat music)
02:23 You were to buy in a florist,
02:27 sort of the, what I have,
02:29 I'm sort of florist,
02:30 it would have cost hundreds and hundreds of pounds for sure.
02:32 And so there's definitely a huge sort of cost saving element
02:36 which is obviously really helpful to people
02:39 at times like now.
02:40 And when you do make something,
02:41 you appreciate it so much more.
02:43 And you kind of,
02:44 I think it's particularly at times like Christmas,
02:46 when you're sort of at home with your family.
02:48 So if you can sort of help create
02:50 that sort of festive feel by making things
02:52 with your family and your kids or your friends or anyone,
02:55 I think it's just a really lovely thing to do.
02:57 (piano music)
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