Holiday Handbook: Decorate Your Home for Free

Dec. 15, 2009 — -- The "most wonderful time of the year" can also be the most expensive. So "Good Morning America" has some easy tips on how to make your home festive without breaking the bank.

Decorating Your Dining Room

Don't wait until Christmas to set the dining room table, designer Lisa Quinn said. Instead, do it now.

Quinn, author of the upcoming book "Life Is Too Short to Fold Fitted Sheets," suggested using inexpensive burlap or any fabric you have in your home to create layers on the table.

If you need to use mismatched chairs from other rooms to accommodate more guests, Quinn suggested adding some color to the back of the chairs to make them fit seamlessly.

"What I've done to add color is to add dish towels over the backs and they've got some fun colors and it adds a little punch to the table," Quinn said.

She also suggested putting candles in anything that sparkles, such as a silverware drainer. Quinn added texture to the table by placing her children's colorful plastic plates on top of the plain white china.

To create a beautiful ornament terrarium centerpiece, fill a vase with sand, pebbles or any other easy-to-find item and simply add ornaments.

"I put green peas out of the pantry in this middle one and then you set the ornament in them," Quinn said. "They're pretty. Nobody wants a big centerpiece on the table because you can't see the people across from you, so keep it low and keep it interesting."