I was absolutely thrilled to be asked back to decorate my favorite vintage/thrift store for the holidays! BQuirkie is a highly curated vintage clothing boutique in Cincinnati that caught my eye the very first weekend I moved to the city and has been a staple for my wardrobe for the nearly three years I have lived here. Earlier this year the shop moved to a prime location on Elder Street in OTR – directly next to the iconic and historic Findlay Market.
I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know Bella, BQuirkie’s founder and owner over the past few months. When she posted an Instagram story asking for recommendations for curating her Christmas decor and window displays, I immediately responded to her story and volunteered myself and explained that while I had no professional decorating experience per say, I am very crafty, love Christmas, needed a challenge, and adored the store. I had some back and forth conversation for a while, to no surprise there were several professional decorators interested in decorating the shop. But because BQuirkie is a small business and the prices that were being quoted were a bit jarring for a clothing boutique holiday display, I – the most amateur of amateurs got my chance to put my years of Christmas decorating to the test on a commercial level! I knew that for a store I treasured so much I could find a way to deck the halls with unique and personalized decor without spending a fortune.
Curating Inspo Boards via Pinterest Collages
I started by drafting inspiration boards on Pinterest with designs for the store. My searches for DIY Christmas turned up so many different ideas I eventually came up with three separate collages, each with their own unique vibe and winter aesthetic. After sharing with Bella and incorporating her feedback, we landed on the inspo board below:
We both liked the warm, crafty, eclectic, and girly aesthetic and knew it would fit perfectly with the vibe of the store itself. I took inventory of my own craft closet – which is just a cabinet filled with random boxes of tape, wire, beads, and construction paper from past parties and DIY ventures. I put together a stockpile of supplies I could utilize to save on the cost of new items. I also think that when you push yourself to only use the materials you have – it somehow forces you to be more creative and brings out really interesting and unique ideas.
Christmas DIY
I spent the first few days making paper chains, paper snowflakes, and strings of star garland. Sitting at the kitchen table with old Christmas movies playing, a full mug of hot chocolate, and crafting away for hours on end was the ideal escape from the Winter weather that hit Cincinnati the last week of November. The paper decorations were time-intensive, lowkey therapeutic, and very economical for keeping the small decor budget low.
After I used up all the materials I had on hand, I headed to Dollar Tree to see what kind of materials they had to further DIY some decorations. I bought several rolls of ribbon, sheets of pre-made glitter bows, bags of bells, and packs of Christmas-colored pipe cleaners. I honestly didn’t know what I was going to make out of everything, but I set it all out and created some mini wreaths and bows to accentuate the girly Christmas vibes we were going for. After hours of stapling and searching for tutorials on Tik-Tok of how to tie a perfect bow, I was pleased with how they turned out.
I enlisted my cousins to help me make paper snowflakes at Thanksgiving, and by Black Friday – I had once again used up all my supplies. I waited until Saturday to head to the stores to see what was left after the hordes of Black Friday shoppers made their rounds. I’ve never once been Black Friday shopping – and I hope I never will!
The Saturday post-Black Friday situation was a spectacular surprise – I scored some pre-made garland and even a Nutcracker disguised as a shopaholic on sale at Michaels for 60% off! I couldn’t help but get her for the store.
Decor Day!
It was finally the day to decorate the store! Thanks to a 10ft ladder, a family pack of Command strips, and a lot of caffeine, we got the shop decorated in a few hours during a busy Sunday with a full shop. It was such a rewarding feeling to hear customers talking about the decorations as I was setting them up. I was reminded that sometimes the Christmas spirit finds you in surprise ways – like grown men holding the ladder steady for me and little kids bringing me ornaments that rolled across the floor during the hanging process. I was thrilled with how it turned out!
