Between gift giving, decorating and entertaining, the holiday season can certainly leave you strapped for cash. Luckily, HGTV Network's Trash to Treasure guru, Robb Whittlef, has some unique decorating and gift giving ideas to help you make it through the season at little to no cost.

Whittlef has been in the design business since he was 19 years old, when he opened the "Sticks and Stones" home store in Minneapolis. The store became a huge success and over the years Whittlef took on many projects, including managing home accessory wholesalers and hosting TV design shows. In his spare time, Whittlef enjoys remodeling and restoring vintage homes, traveling, working for his favorite charities and writing books on both design and business.

Where to begin? Whittlef suggests being observant of your surroundings. "What I suggest to people is to just look at stuff they like," he said. "The national home décor magazines come out with all of the gorgeous images of holiday décor. You look at it and think, 'I love that style but it must have cost them thousands and thousands of dollars.' Truth be told, it probably did. Ask yourself, 'How can I recreate that look without spending any money?' That gives you a template to start from."

A good place to begin is by looking around your house and visiting thrift stores, whether you're seeking home décor ideas or gifts for family and friends. Items that you would normally consider "junk" can be transformed into unique, personalized gifts and crafty decorations.

When decorating your home for the holidays, Whittlef suggests you start in your backyard. "Pinecones are genius," he said. "They're totally free and look fantastic when you can use huge quantities of them clustered together in a big bowl." For some extra flair, Whittlef suggests using a spray adhesive and dusting the pinecones in silver glitter. Then, they can be wired together and hung in clusters on the Christmas tree. "It really makes a modern yet organic look," he said. "You can literally decorate your entire tree for little to no cost."

While decorating your tree, Whittlef suggests antiquing old ornaments and creating your own tree skirt, both of which can be accomplished at little to no expense. He recommends scouring local thrift stores for antique glass bulbs and balls. "A lot of times, they've aged very beautifully," he said. But if they haven't, Whittlef suggests this easy remedy: Place the bulbs in a container of water and let them sit overnight. This will pull some of the silvering off of them, creating an aged effect. "It's really a cool way of antiquing ornaments, making them look a lot older than they really are," he said. Be sure to test one before doing your entire stash, as the time required may vary.

For a trendy tree skirt, Whittlef said a plain burlap sack can work wonders. Often Christmas trees are delivered to florists and garden centers in burlap bags, which are then tossed away. Wash a few bags and line dry them; a dryer will shrink them to nearly nothing. Cut the bags into the shape of a skirt and do a simple cross-stitch to join them. Then add a velvet panel around the edge. "Many times, the cheapest way to get velvet is to go buy the most heinous velvet dress you can find at a thrift shop and cut it up," Whittlef said. "You'll have all the material you want for virtually nothing."

If you're seeking an edgier approach to your holiday décor, Whittlef suggests painting a wall in your house, even if it's just for the season. A gallon of paint is only around $20, so the only thing you have to lose is a little time to create your masterpiece. "You could do a wall in your living room with red and white horizontal or vertical stripes for the holidays with a green tree in front of it, and when you have a party, it's going to be the hit," he said.

If you're not comfortable with painting a wall in your home, Whittlef recommends decorating it with pictures of the family. "There are so many great things you can do now with technology in terms of computers and scanning old imagery and photos," he said. By taking old picture frames and spray painting them black for a uniform look, Whittlef has created a wall of memories for family and friends during the holidays. "I took photographs from when my parents were kids and when my brothers and I were young and created an entire collage of photo frames that I purchased at a salvage store for a couple dollars per frame. I used photos of us in the snow and ice skating and converted all of the pictures to black and white." Whittlef said this is a fun way to showcase the important people in your life during holiday parties and gatherings.

You can also use "trash" or throw-away items to create fabulous gifts during the holiday season. Whether they're intended as thank-you gifts for hostesses or from-the-heart handmade crafts for your loved ones, the trash to treasure mentality is a "treasure trove" of ideas for unique, personalized presents.

One idea Whittlef suggests, is to turn vintage postcards into framed art. "Use the graphic ones you find in your grandparent's basement - the postcards that people store but never display," he said. Then sandwich them in between two pieces of acrylic or glass and fuse the corners with black edging, the kind used to hold photos in memory books. Attach a copper wire, and viola, you have instant wall art, tree ornaments or coasters.

Need an inexpensive but practical idea for a hostess? Stock up on vases for the holiday season. Original, vintage florist vases can be purchased for next to nothing at thrift stores and make an added bonus to a gift of flowers. Whittlef suggests filling the vases two-thirds full with cranberries, then adding a single color flower and finishing it with a recycled French wired ribbon. "It looks fantastic and saves the hostess from having to tend to flowers wrapped in paper while she's trying to entertain," he said.

While you're bargain hunting at the thrift store, Whittlef urges stocking up on stemware, which can become functional, personalized gifts. He suggests buying stemware in different styles but the same variety; goblets or wine glasses, for example. Then, using an inexpensive glass etching kit, you can adorn the glasses with the first initial of the recipient's last name. You can do this over time with various pieces and eventually give your friends or family an entire table setting that's both fun and classy.

So whether you're decorating your abode or seeking an interesting, inexpensive gift idea, Whittlef urges you to pick apart your surroundings. Sometimes the best treasures are in the trash!