cheap decorating ideas

7 Cheap Home Decorating Projects That Look Amazing

Kentin Waits — Mon, 05 Aug 2013 10:36:37 +0000

As the housing market gradually makes a comeback, many folks are buying and beginning to decorate their first homes. Still gun-shy from the recession, some first-time home buyers are looking for ways to furnish and decorate their new digs without breaking the bank or going into debt. Never fear. With a bit of ingenuity, a creative eye, and some weekend devotion, it's easy to create high style on a low budget. Here are some of my favorite tips to channel your inner Martha and turn that new house into a home. (See also: 15 Home Decorating Ideas for Under $5)

1. Get Shady Art

I've always loved this idea — scout around thrift stores and yard sales for large old paintings. Don't worry about the subject matter; your focus is only on the canvas as an inexpensive and recycled medium for a new piece of art. Cover the canvas with two coats of quality primer, and then paint the whole thing one shade lighter or one shade darker than your interior room color. It's a simple, bold statement piece that takes absolutely zero artistic talent. Hang similar pieces in groups to give large walls depth and interest.

2. Dish It Up

Hanging plates on the wall might sound like a decorating idea from your grandmother's era, but it's all in your approach. Group mismatched plates of similar colors together, but mix up the sizes and patterns. Choose vintage items for a curated look and randomly alternate simple, elegant patterns with bold and graphic designs. Make color your unifying theme. Play off the hues in your room or choose a palette that complements your wall color.

3. Bring the Outdoors In

Art is all around us; we just have to look with a designer's eye. Adding natural elements to your decor creates a peaceful, rustic look. Try pressing, drying, and framing leaves to create a simple and elegant art piece. Collect and group pinecones, sea shells, smooth stones, or driftwood together to make a naturescape on a side table or nightstand. Add an elegant and long-lasting willow or birch branch to a floral arrangement.

4. Make a Headboard (Without the Board)

A headboard gives a bed more prominence in a room, but you don't have to build one. If your bed is likely to remain in the same spot and won't be moved if you rearrange furniture, consider painting your headboard right on the wall. With painters tape, frame out an area on the wall about as wide as your bed and about three feet higher than the top of the mattress. Select a neutral color or one that complements your bedding, and paint away! Get even more creative by adding vertical or horizontal stripes or color blocks. For other stylish and inexpensive headboard projects, check out this article by Better Homes and Gardens.

5. Build a Family Gallery

We all have hundreds of photos from old film cameras or saved digitally on our hard drives. Usually they end up tucked away in an album or preserved on a disk, but why not try making a stunning gallery of your photo collection? Print the photos in black and white and hang in inexpensive identical frames down a long hallway or in the dining room, or display them along the sloping wall of a staircase. For visual interest, arrange your composition chronologically, play with perspective, and favor casual slice-of-life snapshots over more formal pics.

6. Cluster Your Collection

Are you a collector? Collections can be wonderful ready-made design elements in any home. Cluster small collections in groupings of no less than five or six around a room or create stunning displays from larger collections of 20 or more pieces. If possible, vary the height of the objects in your clusters to create more visual interest. Keep your collections fresh by rotating what you display throughout the year. For more ideas on how to display the collections you love, check out this article from Real Simple.

7. Turn Old Into Gold

All too often folks get hung up on the color or finish of an item or are put off by a few scrapes and scratches. Channel your inner handyman by using a bit of sandpaper, stain, or spray paint to give new life to cast-off and secondhand items. Focus on an item's design elements, construction quality, details, and appropriateness for your home. Any cosmetic challenges can usually be solved with a little elbow grease and patience. Here's a great set of articles on how to handle nearly every wood refinishing project. And if you've never tried your hand at spray painting before, here's a handy tutorial, so you can do it like a pro.

Decorating well, while keeping your budget in check, comes down to a few simple principles. First, don't be afraid to try new things; get inspired by the high-end looks you see in magazines and explore how you can recreate them inexpensively. Second, get acquainted with your local thrift stores. So many times they're filled with undiscovered treasures just waiting for someone's vision and time. Third, take a new look at you already own. How can the things you love be rearranged, reinterpreted, revamped, or revitalized? Our homes should reflect not only what we've managed to collect or been able to buy — they should reflect our passions and the very best of our ingenuity. Happy decorating!

What are your favorite inexpensive DIY home decorating tricks?

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This article is from Kentin Waits of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

Cheap and Easy Holiday Shopping at the Dollar Store

Julie Rains — Wed, 21 Nov 2012 11:36:33 +0000

What makes the dollar store great is the ease in which you can locate and buy inexpensive stuff. There are no unusual merchandising layouts or complicated pricing schemes, and checkout lines generally move quickly. These stores also often have charming and cheap gifts and accessories for the holidays. Stop by to see what you can find for the following uses. (See also: How to Avoid Holiday Debt Starting Now)

Entertaining

If you are hosting a dinner or party, combine simple items and transform them into elegant displays.

For the dining room table, mix seasonal items with everyday ones. For example, create a stylish centerpiece by placing ornaments in a large glass container, or install individual ornaments on a collection of candlesticks or inverted wineglasses. You can grab all of these (ornaments, candlesticks, glasses) at the dollar store or mix and match holiday items with glassware from your kitchen cabinets.

Dress up place settings by using small frames to hold name cards and adding seasonal figurines or holiday candles at the top of each plate. For more casual gatherings, get colorful paper plates, cups, table coverings, and streamers. These stores usually carry an assortment of frames of varied sizes plus party gear and candles.

Gift Giving

Stocking stuffers and small gifts for members of your extended family, coworkers, Secret Santa buddies, etc. that are appealing — if you are going for holiday-themed gifts — include Nativity scenes and those aforementioned ornaments and wintery figurines (I noticed adorable blue snowmen this year).

You can uncover some clever items like LED flashlights and reading lights. There are also water bottles including aluminum versions in bright red and deep green. Take a quick walk through the aisles to find small, useful gifts.

For children, I bypass most of the toys to select picture books and stickers that are typically big hits with preschoolers and younger elementary school kids. They may also like the coloring books, crossword puzzle and Sudoku books, and jigsaw puzzles. The children's and book sections contain some great buys if you take a few moments to check out the selections.

Gift Packaging

You can buy supplies to package presents inexpensively, even though the gift wrap itself often seems unsubstantial.

To save time without spending too much money, my top choice is a gift bag. The large, oversized ones are suitable for bulky items (like big Lego building sets). Tall, slender bags look perfect for a bottle of wine. Plus, these are typically strong enough to be reused for many holidays.

To create personalized, decorative, and functional wrapping, start with mailing paper found in the shipping supplies area. Use craft supplies like stickers, markers, and construction paper to decorate or assemble found items around the house or yard for a sleek, custom look. For a few more clever ideas, check out these gift wrap suggestions from Apartment Therapy.

The boxes are a good buy compared to alternatives at most discount stores, even though you may need to reinforce corners with tape. You can also find tissue paper for protecting gifts and sprucing up the presentation along with bows and ribbons for finishing touches.

Holiday Decor

Finally, gather a few items to create simple yet sophisticated accessories suitable for the holidays.

Glass bowls filled with ornaments can be placed not only on the dining room table for entertaining but also on side tables for your own pleasure. Large ornaments can be hung from the chandelier or nestled in baskets with greenery on the porch.

Embellish vases and candlesticks with decorative stones (aka accent gems), tea light candles, and/or floral items. Display holiday photos, wrapping paper, or cards in frames that can be tucked away after the holidays and brought out each year.

What are your favorite holiday finds at the dollar store?

This article is from Julie Rains of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread: