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Creatively
Frugal
Redecorating
How do you give your house a new look without spending a
fortune to do it?
"I
recently saw this idea in a Better Homes and Gardens publication.
Mount your 12x12 scrapbook papers on a frame (you can make your
own) and put them on the wall. You can have an incredible work of
art on your wall for under $1 per block. It will suit your
style because you use the papers you love whether country, cute or
artsy. You mount one sheet or 12 separate pieces depending on the
space you want to fill. It's cheap enough to switch out
every season." ~ Tammy
"My youngest
daughter was recently able to move into a room of her own
and the room needed to be decorated from scratch.
To save money, we came up with a theme and shopped yard
sales, thrift stores and other discount places to find what
she needed which fit around this theme. We also 'shopped'
the family. We asked members of our family if they had any
kind of furniture they didn't use any more. We were able to
get her bed, mattresses, desk, chair and a lamp that
way. We also moved other pieces out of other rooms in our
house and painted them to match her color theme. The biggest
expense we had was her bedding which I purchased online at a
department store outlet site. We are very pleased with the
results and everyday she tells me how much she loves her
room! And we were able to do it on a very limited budget."
~ Terri
"We moved
this summer and wanted to decorate frugally.
Paint is the number one idea. A gallon paint costs
very little and color can make all the difference in a room.
I also recycled a matching chair and curtains that had been
in living room (15 years old but in good shape) into
my eight year-old-daughter's bedroom. They are a colorful
floral pattern and with a great blue paint to match one of
the colors in the material, her room is new-looking and fun.
A TV show on HGTV (Design Remix) shows how to reuse your
existing things in new ways." ~ Ginger
"When
redecorating for an upcoming holiday, I change the mantle, the
front door and porch entryway, utilizing things I already
have. With St. Patrick's day coming up, I gathered and
arranged anything green and white baskets, old books with
pretty spines or covers, cloth napkins, jewelry, curtain
tassels, old postcards, green buttons, candles, etc. I made a
wreath for the front door, wrapping a white feather boa around
a styrofoam form, adding green shamrocks fashioned from fabric
and white pipe cleaners, and added strips of white and green
fabric for a bow and streamers. When redecorating, I
always remind myself, it is not what you have, but how you use
what you have." ~ Angela
"Whenever I get
bored with the way our home looks, I like to rearrange the
furniture with a different approach. We have items
that go well together throughout the house, so that I
can interchange pieces from different parts of the house.
I also keep a set
of master plans for each room of the house by simply using
graph paper and draw up the room to scale. I also make
little cutouts of all our furniture to scale so that I can
see what each room would look like with different furniture.
Doing this will ensure a nice flow.
By rearranging a few
pieces, you can create a whole new look and you can get the
kids involved too with a designer's approach!" ~ Renee
"This
is a subject near and dear to my heart, as I have almost
completed redoing our master bedroom for under $100.
Because I had no idea where to start, I decided to 'hire a
professional' on the cheap. Nate Berkus has been on Oprah
Winfrey's show many times and always does a great job. I had
glanced through his book at the bookstore and saw it had many
examples of how to fix up a room in an hour, in a day, or over
a weekend. Realizing this wasn't some book that simply showed
beautiful rooms but also helped people, I bought it online,
used, for $13.
Using the book's techniques, I decided to use what I already
had in other rooms. I moved a painting from another room into
the bedroom. From that, I pulled the new colors: blues and
greens. The biggest problem was with the print comforter. Our
local discount store was having a huge, end-of-season sale, so
I was able to find a reversible quilt for under $50. This
gives me a spring-summer option of one color, then a
fall-winter option when I reverse it.
I will recover two or three pillows, using old forms or
stuffing, which will cost only a few dollars. Our wool
comforter, which is nice and warm but very ugly, will get a
slipcover to bring it in line with the new room.
The biggest thing I learned from all the decorating books I've
read is have a working title for your new room. Ours is
British Colonial, so it has some traditional items, as well as
tropical items (a faux palm tree sits in our corner). Once the
room gets painted, it will look like an escape to a tropical
paradise...just the respite we need from today's busy
world!" ~ A Happy Mom in Illinois
"As a confessed
former addict of HGTV, I would like to share with you my
ideas for frugal redecorating. I have two homes
to keep. My husband was in the process of building one when
we got married. We could not sell my home because I
need to live within walking distance of my job. We live in
one house on the weekends and summers and the other during
the week. It is challenging to keep up with two houses, but
it is also fun to see how I can do it inexpensively.
The first thing I do
when I am ready for a change is REARRANGE THE FURNITURE.
This is my passion. I have done this ever since I was a
little girl. Just changing the position of the couch
and a few chairs will bring a totally new feeling to a room.
I will also rearrange pictures on the wall and knickknacks
on the tables. You can also change furniture and
belongings from room to room. I like to 'warm up' in
winter and 'cool down' in summer. In the summer I put away
afghans, heavy throw pillows and rugs. I always keep an eye
open at garage sales for cheap additions to the decor. I got
a slip cover for $15 that sold for $90 in the Penney's
catalog. It was the foundation for my whole living
room decor, (covering our free worn sofa that has
a sheet of plywood under the cushions to add stability).
Silk flowers are an inexpensive way to add warmth and color
to a room. I have found beautiful bouquets and swags
at Wal-mart for less then $7. I am a firm believer in the
'use what you have' decorating philosophy. Display
the things you own that you love. Similar items grouped
together in odd numbers can make eye- catching displays.
Rotate your displayed collections from time to time to add a
new look. You don't have to have a lot of money to make
a cozy and comfortable home; just a keen eye to see things
in a different way and then experiment. You can always
change it back!" ~ SC
"Simply move
stuff around. Bring stuff upstairs and move stuff downstairs
that used to be upstairs, etc. Rearrange and clean things
and it changes the look of the room and you haven't bought
anything." ~ Suzie
"There
are a few ways in which I do this:
* At DIY stores there
sometimes are buckets or tins with paint which have been
mixed to someone’s specifications but never collected… I
have painted all four walls walls of a double bedroom with
one bucket. Cost: 1 euro
* Look at what people
throw away….I have collected a settee, rugs, chairs, lamps
and side tables from “the street” over the years…. Al
they needed was cleaning or a bit of paint…. Friends are
envious when they see a new 'purchase
* Huge vases with
coloured branches are in fashion right now….. look around
you if there are any broken-off branches lying around….
Brush the soil off gently or clean and paint them with
leftover paint …. Put them in a vase or just tie them
together with a big rope or piece of fabric…. Only your
own creativity limits you!
* Don’t throw paints
cans away when there is just a little bit of paint left in
them….. mix the different colours and use the result to
brighten up furniture
* Go to thrift shops and flea markets or look on the
internet (I got a 'new' settee for 60 euro, instead of
buying a brand new one for 600), and try to bargain
* Go to markets when you
need fabrics for curtains, pillows and throws
* Look for shops that go
out of business
* Wall to wall carpets
look nice in the beginning but are expensive, but find out
if all the floor needs is a bit of paint and a small rug…
it is easier to clean too
* The best advice I can offer though: find out if something
really needs replacing, can be fixed/painted or that you
think you 'really need'
something new because it is 'in fashion'. Only when you
really need something replaced, take action!
I hope that this 'advice' will help others…. It certainly
helps me." ~ Saskia
"I love to
decorate and my friends say that I should have been an
interior decorator. They claim my house should be in
magazines. What a wonderful compliment! My secret is
yard sales and antique shops. I have found wonderful
pictures at yard sales for as little as $2. I buy things and
repaint them to match my decor. I use earth tones in my
house as I don't like vibrant colors. When I need a change,
I sell some of my antiques or have a yard sale and then buy
different items. I found a brand new black leather couch in
the newspaper for $200. The guy had never used it. It
retailed for close to $2,000. A little travel time
going to yard sales and some paint and you can do
whatever your heart desires." ~ Tonya
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"To make my
hand-me-down/garage sale/
thrift store furniture look a LOT better, I taught
myself to crochet doilies to throw on top of them.
It's amazing what class a little touch of lace
can add to any decor. A ball of crochet cotton
(size 10) is usually around $2/skein and even
less if you can find thread at thrift stores or
garage sales. There are an abundance of free doily
crochet patterns on the internet. One of my
favorite free crochet link pages is Martha a.k.a.
Stargazer's Doily Pattern links at the
following address:
I already knew
how to crochet when I taught myself to make doilies.
It took a couple of months to make my first
doily. Don't get discouraged! If I can do
it, you can do it! The effort is worth
it! I have made dozens of doilies for my house.
I also make them for family and friends for frugal
presents." ~ Lisa
"First
DECLUTTER! Then deep-clean your house, touch up the
paint, rearrange
your furniture and pictures, and enjoy your new home
without spending a penny! If you need something new, go
garage sailing -- look for pictures, fake plants, and
throw pillows. Get creative! And go the library and
check out Lauri Ward's book "Use What You Have
Decorating" before you rearrange. It teaches you
how to lay-out your furniture and accessories like the
pros do. It's an awesome book." ~ Joy
"Check out those tins of paint that came back
because the person did not like the color or what
ever. They are always cheaper.
Buy paint on sale.
Get friends to help paint etc.
Look for cut offs of carpet and vinyl.
Wait for a sale.
Check out a recycling store.
Check out the thrift shops for pictures, frames and so
on.
Borrow rollers, brushes and extensions from friends.
Make sure you clean them up good before you return
them. This stuff lasts for years if well
looked after.
Re-arrange your rooms and the stuff in your rooms so
it looks newer.
Make a new purpose for the room.
Buy a couple of frames and look for pretty calendar
pictures from previous years, family pictures or for a
few good leaves. An artsy self made frame insert is
easy. Even a nice piece of wallpaper from a sample
book will look good in the right frame.
I also use beautiful cards I have received and I look
at the end of season stuff in Walmart. I get some
really good deals. Canadian Tire is good too.
If I lived near an IKEA, I'd have it made. By the way
sari's make beautiful curtains, as long as there is a
East Indian saree shop close by.
Lastly think a head and make a plan, know what you
like and what you are looking for before it comes on
sale.
Sometimes a good bucket of hot water and elbow grease
gives a home a fresh look too, add a few stencils here
and there, a net or a fresh curtain, maybe just rotate
curtains, and you're done." ~ Julie
"I have learned the art of Rit dying. We
remodeled our house and my new bathroom needed to be
another color but I had those large bath sheets that
were still in good shape but the wrong color.
Since most towels are 100% cotton and I went from a
lighter color to a darker one they came out great. I
did this with my hand towels also. Every six months or
longer I will redye them to keep them looking new. I
bought a few new smaller towels and I throw these in
to keep all my towels looking the same shade. I also
throw in my kitchen washcloths and towels that are
that color. Kitchen towels and washcloths tend to get
bleached out or stained and this helps keep them
looking not so ragged. I was also given some nice
flannel and T-shirt material sheets but the they were
pink and I needed them for a boys room so I dyed them
a nice dark blue color. Sheets only dye well if
they are 100% cotton and not all sheets are but it
depends on how picky you need to be as to whether or
not they look good enough." ~ Kathy
"I can't
say that I've had to redecorate my home since I have
only been married two years, but I have the
unfortunate rental situation in which my walls must
remain a stark white. It gets old quite quickly. I
find that adding a little color to a room can change
its entire first impression completely. A cheap area
rug, accent pillows arranged propped up on the floor
in corners
or against furniture, or even changing your curtains
may do the trick of a light transformation . I like
to save stationery boxes, and other pretty boxes to
stack and put candles, picture frames, etc., on them
to liven up my rooms. I also
buy nice
baskets at thrift stores and spray- paint them, add
a bow and a piece of scrap material to use in
accenting the room and organizing some of my
household items.
If I could redo the walls, I would paint them a
solid color on the top half, add a border or a
cheaper wood chair rail ,and mark off the bottom
half in leveled stripes all around. I would then
paint using the same color only one gallon of flat
and one gallon of semi gloss and alternate with
flat and semi
gloss on the stripes. It looks like wall paper after
it's done . Takes time, but time is cheaper than
wallpaper -- at least for me." ~ J Holm
"I got
this idea from my sister. I 'redecorate' my
bathroom for the change of seasons or just to have
a change -- and it's very inexpensive. I
painted my bathroom a very neutral off-white.
Using some of the towels and shower curtains I
already had (and I look for clearance towels and
accessories when I'm out and about, and try to get
those with 2 different colors so they can be used
in a couple different themes), I coordinated the
colors with little inexpensive items I either
already had, found at yard sales/clearance racks,
or that I made. An example of my blue bathroom:
the shower curtain I found at a place called Ye
Olde Pottery -- it has just tons of inexpensive
and clearance items - baskets, silk flowers,
household items that go extremely cheap at season
end. I found a shower curtain that was
embroidered with little blue flowers in the
markdown pile that was marked $6. I saw a
similar one in a different store for $25.00. I got
a dark blue topper for $1 again on clearance, hung
a picture I already had with a blue frame on the
wall, filled a wall brass planter (was a gift)
with inexpensive blue and white silk flowers again
a clearance item, added a few blue candles and
found a set of 2 small blue area rugs - again at
the Pottery place. At Christmas I do a
snowman theme; at Easter a bunny theme -- both 'seasonal
bathrooms' are decorated with items either
given to me or gotten clearance/yard sales."
~ Ellen
"I have often
heard from decorators that paint gives you the biggest bang
for your buck and I agree. It changes the entire mood
of any room. However, you don't want to repaint every year
either. Something as simple as rearranging the furniture
gives a new look to everything. Other than that if you can
sew, a little fabric goes a long way in giving a different
look, whether it be new pillows, tablecloth, curtains,
lampshades, etc. Then as a last resort, I might look for a
new accent item or color. That doesn't mean you have
to buy new; scout out thrift stores and consignment
stores. Remember, that if you declutter an area, that
area will seem bigger and more spacious too." ~ Carolyn
Editor's Note: Thanks to everyone who took the time to share
his or her ideas!
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