Home Decor on a Budget

If I am being honest, I would say that home decor is not my strong point.  Actually, I'm not that great at it at all.  But I personally think any of my decorating fails in my home are not due to finances and more to do with my lack of creativity in that department.  However, I have made an effort to do a few things around my home.

We have furnished our home mostly by second-hand items either given to us or purchased.  Our only full-price item in our home is an Ikea chair.  (We were childless at that time and hey, it IS Ikea.)  At the time the chair came with a white cushion.  I hated the white cushion, but the coloured ones were more expensive.  So we took the white one.  Over 5 years later we finally were able to replace the white cushion for a black cushion! :)

Here are some things I have learned in an effort to save money on decorating your home.

1. Put the word out before you purchase it.  I really wanted to repaint my kitchen cupboards red.  I mentioned it on Facebook, and a Facebook friend had red paint they offered me.  Other times I have put the word out asking if someone had something I was looking for and at least half the time someone had something they weren't using.  It is always good to offer to buy it off of them (for a cheaper price than the store of course) but in my experience, most people are happy to give it to you if they aren't using it and know you.

2.  Paint freshens anything.  My house is 100 or so years old.  My kitchen cupboards are OLD.  New cupboards would be a dream, but not an affordable dream of mine!  So, whenever I am needing a change, I paint them.  It is amazing how much paint can freshen a room!

3. Let Pinterest inspire you.  Now this one you need to be careful with.  When I say let Pinterest inspire you, I am not talking about the Pins that scream "Absolutely PERFECT decor for $10,000".  I'm talking more about inspiration such as this:

This is a wall decoration I made after seeing a picture of this on Pinterest (only spray painted gold).  All it is is clothespins, embroidery hoops (which I purchased at a thrift store) and spray paint.

4. Use nature to decorate.  I don't do this enough, but anytime I do, I feel a sense of closeness with the outdoors.  We pick flowers from our yard in the summer and put them on the table in a vase, or pine cones in the Fall.  My kids take part in this too-I constantly find rocks or ladybugs all over the house...

5. Decorate simply.  Jars filled with coloured beads or dry beans, old crates to hold books or toys, or fabric for bunting flags or to add layering.  If you start looking around your house, you will be amazed at how many things around your house can be used for decorating.

Again, I am by no means a decorating guru.  Until last year I didn't even know what wainscotting was, and I don't understand why there are so many different shades of white paint to choose from, and I have ugly stick vinyl tiles covering my kitchen floor, some of which are tearing apart.  But I do like to add my own personal touch to my home, even if small.  Who knows, maybe when the kids grow up and I have more time on my hands I will find more time to learn the art of a well-decorated home. ;)