As the seasons change, many times your local thrift and consignment stores will have a change in inventory. So, be sure not to miss out on decorating supplies, furnishings, accessories, paint, wallpaper and fabrics that can be found at many thrift stores. But, before you go shopping for bargains, make a plan that incorporates items you already have into your decorating task.
The best strategy in budget decorating is to always inventory and use what you have on hand before buying decorating supplies. Be sure to check out the garage, attic, and/or basement for useful materials or furnishings that can be recycled into a new decor.
Shop in your own home first! Consider moving items from one space to another. Sometimes pulling items from one room to another and simply re-organizing, fixing up, or just using an item in a different way can be enough to jazz up a room. Add a fresh coat of paint, different window dressings and rearrangement of furnishings, and WHA LAH! You have a new room.
Need some paint? If you can be flexible about color, check the mis-mixed table at your local home improvement, hardware, or paint stores. You can find high quality paints for a fraction of the original retail cost when colors don't turn out exactly as they should have. Sometimes you can find a slight variation of just the color you've already picked that will work just as well with your selected color scheme and save you lots of money.
I buy these mis-mixed paints (usually for $2-3 per gallon or less) throughout the year and store them appropriately for later use. This way I go shopping in "my own" paint department first to see if I can accommodate the decorating plan I have chosen. Planning ahead and grabbing these types of decorating supplies when they're a bargain is a great way to maximize your home decorating savings.
Collecting fabrics for future use is also another great idea. Even unwanted clothing can be used to create small window dressings, pillow covers, and accessories. Many people give away scraps of fabrics or sell them at yard sales. Be sure to check clearance and end piece items at sewing and fabric shops. It's really so simple to make a curtain or a pillow. Usually only requires sewing simple seams.
For more complicated tasks, if you can't figure it out for yourself, you're sure to find a how-to book at any library or search on-line for free information.
I've found some excellent ideas for decorating on a budget, do-it-yourself projects, and decorating theme ideas from television, how-to books, and online sources like Designing Online. Benefit from some of the wonderful ideas and projects offered by professionals. You can get some great ideas for areas of your home that you just don't know what to do with.
Before you make your plans, check out several books at the library on home decorating. You will find no shortage of books on the subject of do-it-yourself home decorating. Glance through them and grab ideas to incorporate into your own decorating task.
If you have a specific challenge to overcome, likelihood is someone else has already encountered it, conquered it, and written a book or web page about it. Use their knowledge! It will save you time and frustration of figuring it out.
Learn to make swags and wreaths. Swags and wreaths bring texture and color into a space and can be fairly simple to create. A simple how-to book is all you need to create a few decorative pieces. Wreaths can easily be adapted to suit any theme or color scheme. And, handmade ones are a fraction of the cost of those purchased already made.
Tip: Some people grow to love the craft of wreath making and it becomes a useful hobby. They make great gifts!
Swags are sooooooo easy to make once you have the right supplies and tools. Like wreaths, they have a basic structure that can be adapted to suit your theme or color scheme. Once you become an experienced swag or wreath crafter, you can whip together an accessory for any decor in a matter of minutes.
Don't over accessorize. If you have collections, group them together for the best displays. Your trinkets and treasures will look less like clutter and more like valued collections.
