I had this message on my Facebook a few days ago:
Question for you: Got any good, cheap decorating ideas for me and my new home? You were always so good at that stuff…and I’m looking around at my apartment wondering what to do with it?!
So here are a few tips tips and tricks for doing some cheap or free household beautification that can perk up your walls and bring a little more excitement to the room.
1. Hang pieces of fabric on your walls.
This is something we used to do in college to jazz up our dorm rooms, but it is still applicable to real homes as well. Fabric is nice because most of us have some lying around or a nice scarf gathering dust in a closet somewhere so why not show it off and get rid of some of the blankness of your walls at the same time? Fabric can also easily cover large areas.
2. Use old CD and DVD cases as picture frames.
If you are like us then you end up with about a million cases to movies or music that you have compiled into CD cases. I like to hang them on the wall and then put the boys’ artwork or creative commons photos from flickr in them. For the full CD Case Photo Frame tutorial go here.
3. Repurpose common items as something new and useful.
Awhile back I needed something to keep track of the little bits and pieces on our vanity, but didn’t want to spend money for more containers. My solution was to take small yogurt cups that had been washed and cover the label with scrapbook paper. Now I have matching and unique containers that are pleasing to look at and I feel good about not spending money by using something I already owned in a new way. Another great way repurpose those cups is to make them into yogurt cup letters.
4. Make your own artwork.
Anyone can make a work of art; just make it abstract. Making something abstract means that it doesn’t have to be perfect and you don’t have to have artistic ability. Another idea is to cut a picture from a magazine into small squares and then paste them onto paper with each square a few centimeters away from the next making the picture the same as before but looking like a mosaic.
5. Complete the list.
This list is far from complete. What have you done in your house? Share it in the comments so everyone will benefit!
A few other frugal decorating ideas:
Simple Mom: Lackluster Walls at Home? Low On Extra Funds? Think Outside the Box.
Mt. Hope Chronicles: Simple Things
Nesting Place: 10 Minutes to a Room You’ll Love: Part 1 Family Room
The Swell Life: Colorful Mosaic Wall on the Cheap!
Photo by: estherease
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Very creative and unique ideas! I really like the idea of putting paper or maybe even fabric over a yogurt cup and using it for something else. I can think of tons of things I could use it for!