Thursday, May 28, 2009

Frugal Decorating With Abundance

The Shabby Nest is having a frugal decorating linky party today. Frugal decorating is the only kind I do. So, I am looking forward to reading everyone's ideas today!

In the last few years I have developed a few strategies for living more frugally and these same tools work for decorating as well. Right now, living in an apartment is the most frugal thing for us. Therefore, all my decorating has to keep building regulations and *limited* storage in mind.

Calendar Page
Calendar page from the day I got engaged.


These are my decorating mantras!

1. I have all that I need and more! So, I avoid the mall. Seriously. I used to go to the mall for entertainment. When committed to I to buckling down to save money, I avoided the mall to avoid temptation. What I discovered was that I really didn't miss it. In fact, when I finally went to the mall after more than six months of avoiding it, I could see more clearly that the whole mall is designed to make you feel lacking. My life and home are extremely abundant! I certainly do not want to be sold on any other ideas.

2. Hang your heart on your walls. We have framed all sorts of personal things around our apartment. My husband is a huge music fan. We have some of his favorite records on the wall. At Christmas we swap them out for vintage Christmas albums we got from our parents old collections. Not only do these records, dishtowels, calendar pages and post cards remind us of good times and places, they add a lot of color to the rental beige walls. When you come to my home, it won't necessarily look like a magazine, but it does reflect us.


3. Love the ones your with! I already have tons of great decor items that can be displayed in new ways. To keep things fresh, I rotate my "art" frequently. If I can avoid boredom, I can steel my resolve not to buy new! I keep all my framed pictures behind the sofa. If I should walk through the room with an itch for change, I can quickly swap out pictures on a whim.
Gallery Storage


Valentines Cake Stand
4. Look around for new ideas. These heart shaped rocks were free! Sometimes they are in my planter, sometimes I bring them out for display.

5. Take some risks! I wasn't sure I would like my wallpapered fridge, or that it would last, but I knew I hated the ugly old look. And, I knew that each day I could hold out on buying a new one was a day of savings. The wallpaper was just rubber cemented on and now it's a bit frayed. My next plan is to paint the fridge with chalkboard paint. I have a yucky fridge but it is fun to change it up!
Still trying to get a good pic of the color

6. Join a swap! If you are crafty- and so many people are even if they don't practice it daily, there are wonderful swaps all over the internet. Participating in swaps has been a great way to collect wonderful handcrafted and thrifted goodies for my home. This collage and banner are just two of the many cool things I have collected through swaps!
Bits N Pieces SwapMerry Christmas Banner

Well, none of these ideas are totally new, but I hope that they have reminded you that you have everything you need to make your home beautiful!

More great ideas at The Shabby Nest!

14 comments:

Kim @ Starshine Chic said...

Great ideas. Thanks for sharing!

Unknown said...

I have never thought of wallpapering a fridge. What a neat idea!

Wendy said...

Thanks for sharing your ideas!

Unknown said...

This is some GREAT advice. I love how you think! Framing calendar pages from special days?? That's just GENIUS.

Anonymous said...

You have some great ideas. I am loving the bowl of heart shaped rocks! So cute!

Bahama Shores Mama said...

now I have to go search for a calendar page........but I love the idea!!! Thanks for sharing

Jessie Jane said...

I am loving the fridge! That's too cute!

Unknown said...

I LOVE the framed calendar page! What a brilliant idea!

Tiffany said...

Wallpapering a fridge that is not too pretty is a super fun idea! Also, I love the framed calendar page! So cute.

WhisperWood Cottage said...

Thanks for leaving a comment on my blog! You have so many great ideas!

Amy

Amanda @ Serenity Now said...

Good tips! I love your pink play kitchen. :) Thanks for visiting my blog yesterday!

Wendy said...

I have never heard or seen a wallpapered frige. You may have started a new trend!I also love the title of your blog.

Jen said...

Good rules - I really need to measure myself against those. Thanks for stopping by my blog!

Anonymous said...

I LOVE the idea of wallpapering your fridge! :) I think you could avoid the fringe by framing the paper. You could add magnets to the back of frame moulding and then position that around the paper.

Please take time to check out my blog for frugal decorating ideas!

Peace,
Frugal Design Girl
(www.frugaldesigngirl.com)