MISCELLANEOUS DECORATING

Find any type of old "junk", line it with a piece of  plastic and then some dirt and you can have your own garden anywhere you want it!   

Make your own picture frame/holder (you know, those one's that you see now that you just slide in a few pictures behind a piece of ribbon and they just sit there).  All you need is a piece of wood, any size you want, some type of batting, ribbon, material to cover the wood and a staple gun..  Lay down the wood, cover it with the batting, then the material and staple it to the backside of the wood.  Then add your ribbons how you want and staple them to the back of the wood.  Then you'll need to add a hanger to the back if you plan to hang it up.

I have one room that has an outdoor, rustic kind of theme.  It's decorate in black bears and pine trees.  I wanted some flannel curtains for the room, but that was SO expensive.  Instead, I opted for my husbands flannel shirts!   They're just hung up through the arm holes and they look awesome!

Instead of those fancy cd holders, get a slinky!

We had a basement with an exposed ceiling where you could see all the beams and wires.  So we took some cheap, white fabric and staples it to all the boards to make it look presentable.  It ended up looking neat and it was super cheap!  You could even stencil or paint onto the fabric.

In our basement we also had bought some "astro" turf for our carpeting.  We didn't want to spend so much money fixing it up since we wouldn't be down there that much, but we didn't want to walk on concrete.  We decorated it like a little picnic area with a bistro table and chairs, flowers, spring colors, etc.

If you're a thrift store shopping like me, go right away when they open. And try to go on mondays or tuesdays after all the garage sales items that didn't sell have been donated!

Any item can look new with a fresh coat of paint.  Especially little things like end tables, toy boxes, lamp shades, etc.  Plus, acrylic paint is less than $1

Have any old scrap wood?  Little blocks or other small pieces can be painted to match any room and hung up to be a display shelf.

Like to bake?  Make your own sugar cookies and let the kids decorate the tops of them.  Draw out a design on  a stiff paper plate then cut it out.  Rest it on top of the cookie and fill it in with sugar crystals!

Make your own potpourri balls.  Buy a foam ball and a bag of potpourri.  Then just hot glue away.  Set some in a bowl or attach a string and hang them from a knob.

Make some mini flower arrangements.  Take a little votive and some small flowers.  Arrange them in the votive - use either foam or tacky stuff to keep it in place.  These are perfect for small spaces!

Make your own welcome sign.  Find the size frame that you like and print off the word "welcome" on a sheet of paper.  Then arrange leaves or flowers around the word and fasten the frame.  They look awesome in front windows or on hallway tables!

Fill up your empty window ledges with small terra cotta pots and grown your own herbs or flowers.  You can even pain the pots to match your decor.

During Christmas season, decorate a mantle, shelf or table easily.  Get some white foam balls, a bunch of toothpics and some white spray paint.  Stick the toothpicks into the balls and the spray with the paint.  It will look like snowballs inside the house!  Can also use glitter to make them sparkle.

Plain colored ornaments can also be a great way to decorate.  Coat them with some glue and then roll in the glitter.  They sparkle up very nicely and can be displayed anywhere.

An old lunch box can make a great arrangement.  Tape or glue the letters w-e-l-c-o-m-e to the inside cover and then plant a small plant in the bottom.  If you have an old scrabble game you can use those letters!

To brighten up plain old roller shades, add a ribbon or decorative trim to the end of it.  This will give them a more fancy finished look instead of the ugly plastic piece or ripped up edges.