DIY fifty Budget Decorating Tips You Should Know!

Hey ya'll. So, this renovation that I've been snailing my agency through is finally on the abode stretch. I've been epitome together with installing trim back together with doors for nearly vi weeks now, together with I think I powerfulness really live finished yesteryear this fourth dimension adjacent week. I'll live sharing all of the details most what I've been up to real soon, but inwards the meantime, I wanted to pick out a infinitesimal to recap some of the best budget decorating ideas that I've come upward up with inwards the yesteryear 2 years before nosotros started the renovation.

Let me preface this entire post yesteryear speaking some truth: 

I'm non the best decorator. 
I await dorsum on some of my creations together with think 'No, Virginia. Just no.'. 
But, similar anything, I've improved with time. And one of the most mutual questions I acquire from readers is most decorating, together with specifically how to exercise it on a budget. 

So, I've narrowed the listing downwardly to my top 50, together with I've fifty-fifty thrown inwards a few projects together with ideas that guide maintain never made it onto the spider web log before, only for fun. Consider this 1 large in conclusion hoorah together with a friendly footling moving ridge to my 1970's solid that existed before the renovation. 

I mean, it volition ever live a 1970's house...it has a giant stone wall built through the oculus of it. But, yous know what I mean....we're making progress.

Let's acquire started! Here are some of my favorite ideas from the yesteryear 2 years.

1. I acquire asked all the fourth dimension most how I proceed clutter to such a minimum. And 1 of the ways is yesteryear using trays to organize small-scale spaces. For example, only this calendar week I constitute a footling silvery tray at the thrift store for $1, together with I created a footling java station where I tin proceed sugar, spoons, etc. It's non rocket science, but it works together with it's cute.

2. Use vintage finds inwards unconventional ways. I constitute this vintage champagne bucket for nether $10 together with exercise it equally a planter. I've also seen these used for asset wooden utensils on the kitchen counter.

3. Have an off-center calorie-free fixture that's driving yous crazy? Well, I guide maintain several inwards this house, together with rather than paying an electrician to motion the entire thing over, I only swagged it over with a chain together with ceiling mounted hook.  You tin abide by specially made hooks inwards the lighting department of your hardware store.
Update: For those of yous who guide maintain been waiting on me to finally complete the dining room (after solely a long 8 months), here it is. I'm hence piteous I'm such a snail.

4. Make your ain fine art with a blank white canvass together with aureate thumbtacks. 

Tons of yous seat your ain spin on this projection yesteryear using silvery thumbtacks or making an initial...I honey when yous pick out something I've done together with acquire inwards fifty-fifty better. 
High five, lady friends.

5. Spruce upward an old fireplace with a simulated stacked log insert.

6. Or create your ain mantle for less than $20 with some fighting woods together with white paint.

7. Buy some thrift store fine art together with re-purpose it yesteryear spray epitome the frame, epitome the mat white, together with adding some sequins. 
Go await at the before pic, together with I hope you'll never await at thrift store fine art the same agency ever again.

8. Search Craigslist together with thrift stores for a inexpensive tabular array together with exercise it equally an exercise desk. I constitute this tabular array for $50, painted it black, together with added a polyurethane top coat. It's served equally my blogging headquarters since hateful solar daytime one.

I only re-assembled the exercise this calendar week together with it looks a lot different. Different layout, novel paint, novel rug, novel calorie-free fixture, dissimilar wall art. Basically, the solely thing that stayed the same is the desk. I'll exhibit ya soon. 

9. Build your ain headboard. Because those things tin live pricey. I made mine with a slice of plywood, upholstery foam, a drib cloth (used equally the upholstery material), together with some silvery nailhead trim. In total, I think it cost me less than $50.

10. Find some inexpensive article of furniture together with pigment it a bold color. Painted article of furniture isn't for everyone, but if you're on a tight budget, yous tin toilet really exercise a lot with some inexpensive article of furniture together with a footling paint. Whether you're dealing with handmedowns, a thrift store find, or something yous literally scooped upward off the side of the road, pigment tin move miracles.
I know we've talked most this dresser only about 5,000 times, but he's such an icon that he literally only goes yesteryear his offset name.

*Vern asked me to tell that. You know how he gets.

11. Reupholster an old pianoforte bench together with plough it into an upholstered bench for the human foot of your bed.

I only used some striped fabric, pillow stuffing, together with nailhead trim, together with and then I painted the legs silver.

12. Rather than only mashing all of my jewelry inwards a sack somewhere (because, naturally...), I guide maintain a bunch of pretty footling bowls that I've collected through the years (that I commonly pick upward for $1 or hence piece thrifting), together with I store my jewelry inwards them. Vern's top drawer is devoted only to jewelry...all held inwards footling bowls.
I used to live the sort who would only move out her jewelry out inwards the open, but together with then I accepted Cheese together with Tootie into my life, together with that rapidly went downwardly the drain.
CATS.

13. This is kinda similar to #12, but we're only gonna gyre with it. I also exercise small-scale vases to store my makeup on top of my vanity table. 

Here's a closeup to preserve yous from the squint.

 There's a flora taking upward temporary residence on my vanity today. I'm trying to preclude flora murder yesteryear giving him some sun. Well, together with water. I by together with large only forgot to H2O him.

Keep Herb inwards your thoughts.

14. And that brings us to the vanity. I know yous guys honey Vern, but the silvery leafed vanity is my personal favorite. I sit down hither every hateful solar daytime (because it takes quite a piece to brush out my rat's nest) together with although it's the the projection that nearly killed me, it's 1 of the few things I've created that I'm only totally together with utterly inwards honey with. Plus, it was originally a $15 dark brownish thrift store desk. So, that helps.

15. So, I guide maintain a pillow obsession, together with at that spot were a yoke of years early when I spent agency equally good much coin on pillows. 
I'll acknowledge it. I tin experience some of yous nodding inwards shame amongst me. 
There's only something most a pillow, man. 
When yous can't afford to acquire a novel couch or redo your entire house, a $20 pillow gives yous hope. I'm non proverb it's healthy, I'm only beingness honest.
#pillowtalk 

But those things add together up, together with before yous know it, yous guide maintain a cupboard total of pillows that yous aren't fifty-fifty using, together with yous wishing yous would guide maintain only saved your coin together with bought the novel couch instead. 
Or invested inwards your cat's college fund.

So, these days, I preserve my coin together with I make my own pillows.  And the best share is that yous don't guide maintain to live able to sew...you tin only exercise textile glue.

16. We've already said agency equally good much most pillows, hence we'll proceed this 1 short: You tin also create your ain pillows yesteryear using basic white fabric, together with and then stenciling on your ain designing with a Sharpie.

17.  Reupholstering thrift store chairs is a neat agency to preserve money, together with I've likely salvaged to a greater extent than than 10 of them since the start of this blog. This greenish together with white chair was 1 of my favorite redos, by together with large because of how terrible it looked when I got it. All it needed was most a yard of textile together with a footling pigment for the legs. 

18. Paint a thrift store dresser together with exercise it equally a TV console.
You guys know how long I searched for this one, together with the disaster that ensued when I tried to strip together with stain it. But, nonetheless, I'm hence happy with the agency it finally turned out. 

Plus, let's live honest, the living room used to await similar the below situation, hence I appreciate the footling things similar an appropriately sized TV stand.

Although I exercise really lady friend beingness able to guide maintain Mathias (currently inwards the Navy) assist me with epitome stuff. *Tear

19. Mix metallics. I used to live hence bad at this, but I've like shooting fish in a barrel worked my agency upward to beingness decent. And our solid looks a lot ameliorate straightaway that I've slightly improved my metallic element mixing skills.
Lately, I exercise a lot of chrome together with satin nickel, together with occasionally add together footling bits of crude oil rubbed bronze (like the hardware on the dresser) together with aureate (like the mirrored tray I spray painted).

20. Shop at thrift stores. 
I yet thrift a lot, together with it's commonly 1 of the offset places I banking concern tally when I'm looking for something specific. It takes a lot of effort, together with yous guide maintain to really develop yourself how to encounter yesteryear what's there. But, 1 time yous acquire the hang of it, yous tin really abide by amazing stuff, together with for hence much cheaper than yous would pay elsewhere. In the yesteryear iv years, likely 50-70% of the stuff inwards our solid has come upward from a thrift store. 
My full general dominion is to purchase novel when it matters: sofas, rugs, together with bedding. And together with then the rest, endeavour to thrift. If you've never read 1 of my thrift store posts, these 2 (here together with here) volition assist yous acquire started.

21. Our solid had hence much outdated cabinetry when nosotros offset moved in. Since nosotros definitely couldn't afford to supervene upon it, I decided to create the best of what I already had, together with I painted it. I painted our kitchen cabinets together with the vanities inwards both upstairs bathrooms, together with it made a bigger touching on our solid than almost anything I've done. 
Since the original tutorial, hence many of yous guide maintain asked me most how I painted the insides of the cabinets. And all I did was only exercise the same primer together with paint, together with coated it until yous couldn't encounter the grossness that was there. It's held upward pretty good through the years, together with by together with large it only looks hence much ameliorate together with makes me experience ameliorate most life.
Progress over perfection.

22. Update the hardware on your kitchen together with bath cabinetry (and fifty-fifty on your article of furniture if it needs it!). I've done this elementary ready to every room inwards our house, together with it makes such a large difference. I acquire almost all of my hardware online here together with here. The prices are ridiculously inexpensive together with the hardware is amazing.

23. Customize your kitchen cabinets yesteryear using chalkboard pigment on the insides of the cabinet doors.
My chalkboard stage has definitely passed, but I decline to halt loving my footling cabinets.

 24. Add architectural item yesteryear adding paneling on one-half of a wall. With molding yous tin give the illusion of added depth together with dimension to the walls. The molding inwards our dining room was already at that spot when nosotros moved inwards (although it could live recreated with inexpensive MDF together with only a few elementary cuts), but it was a horrible orangish wood. So, I caulked inwards betwixt the seams, primed the wood, together with painted it a semi-gloss white. And together with then in conclusion calendar week (while I was inwards trim back mode), I added some quarter-round trim back to the bottom of the paneling nigh the ground.
My eventual computer program is to create a huge gallery wall inwards a higher house the paneling, but I desire to figure out what the dining room is going to await similar before I endeavour it. I think I finally constitute the table, hence ya'll, it's most to live ON.

25. Layer it up. When it comes to bedding, I similar to layer all sorts of stuff. And since I by together with large only exercise neutrals inwards our master copy bedroom, I similar to add together a bunch of dissimilar textures together with patterns, similar striped white bedding, sweater pillows, linen pillows, together with a simulated fur throw blanket. 

28. Another budget sentiment from our master copy bedroom: Frame a placemat above the bed similar I did. One of my crazier ideas, but it worked.

29. To preserve coin on destination tables inwards our invitee bedroom, I thrifted some tables together with and then spray painted them high gloss black. (I also spray painted a yoke brass lamps high gloss white together with added novel shades, together with also made the pillows.)

And 30.  I constitute a $15 old wooden headboard together with $30 bed frame separately on Craigslist. I assembled the bed together with painted the headboard off-white. We only lately replaced it in conclusion calendar month when I redid the invitee bedroom, but it lasted for nearly iv years together with slept quite a few friends together with family.

31. Give worn out old books a fresh novel await with a coat of pigment (and yous tin fifty-fifty add together a metallic element doily similar I did to mine this yesteryear Christmas).

32. If you're a pigment hoarder similar me, yous likely guide maintain at to the lowest degree 1 junk drawer filled with pigment chips. So, create some art.
Those were also some thrifted frames that I spray painted silvery together with painted the mats white.

33. For the first version of our invitee bedroom, I constitute antique botanical prints on eBay together with framed them on both sides of the bed. You can commonly abide by sets of vi prints for nether $10, together with they create for neat art. 

My photography was really special dorsum inwards the hateful solar daytime when I offset started blogging, hence experience costless to appreciate this wondrous beauty. But, here's a closeup, nonetheless, inwards the hopes that it powerfulness at to the lowest degree give yous a expert inexpensive fine art idea.

36. Paint the within of your front end door. It's a pretty elementary idea, but it makes all the difference. I painted ours with Sherwin Williams Urbane Bronze.

37. Another inexpensive fine art sentiment that I exercise all the fourth dimension is to pick out pages from books together with frame them. Thrift stores tend to guide maintain tons of books, together with yous tin commonly abide by at to the lowest degree 1 with something frame-worthy.

And yous tin create only most anything await expert if yous seat it inwards a frame with a mat.

38. You tin also create some like shooting fish in a barrel aureate leafage fine art yesteryear using the aureate leafage pigment similar I used below.

Or yesteryear using actual aureate leafage similar I used on this abstract art.

39. This adjacent 1 requires a footling imagination on your part. I made these 2 panels most 2 years ago, but they never made it onto the blog. So, although the pictures are slightly terrible, I think there's a expert sentiment nugget inwards hither somewhere. 

Basically, I cutting a large slice of woods (that used to live our laundry room shelf, together with which I really eventually turned into this floral art) into 2 pieces together with and then spray painted them silver. Then, I used a giant stencil together with rolled a footling white pigment over it.

And it made for some pretty decent wall art, that likely could guide maintain been amazing had I styled it upward correct (rather than photographing it on my old orangish hallway floor).

 I can't call back where I used these...maybe inwards the exercise for awhile, but I came across these pictures when searching for all my yesteryear projection stuff, together with only sentiment they powerfulness live worth sharing. 

Did yous guys know that for every 1 projection that makes it onto the blog, most v don't? Basically, I create a lot of crap that doesn't plough out real well, together with and then I cover it inwards a closet.

So, don't experience bad if 1 of your projects turns out awful.

That's normal together with it's share of the process. 

At to the lowest degree for me.

40. Did yous know that yous tin purchase article of furniture legs at Home Depot? Probably Lowe's, too. Anyways, I figured this out before in conclusion fall when I was trying to relieve Paul, the sometime TV stand. I threw away his offset pair of legs (because they were inwards bad shape), together with and then I bought him a novel laid at Home Depot. Unfortunately, I kinda chose ugly ones, together with and then never painted them, together with it only kinda made an ugly dresser uglier. 

BUT, the signal is...

You tin purchase legs!!! And although my offset endeavour at re-legging a dresser likely doesn't inspire you, I experience similar sentiment itself only might. I mean, only await at all the footling leg options. 

You could fifty-fifty pigment them aureate or create your ain ottoman.  

41. Make your ain magnets using old jewelry. This one's simple, together with who doesn't honey simple? 

42. Add a footling flair to your ceiling yesteryear adding a medallion. I constitute this 1 for solely $15 at Lowe's.

43. Add a wreath to your front end door. I made my ain with a few elementary supplies from the dollar store.

44. Make your old hangers novel over again yesteryear using aureate spray paint, or add together some designing with decoupage together with wrapping paper.

 45. Save coin yesteryear buying frames at thrift stores together with spray epitome them whatever color yous want.

You tin fifty-fifty pigment the mats, too. 

Although, through my ain experience, I've learned it's best to pigment the mats with apartment white acrylic paint, equally spray pigment tin sometimes stick to the drinking glass when yous reassemble your frame.

46. Make a gallery wall. It's genuinely an obsession of mine, together with although nosotros only patched a 1 one one thousand thousand holes together with repainted the walls, I fearfulness that this solid is in imminent danger of me unleashing some other circular of gallery walls upon it. 

It can't live helped.

If yous demand some tips together with ideas on how to create your own, these 2 posts (here together with here) volition acquire yous started. Tell your walls I'm sorry.

47. Change the color together with await of almost whatever decorative object with spray paint. It's my favorite trick.

A few of my favorites are Rustoleum Bright Coat Gold together with Chrome (pictured above). I used aureate spray pigment on the footling wooden deer on the drape that I constitute for $1.

 I also honey Krylon Champagne Nouveau, together with guide maintain used it on several mirror frames, similar the one below.

You tin also exercise high gloss white spray pigment on drinking glass items to create them await similar ceramic. I've done this hence many times, together with it works really well. Just don't launder it inwards the dishwasher, or the pigment volition come upward off.

48. Speaking of spray paint, a neat agency to preserve coin is to purchase lamps at thrift stores together with spray pigment them. I used silvery spray pigment on the light below, together with and then customized the shade yesteryear adding a ribbon trim.

49. The ugly tile that was on this footling bar countertop drove me crazy for almost a yr before I finally got the guts to pigment it with some specialty tile paint. Although nosotros knocked downwardly this entire wall a few months dorsum during the renovation, it's yet 1 of my favorite projects because epitome the tile made me hence much happier with our solid inwards the meantime.
Plus, yous acquire to clothes upward similar Walter White when yous exercise it. Bonus.

I've gotten to a greater extent than questions most this projection than almost whatever other, commonly most how good it held up. And the answer is...

The tile pigment stayed intact until the day nosotros knocked downwardly the wall. I mean, Jesse literally took a hammer to it, together with the tile pigment never chipped. 

50. I'll preserve 1 of my favorites for last, because it helped to seat this footling ol' spider web log on the map 2 years ago....painting stripes on the wall.



I call back epitome these stripes tardily 1 weekend nighttime together with feeling similar I was crazy to live spending hence much fourth dimension on a house. Two years later, the stripes craze has kinda died down, but this bath helped me construct a spider web log that's genuinely changed my life. And for that, it deserves to live my fave.
We're planning to redo this bath sometime afterwards this year. For now, I'm planning a novel vanity together with novel flooring, hence perchance the stripes volition stay, or perchance I'll acquire a wild pilus together with attempt something new. I'll allow yous know when I figure it out. 
But, first, I gotta complete upward the balance of the house. :)

 Before I go, I only desire to give thank yous you guys for sticking with me piece I force through the in conclusion share of this renovation. It's been the hardest part, together with I'm kinda feeling similar a squashed slug, but the exciting stuff is on the horizon. I tin experience it.
'Til then!

That's all for today! 'Til adjacent time!

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