Hey Guyssss! I'm Michelle and you can catch me blogging over at Let It Shine. I blog mostly about my life, sometimes about my projects, crafts, recipes and sewing. Mostly sewing. I love it like serious. Other things I love like serious? My kids, my husband, being a Christian, and beautiful things. Oh, and my favorite color is gold. So now that we are properly introduced, let's talk about decorating!
If you've visited my blog, you have probably heard me mention a few times about us moving into a new rental. We LOVE it here. It's a ranch style house which is kind of a treasure in this area of Virginia. The kids have bigger bedrooms, we have a bigger kitchen, and we also have a little foyer and a HUGE living room area...at least huge compared to what we used to have. And the summation of all this is, I finally have room to decorate in this home! At our last house I always felt stifled by the tiny amount of space and to be honest, decorating just seemed like a waste when there was really nothing to decorate.
We are so blessed to have this new home for however long we'll have it. I'd love to paint and I can't even imagine how crazy I'll go when we finally purchase a home, but for now I am so thankful to have a space to decorate. But, as with everything else in my life, I'm definitely having to do that on a budget. So here are my best five tips for decorating on a budget. I really believe that even those with the smallest wallets can find some good tips here so keep reading!
1. Plants/Flowers.
Little plants and flowers are so pretty and can be very colorful! I have bought several small (fake) plants and flowers. What I have I purchased at Ikea, Hobby Lobby and Michaels. You can find small, very inexpensive vases (I typically spend $3-5) at some of the same stores. It's even easy and cheap to switch out the flowers every few months so they match up with the seasons.
Plater/Plate: Ikea
Milk Jar: Hobby Lobby//Flowers: Michaels
Vase: Ikea//Flowers: Michaels
2. Use Facebook to Decorate!
For those of you who want to have a more cultured look, try some art! I found this amazing piece on Facebook for $15 and I think I was the complete envy of my Van Gogh loving friend. Similar pieces sell at art stores for $200 + but since I found this on a Facebook yard sale site I paid literally a fraction of that price. If you haven't already, search "Your city + Yard Sale" on FB and see what pops up. I would pick the group/fan page with the most members for the results with the most variety. Or ask to join several groups. Most will let you post "ISO" (In Search Of) and just try asking to see what people have that they are willing to sell. You could also try Craigslist. As always, please be super careful when meeting with strangers. Always meet in public! If you don't like the idea of using the internet, try your local thrift stores or even go to garage sales.
3. DIY
If you are wanting to show your creative side, there are some awesome projects you can do yourself that will be quite the statement piece. I got the idea to make this fabric map from Pinterest and there is another project from Pinterest I'm wanting to do too. It's no secret that I sew, and though these projects require fabric, they actually don't require a sewing machine or any sewing at all. You can use iron on transfer paper to make these beautiful projects. All you need is the paper (at your local craft store, or even Walmart sells this) and an iron. And fabric, of course! Easy peasy lemon squeezy.
4. Printables.
Printable art has become quite popular over the last few years. There are so many free options on Pinterest. I have searched many times for specific things and have been able to find most of them for free. Etsy has a lot of great options for printables too and the customizable options are basically limitless. Sites like (my ever favorite) Groopdealz and Brickyard Buffalo often offer cute printables at steeply discounted prices. And if none of that fancies you, try using a site like PicMonkey to make your own! I have made several printables on display in my home right now.
5. Garland.
Garland is a great idea for easy, inexpensive decor. They can be hung over doorways, on mantles, on entertainment centers, on a kitchen bar, even on a bare stretch of wall. You can make them with tissue paper, tassels, fabric scraps, burlap, pom poms and that's not even all of your options! You can buy garlands for fairly cheap at stores like Target or Hobby Lobby or you can make your own with supplies you can buy at a local fabric or craft store. Search Pinterest for tutorials on the specific kind you're interested in to get you started.
Heart Garland: Target (only $3!)
And just so you know, guys, the lighting in my living room was fairly terrible when I took these photos. My heart was sad, but hey, you win some you lose some. Overall, I feel like the decor is a win. Happy Decorating!
Michelle is a sewing mama of two in love with photography, fabric, anything sparkly and chevron, DIY projects and silliness. She can be found blogging here and on Instagram here.
