Christmas Cheer . . . for Cheap!

Christmas time is here and with it comes lots and lots of decorating.  Well, for me anyway!

I thought I'd share how I decorated my tiny space to invoke ideas for your home.  In my opinion, this is the best decorating job I've done yet! 

Everything I used was given to me because a friend or family member no longer wanted them.  The tree on the table was purchased  on post-Christmas clearance at Michael's craft store.  I customized it for Christmas by adding faux poinsettias,  pinecones, and a garland I had. 

We can't fit food on this table, but at least it looks pretty...

 

 

 

 

Merry Christmas! How do you cut decorating costs? Leave a comment and if you found this helpful, don't forget to share!

Frugal Furnishing: A Poor Man's Guide to Chic on the Cheap ;D

Welcome to my humble  very humble abode!

Here is a snapshot of my tiny living room:

As you can see, I love two things: fabrics and CHAIRS!

My financial constraints on expenditures for home good has inspired pretty awesome creations for my space.  

Out of the furniture seen in the photo, only one piece is purchased, and that is the coffee table from a flea market for $25.  

The  chair in the middle was given to me by my boyfriend and the other two I found roadside.  

Numero Uno: Next to a dumpster off a main road.

Numero Dos: Curbside along house.

So, after scoring free stuff, where do you start?

For me, projects are left undone because of the overwhelming unknowing of where to begin.  Before doing any labor on the furniture, I do what comes naturally to me...Shop!

After getting an idea in my head, I head straight to Ebay to see their deals on fabric.

Murano Home Furnishing supplied me this great vinyl floral embossed fabric that feels and looks just like leather.  It cost me 14.56 + 4.95 shipping.  I purchased 1 yard and so far I've gotten two pillows from it and I have about a quarter left to use.

Uptown Fabric had linen fabric which I purchased to make two more pillows, plus a cover for reupholstering a chair and footstool.  The floral fabric is nearly gone, but the striped fabric has enough left for another pillow. (or as seen in the first photo, a table runner!)

Each fabric was $7.99/yd + Free Shipping.  ( I only purchased 1 yard)

That's that.  A furnished room with accessories for well under 100 bucks.  The biggest sacrifice for chic on the cheap is the time and effort to strip, recushion, and repaint furniture and sew pillows.  Oh, which reminds me, the free filler I use for my pillows? Old pillow/stuffed animal stuffing.

What are your secrets to chic on the cheap?

Pretty & Practical : Hand Painted Stool

Who couldn't use an extra seat in their house?

Or an extra plant stand, night stand, side table.....the list goes on and on for what the ever so versatile stool can be used for.

Years ago I purchased 2 stools at Wal-Mart for 9.99 each.  I never used them.

They sat as seating for a well-intentioned but never used breakfast cart.

Needless to say, I have finally found purpose in my stools!

I hand painted them a while back with 1.00 store acrylic paint. 

Now, the stools are used as a night stand and a plant stand.

Nifty, huh?

You will need:
- 1 Stool ( or as many as you want!)
-Cheap paints or markers or pens - the more color the better!



I painted a flower motif on my stools. I never finished one, but I kinda like it as is.  I meant to do a stain over the acrylic paints as a protector, but after 4 years, there is no sign of wear, so I didn't apply it.



















Be creative and paint (or draw) your heart out!

Repurposed : From Dish Rack to Book Holder

Cookbooks = counter space wasters

In addition to plants, cook books are on my list of loves.

My favorite, The Joy of Cooking, is one that every cook should have, and that is the only one you will ever need.

Well, I promised myself that I would use that book alone because I tend to buy things - especially books - and never finish them or even open them for that matter.

It was a good run, but while innocently "browsing" (window shopping telling yourself you won't buy anything, all the while, thinking to yourself you can skip some groceries this week for one more purchase...) through Amazon and tag sales....my collection suddenly bloomed! Stacking them was no longer a decent presentation - nor convenient!

If they are out of sight, they will be out of mind, and it would be nice to actually use these once in a while! Plus, it was getting annoying to constantly shuffle them out of the way of kitchen messes.

My resolution?

A dish organizer previously purchased from Wal - Mart that was collecting dust. 

From old dish rack found at Wal-Mart...

...to new space saving book organizer:)

 What are your re-purposed alternatives for counter space savers?