Your Style, Your Budget
by: Batsheva Vaknin
Tired of ogling the latest styles in brand name home furnishing stores and catalogues, only to find that the price of one little coffee table equals more than half your monthly salary? Don?t be discouraged ? with a little ingenuity, your home can be as beautiful and stylish as a Hollywood celebrity?s, for just a fraction of the cost.
* Start with the walls. It?s easy to forget that sometimes just adding a fresh coat of paint or changing the color of your walls can give your living room, bedroom, or dining room a brand new look and feel.
Wallpapering is another way to jazz up a room ? but don?t break your budget hiring a contractor. Consider wallpapering just one wall, or only wallpapering borders.
* Create atmosphere with Light. Don?t overlook the power of a lamp. The right lighting can transform any room. Forgo overhead lighting for lamps, and stay away from halogen unless it fits into your modern decorative scheme.
Wall sconces are another great way to add a stylish touch to any room. Look for the type that lends itself to easy, self-installation.
* Accessorize. Another inexpensive way to create a designer look is to buy a few key accessories, like silk pillows, chenille throw blankets, and fresh-smelling candles. Choose an elegant centerpiece for your dining room table or coffee table, like floating white candles, fresh flowers, or a ceramic or glass fruit bowl.
Pictures, photos, prints and paintings can be hung around a room to create whatever look or feel you desire. Shop flea markets and thrift stores for prints and interesting photographs, or go to a discount store for frames and hang some of your own creations.
* Buy furniture that won?t break the bank. Shop smart for couches, lamps, tables, entertainment centers, and more. Estate sales, consignment stores, flea markets, junk and thrift stores can be gold mines for second hand but stylish furniture.
If you don?t want second hand, shop clearance sales or online. Online furniture stores can be treasure troves for good deals, since they generally have little overhead and therefore don?t pass those costs on to you, the consumer.
* Can?t afford a new couch? If you are somewhat handy with a sewing machine, use discounted fabric or beautiful sheets to sew yourself a couch cover. Still have energy? Create more cheap but beautiful "new" furniture by sewing upholstery covers for your armchairs or dining room chair seat cushions.
If you can?t sew, buy a shabby chic slipcover or tuck in a large beautiful sheet or blanket for a homemade slipcover. Finally, consider simply rearranging your furniture ? finding a different wall to put your couch against can create a whole new look for your living room.
Use any or all of these tips to achieve the style you want at a low, low cost. Amaze your friends and family with your stylish home, then dazzle them with the shoestring budget you had to work with. Go ahead! It?s your home and you deserve the best without having to spend the most.
About The Author
Batsheva Vaknin Please find the original article and more information about this subject at http://www.homeandliving.com/DesignAdvice.aspx?Category=KidsRoom When Yale graduate, BatSheva Vaknin is not writing helpful and insightful articles like the one you just read for www.homeandliving.com, she writes plays, screenplays and short stories. In fact, she has just completed her first novel. If you would like to publish this article on your own site, please feel free to do so. Please let us know the URL of the posted article by emailing the URL to customerservice@homeandliving.com. All we ask is that you include the whole article, without changes, including the link to the original article location, author information, this disclaimer and the following link. Find great home furniture online at www.homeandliving.com...
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A Valentine?s Dinner That?ll Knock His Socks Off
A Valentine?s Dinner That?ll Knock His Socks Off
by: Michaela Scherr
A few years ago I wanted to do something really special for my husband on Valentine?s Day.
I didn?t want anything in return, only that the evening was fun and enjoyable, and that was how it turned out.
The look on my Valentine?s face when he came home for dinner was priceless and shall remain with me forever.
I?d never seen his eyes or smile so wide!
I?d like to share this special Valentine?s Dinner with you now, it had the effect I wanted including an evening filled with laughter and great conversation.
What you?ll need:
A white table cloth
Approximately 20 silver balloons
Silver ribbon for the balloons
Selection of white candles of differing shapes and sizes (unscented)
Several sheets of red cardboard (thin enough to cut)
Blu-Tack or other safe, removal adhesive
White platter for prawns...
A Valentine?s Dinner That?ll Knock His Socks Off
Candles > A Valentine?s Dinner That?ll Knock His Socks Off
Bridal Shower Centerpiece
Bridal Shower Centerpiece
by: Trish Burrell
Your bridal shower centerpiece is often the focal point of your party. It helps set the mood, whether it be soft and romantic, or bright and lively. So, put some extra thought into your choice. Answers to the following questions will help with your brainstorming.
How do I decide what to use?
The best place to start, is with your bridal shower theme. Try to come up with some creative centerpiece ideas related to your theme. For instance, if it's a kitchen shower, use a utensil holder filled with utensils, and tie a colorful bow around it. This can become a useful gift for the guest of honor to take home when the bridal shower is over.
What if I'm not having a theme?
Use your color scheme. This simple idea has a unifying effect, as it will blend with your other decorations.
What are some bridal shower centerpiece ideas?
? Fresh flowers are always a great choice. They add...
Bridal Shower Centerpiece
Candles > Bridal Shower Centerpiece
Table Centerpiece Ideas
Table Centerpiece Ideas
by: Alice Stacy
For special occasions like a family dinner, or when you have business associates or friends over, little finishing touches can add a lot to the dining table where you sit down to share the meal, as well as conversation and each other's company.
Table centerpieces are the favorite decoration, and in a pinch, you can always use the silk arrangement that you keep in the china cabinet, or get a fresh flower arrangement from the local florist.
Some people however, like to exercise their preferences or creativity, and assemble their own centerpiece creations. Candelabras are extremely popular, but when considering these, keep in mind the material they are crafted from. Silver is wonderful, but cleaning something with whorls and deep troughs in the design can be very difficult. The alternative is silver-plated candelabras, but although they do look nice, just don't have the same shine as "real" silver....
Table Centerpiece Ideas
Candles > Table Centerpiece Ideas
Crafts for Baby Shower Decorating
Crafts for Baby Shower Decorating
by: Criss White
Planning a baby shower? Baby showers are a great opportunity for artistic people to make their own decorations and gifts. Here are some fine ideas for baby shower crafts:
1) Baby shower gift baskets - Gift baskets are a great baby shower centerpiece or gift. Many of the items in the basket can be handcrafted. Some ideas include candles, soap, ceramic figurines, and personalized jelly jars.
2) Diaper cakes - A diaper cake is an easy to make gift or centerpiece for a baby shower. This is a great gift idea for the person hosting and planning the shower. Basically, get a lot of diapers and attach them together with pins or glue. You can use towels or blankets to wrap around the outside of each layer and add a teddy bear or other centerpiece on top of the diaper cake. The new mother will have plenty of diapers and gifts she can use from the diaper cake and it looks great as a centerpiece too....
Crafts for Baby Shower Decorating
Candles > Crafts for Baby Shower Decorating
Use Outdoor Rugs To Decorate Your Outdoor Space
Use Outdoor Rugs To Decorate Your Outdoor Space
by: John Murray
If you are looking to add a little comfort to your outdoor space and incorporate it into your living space you have plenty of options. Your very lucky if you have some outside space to call your own. Why not use outdoor rugs to decorate your outdoor space.
Whether your outdoor space is a deck, patio, or pool you can create useable outdoor space at a great price. If you live in a part of the world where you can use your outdoor space all year round you're a lucky person. If you're like the rest of us and only get to use it for part of the year. The choice of outdoor rugs is even more important because they will stand up the moisture, snow, and rain.
Remember turning your outdoor space into useable space is very much like decorating a room in your home. It needs its own personal touch and style. Choose comfy furniture, add some accessories such as potted flowers, some garden...
Use Outdoor Rugs To Decorate Your Outdoor Space
Candles > Use Outdoor Rugs To Decorate Your Outdoor Space
Use Outdoor Rugs To Decorate Your Outdoor Space
Use Outdoor Rugs To Decorate Your Outdoor Space
by: John Murray
If you are looking to add a little comfort to your outdoor space and incorporate it into your living space you have plenty of options. Your very lucky if you have some outside space to call your own. Why not use outdoor rugs to decorate your outdoor space.
Whether your outdoor space is a deck, patio, or pool you can create useable outdoor space at a great price. If you live in a part of the world where you can use your outdoor space all year round you're a lucky person. If you're like the rest of us and only get to use it for part of the year. The choice of outdoor rugs is even more important because they will stand up the moisture, snow, and rain.
Remember turning your outdoor space into useable space is very much like decorating a room in your home. It needs its own personal touch and style. Choose comfy furniture, add some accessories such as potted flowers, some garden...
Use Outdoor Rugs To Decorate Your Outdoor Space
Candles > Use Outdoor Rugs To Decorate Your Outdoor Space
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