Creative, Do It Yourself, Inexpensive Decorating?

Question

Okay I need some ideas to bring life into the room, besides plants.
I'm open for suggestions please, I need ideas to create wall designs that I can do and not be very expensive please. Willing to use candles, cloth and flowers if necessary. PLEASE HELP
Thanks for all those that submit their ideas in advance.

I'm trying to surprise my 1st Lady and decorate a couple of rooms in the church to liven it up. She loves candles and plants, but I need ideas and soon.

Answer 1

window dressings - depending on your design preferences - Clean lines allow for use of more detail in other areas of the room - decorative shades with some material draped over rods- sheer scarf legnths are beautiful but bargain hunt for a good price as they can be expensive - but I have seen them on sale for very very cheap too - go online! - I can't afford pleated shades at this time - so I went to homedepot and got what they call "temporary blinds" they have an adhesive at the top - you peel and press to top of window fram - and have clips to use to hold bottom of shades at height you want - simple - cheap and elegant-

simple geometric glass vases or heavy drinking glasses - fill about 1/3 of way up with any of these: marbles, small stones or medium stones of variying colors (dark and light), sand and so on - fill with water and insert bamboo plant - look around for the plants - all you want are the bamboo plants themselves - if they are already put together in any sort of vase etc - they will cost more. You should be able to get them very cheap - if you live near any fairly large asian community you may find lots of stores that carry them AND some other cool stuff for decorating and at inexpensive prices.

SLIPCOVERS! go online - some great stuff that clings to the shape of the furniture or looser fits if you prefer and if you shop - good prices! this can alter the look of a space dramatically - and if you wnat - buy 2 and change the feel perdiodically.

Ever see people throwing out old windows? The smaller ones with several small panels of glass with wood frames? Those and old doors of various sizes (from full doors to cabinet doors) can be either sanded and repainted OR depending on the condition of the things - kept as is and that gives a weatherbeaten look which is nice too - the doors anc be hinged together if they are the same dimensions and use as room dividers or small table screens - you can put framed pictures on them or the smaller ones can be hung and you can put pictures on them etc.

HAVE FUN!! fo online to home decorating sites and get idea!

Answer 2

I like Angie's answer and would like to add that in general when decorating a room it's a good idea to start with the rug you want and work from there. Fresh cut flowers are also a very nice addition to the decor. Another suggestion is to read some of the Q+A in Yahoo Answers-discover.

Answer 3

go to the HGTV website, and click on shows like "Design on a Dime", "FreeStyle", and "Decorating Cents." All should give you plenty of ideas, adn before/after photos of rooms done inexpensively.

HINT: A couple gallons of paint, even if not on sale, give a huge punch for the dollars spent. Start there.

Answer 4

you can inexpensively make slipcover/pillow cases for furniture. pressed flowers in clearance frames on plain white background are good too. unframed canvas is popular... you could take a terrific fabric and stretch it over a wood frame and modpodge over it to look like a canvas.

Answer 5

Use mirrors or mirror tiles. Add small shelves that hang on the wall. Colorful pictures of scenery. Then add your candles and leafy vines and flowers. Use your own artistic flare for putting these all together. Good Luck.

Answer 6

Did .you ever try TATUAGE? Its like a mural that comes off a paper, very easy to do and it looke great, they have a large variety of scenes. TATOUAGE.COM

Answer 7

Take a look at these two lists of books on Amazon, one is for walls/windows and the other is for budget decorating.
http://tinyurl.com/rmn9w
http://tinyurl.com/rz4s4
If you see a book that looks helpful, your public library can get it for you to read (free).

Answer 8

sponge painting is always nice. sometimes if you paint 3 walls and do one with wall paper it turns out cool. depends what colors you pick. be sure not to do sponge painting and wallpaper. (past experience it sucked). instead of sponge painting, take a fake rose ( a really big one), dab it in paint, and press lightly onto one wall. use different versions of one color to make it look really pretty. then when its dry, go over it with a roller and some translucent paint.

Answer 9

In the kitchen= older utensils and other kitchen gadgets i no longer use. in the last house i took a huge piece of drift wood and put hooks in it for a pot, pan, lid and utensil holder.
On the walls=i make my own artwork (marker, watercolor, chinese calligraphy), frame a cool piece of fabric.
In the bathroom= i collect shells and rocks, and candles.
In the bedroom= i wait for really cool fabric to go on the sale rack and cover over the curtains for a change. or put a curtain rod over bed and drape fabric -if long enough to make a fake canopy type dealy.
Window charms= clear sparkly or colored beads that can be strung on thin wire or string and left hanign down in several places ...best when you can find the crystal tears from a chandelier at local thrift shop.

Answer 10

Small fake trees about four-five feet high with those small clear Christmas lights wound around it, or one of those cheap thin arbors with flower garlands wound around it with the same kind of lights. Or those tall candle holders, if you can find them done the same way with flowers and lights.

Answer 11

Wall hangings are nice, easily replaced, and inexpensive. Flowers need to be replaced regularly, and candles create fire hazards and drip wax all over the place. Paint is cheap but permanent and time-consuming. Wall art or framed posters can be cheap, but don't go overboard and cover your walls with them. And if you've got a full-length mirror, you may be able to hang it sideways on your wall depending on how sturdy the backing is. Mirrors and reflective surfaces can lighten things up and create an impression of more space.

First step is to pick a style and stick with it. Unless you really know what you're doing, don't try to mix and match Danish Modern with traditional Feng Shui. Go to a used bookstore, flip through the design books until you find one that holds your attention, and pick your favourite elements from that.

Step two is to work with what you've got. Take a good look at the rooms you're decorating and make two lists: One of the features you like, one of the features you don't like.

Step three - Using cloth hangings as an example. Cover up or partially conceal the features you don't like behind the hanging. Select the hanging to match or complement the colours of the features you like.

Other than that, it really depends on the specifics of the room. Start with Step One (Pick a style you like), then modify that style to match the room (Step Two).