Guest Author - Donna Coogan

Are you decorating on a shoestring budget? To inspire a decorative atmosphere and keep expenses down, tap into your most powerful resource: your imagination. Look at your rooms and think about what they could become. Write down everything that you’d like them to be and then reflect how you can make it a reality. Don’t overlook the things you already have and how you can re-use them.

I know...you’ve heard that before and possibly you are bored to tears with what you own. But, look, again. Try to see your things from a different perspective. Really try. Forget how much you dislike something. Detach yourself from that feeling and consider if it could look better if you changed it, painted it, added something to it. Maybe just moved it to a different part of the house. And, I don’t mean stored in the garage, gathering dust.

Would that living room chair be more useful and attractive in the bedroom? Are your kitchen cabinets functional, but just need some extra panache with a decorative technique? Can your collections be grouped together in a glass case or your furniture rearranged? Move things around; try some simple, inexpensive changes and see where it takes you. If you seriously can’t re-use something, then just get rid of it permanently.

Use your imagination and become a savvy shopper. Look for bargains. They are everywhere if you keep your eyes open to them. Every time you go into a store, consider what they have that could inexpensively dress up your home. Something as simple as a bowl of fruit and veggies in greens, golds and reds adds an inviting atmosphere to your home. Enjoy munching on them and just keep refilling the bowl each week as it dwindles down. A side bonus is you’ll always have a fresh supply of food and decorative color!

Learn some new decorating skills. Painting is one of the cheapest ways to decorate, and the more you learn the more you can do. Study faux painting techniques to apply on your walls or furniture pieces and you’ll create some serious "WOW!" factor in your home. What are your hobbies? Can you sew your own curtains? Can you build bookshelves?

Ask yourself at the start of every decorating plan “what can I do myself?” and follow your own lead. It’s fun to combine your skills with your inner creativity and put your own stamp on your surroundings. You have nothing to lose and may be very pleasantly surprised where your imagination takes you.

Happy Decorating!