I like the 'use what you have' idea too. I've found that if you stay within coordinating colors in all your rooms, you can move your accessories around from room to room and have a new look. I always tell people if you don't like the way my house looks, come back in a month and everything will be different. My husband started teasing me because I move things around so much. He would say, yeah, that makes all the difference. So now when I get on one of my kicks of moving things around in the shelves in the family room I tell him I'm making all the difference.
A good source for things is thrift shops. If you go often, its amazing what you can find. I have gotten nice quilts for $20, really nice decorative items that are in perfect condition. Some days I find nothing and other times I hit the jackpot.
My latest thing is to use decorative tins to store things in the pantry. I have a Salvation Army near my house that always seems to have lots of metal tins for 70 cents a piece. I have found a lot that go with my Tuscan decorating scheme. I thought instead of putting them on top of a cabinet for decoration, I would actually use them for storage. The larger ones can be used for coffee, cookies, pasta, etc. I have gotten compliments on how nice my pantry looks. One woman told me she won't let anybody see inside her cabinets and that mine look so nice. haha I didn't tell her I'm a regular shopper at Salvation Army.
Another tip for pantries- turn all the boxes and containers so that you see the front of them, like in a grocery store. It's called facing the product. It really does look neater although it may take up a little more room. Also, the shelf organizers that look like little stairsteps for storing spices are really nice if you use a lot of spices and herbs. Put them in alphabetical order and you'll be able to find what you need in a second.
Home » Favorite Frugal Decorating Tip »