Welcome to our blog Fabulessly Frugal! You too can be FABULOUSLY FRUGAL with out breaking the bank!

WE'VE MOVED! Come on over to FABULESSLYFRUGAL.COM and see our "NEW LOOK! and resubscribe to our new feed!

Newbie? Check out our couponing basics. Come back often to see the latest printable coupons, freebies, coupon tips and frugal living tips! Got something to say? Leave us a comment! Lastly, subscribe via RSS or Email to get the latest updates! We are located in Boise, Idaho, and blog about stores found in the Northwest and Nationally!

Friday, November 13, 2009

FABULESSLY FRUGAL FRIDAY - Thrify Decorating!!


In my (very rare lately) moments of blog jogging, I came across this FAB site called Creations by Kara. Kara is a Utah wife and mother and super (creative) woman who is decorating her home in a frugal way! I was blown away by her talent (and so very much inspired!), so I begged her to do a guest post for our Fabulessly Frugal Friday Series!!


So without further adieu...

I am so thrilled that Cathy asked me to do a guest post. As a quick introduction, I am a stay at home mom of four boys with an amazingly supportive hubbie. We are in the process of trying to adopt a baby girl.

I have always been a frugal shopper, but I just recently discovered the fun and addictive world of thrifty decorating. I love shopping at thrift stores and transforming someone else's trash into a treasure for my home. It is so satisfying!!!

Before you start to say, "Oh, I could never do that, I am not creative at all", let me assure you that you absolutely can. Until March of this year, I was completely afraid to decorate my own home. Seriously! Never bought home decor at a thrift store. Had never re-finished a single piece of furniture. If I can learn, you can too. Really. I promise!


Here are a few of my favorite thrifty decorating tips:


Tip#1
Spray paint is your very best friend.


You can transform just about anything with spray paint. And it is soooo easy!


I bought these frames at the thrift store for less than a dollar each:


After a couple coats of black spray paint, they now hang in my entry way:
I have even used spray paint to transform my cabinet hardware from this: to this:

Tip #2
Don't be afraid to think outside the box.


Just about any item can be used in a way other than what the manufacturer had in mind. Use your imagination!


When I couldn't find a towel rack anywhere that would fit in the space I had, I came up with my own solution:
I just hung a frame around a set of robe hooks. It's totally unconventional, but it works for us, and I love it!

We had an old entertainment center that we were going to get rid of:

Then I decided to re-purpose it. Now it is an organization center in my laundry room. And it was basically FREE!


Tip #3
Use catalogs, magazines, and the internet for inspiration.


I order Pottery Barn and other catalogs just to get decorating ideas. Don't forget the web, it is chock full of great inspiration!

I saw these hurricane lamps at Ballard Designs for $59. Ouch!



I made my own for $4 using a vase and candle from the thrift store, a $1 bag of leaves from Walmart, and acorns I picked up at the park.


I loved those moss spheres, but didn't want to pay $50-$100 for one. I made my own for under $5.

You will not believe what I used for the sphere! ;) I did a tutorial here if you want to make your own.

Tip #4
Don't give up if a project doesn't work the first time.


I bought a plate rack and some plates at the thrift store. Got everything all spray painted and ready to hang. Then discovered that the plates I bought didn't fit in the rack. Doh! I still wanted to use the plate rack, so I just came up with another idea.


And I love it even better!!


Tip #5
When you are looking for furniture to re-finish, pay attention to shape and construction. Color doesn't matter!


I bought this table for $25 off of Craigslist. It was my very first furniture re-finishing project ever.

It had some water damage and the finish was darn ugly, but it was solidly built and I loved the shape and curves it had.
I did a tutorial on my refinishing process here.

This is what the table looks like all spruced up and decorated for fall.



Who woulda thought?

Tip #6
If you're really nervous like I was starting out, start will small rooms first.


One of the first rooms I transformed was my laundry room. Since it is in the back of the house, I knew that if I totally messed up, at least not very many people would see it. When it turned out absolutely fabulous, it really built my confidence. You can see the total transformation here.

Bookmark and Share

10 comments:

Margie Widgeon said...

WOW...what adorable ideas! I think Im going to share this blog with some of my friends....

A said...

I have some frames I bought years ago with great projects in mind that never happened. I'm totally going for the spray paint idea! Much easier!

Money Savings In WA said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Money Savings In WA said...

Want to do the moss covered ball even LESS expensive? Take a large round balloon and Papier-mâché it. Once done then apply the moss. WAY less expensive then a kids ball!

Lisa said...

These are amazing ideas!

Anonymous said...

Thank you so much for letting me be a guest blogger! It was lots of fun and I can't wait to meet some new bloggy friends. I hope somebody out there is inspired to use one of my ideas. :)

Kara

Christy said...

All of these are seriously amazing! I am impressed. Great job!

Pam said...

All are great tips and everything was so nicely done and neat. Thanks.
Pam

Anonymous said...

Those ideas are so creative! I love the idea for a towel rack!

Christine said...

Cathy,
Boy is Kara good with the spray paint. Thanks for having her as a Host.