Budget Minded Decorating - What's In Your Idea Files?

I love home decorating magazines. I used to subscribe to a couple and I always looked for new ideas for my own home. Unfortunately I found that many of the items in the magazines were out of my price range.

I used to cut out the pages of rooms or items that I really liked and put them in an idea file. Like designer clothing, it's possible to get the look for less money if you look around and are thrifty. Ever heard of Ikea?

My magazine subscriptions have ended as I've found a great site on the internet that allows me to look at thousands of photos of decorating ideas and add them to my personal online idea file.

Houzz.com is an amazing site. You can search photos by room, or by decorating style. Whether you like eclectic, contemporary, traditional or a mix, the ideas are all there. You can even do a word search and all related photos will pop up.

As I'm working on decorating my new home I'm often on the site checking out gray walls, red light fixtures, black and white blinds and whatever else comes to mind depending on what I start dreaming about.

Since moving, I've been checking out all the antique stores and warehouses in the area. I have found many great treasures for a fraction of the price I would pay new. It's great to reuse and recycle but just remember to buy only what you really love and know you will use.

There's no point paying good money for something that will end up in your basement or your next garage sale. I ended up getting one of my chairs reupholstered instead of buying a new one. I found some really "groovy" material (that's the actual name of the pattern) and now I have a unique piece of furniture that I wouldn't have found in any store.

My home decorating project is a work in progress. I get excited when I find something that I know will work. I have a couple of ideas for one room that will become my den/office. One of those ideas is that bad word that most REALTORS® hate. WALLPAPER. After many years of being on the no no list, wallpaper is making a big comeback.

The wallpaper companies are promising that the reincarnation of their product is much easier to remove now. One can only hope.

My new treasures - I was looking for yellow accessories and they were hard to find. I found these at a local antique warehouse. The fabric was found at a fabric outlet and it was Sumbrella outdoor fabric. The piece cost $6.00 and I recovered the cushion on an ottoman with it.

I found this retro looking table at the same antique warehouse and picked it up for $73.00. I loved the legs and I had visions of painting the top of the table but I have held off. The natural look is kind of growing on me.

My reupholstered chair with the "groovy" pattern.