What are some inexpensive ways to decorate your home?

The dollar stores are filled with items that can colorfully decorate your home at little expense. Then there are yard and garage sales, thrift stores, etc. Where you can walk around with a keen eye for a color or type of item or collectible you are looking for and get them at a very low price. If you are crafty, you can crochet or knit or sew or quilt or make ceramics inexpensively in order to decorate your home in an unusual way and yet not cost a lot of money.

For holidays, you can request that your family give you particular items for gifts that you need to complete your plans. You can change your accessories with the seasons so your home seems different and "redecorated" while the main furniture stays the same.

I used to love all of those design shows they had on the Discovery Channel, because everything was low-cost and not super complicated. Some of my favorite ideas were things like: 1. Buy old picture frames at thrift stores (or use your old ones) and turn them into serving trays (just frame a piece of paper with a nice pattern, or paint a pattern on the glass then frame it paint-side down for a glass surface to your tray).

The great thing is that even a gaudy, out-of-style picture frame makes a fun tray. Even if you don't serve things a lot, trays keep clutter on surfaces looking organized. 2.

Turn ruined clothes/blankets into throw pillows. If a shirt gets a rip, but it's a nice fabric with enough for a pillow, it's super easy to stitch a pillow case. 3.

Buy recycled paint, or just paint one wall as an accent wall. Little money, whole new room. 4.

Use cafe curtains (the ones that only cover the lower half of the window) to obtain privacy without paying for a full set of drapes. 5. Add cushions or slip covers to dining room chairs rather than getting new chairs 5.

Reupholster and repaint/stain things. Usually much cheaper than replacing things The better you are at seeing potential in things you already own, or potential in inexpensive finds, the better off you'll be. Your stuff will look nice, will all be to your taste since you salvaged and redesigned it, and you'll save a ton of money.

Ask yourself things like: would this look better in a different color? Could this have another use? Would this look better in a different room?

To use a worn-out cliche, think outside the box. Some good sources for inspiration would be Good Housekeeping, Country Living, This Old House, and Trading Spaces. They're usually about low-cost turn overs.

Try to avoid Martha :p Who has the patience for that?

Old wall calendars. Let me explain. My son has always been one to change the "theme" he'd like in his room.

We'd repaint, and he'd hate the color. I bought nice pictures, he was unimpressed. And while I feel the decor of a teenagers room is far from critical, I always want him to feel comfortable and enjoy his space.

While shopping one day after Christmas, I noticed that the shop in the mall had all their calendars on sale. 50% off! I was browsing through, and saw that many of them had fantastic pictures of cars, art, sports figures, graffiti and such.

That's when my brain started working. These wall calender each had 12 months ( I know, obviously), but the picture was the entire backside of each month. So I picked up several I though he would like and headed home.

I had also picked up some very colorful and fun thumbtacks. When I got home, he was excited to flip through and look at all the pitcures. Then we "disassembled" the calendars and made a "collage" on his wall, using the thumbtacks instead of tape or glue.

Thumbtack holes are a cinch to patch and barely noticeable. Instant Art! He loved it, and I had picked up more so that when he was in the mood to change, it was cheap, simple and he could do it himself.

You could always stop by the dollar store and pick up really inexpensive frames too!

You could use a colorful sheet as a curtain. Just thread the curtain rod through the top of the sheet. If that's been sewn closed, get some iron tape from a sewing store (dirt cheap) and iron an opening.

Used furniture is everywhere. Sometimes perfectly good furniture is put by the side of the curb because the owner doesn't want to take it anywhere. It's yours for the asking.

Just rent a cleaning machine from the store and clean it. If it needs to be covered, colorful sheets again to the rescue. Just tuck here, safety pin there, (cover the pins with bows or buttons) and you're done.

Pictures for the wall are easy. Print out copywrite free pictures from the internet, get them at the dollar store, etc. Interesting bottles can become lamps with a kit from the DIY or craft store for less than $5. Make your own unique lampshade. Of course, a house-warming party is a lot of fun.

Let your friends know what your colors are, and let them know you won't turn down used furniture. Now all you have to do is find a place for it. Garage sales are wonderful places for knic-knacks.

I never pay more than a dollar or so. Relax and have fun!

When it comes to high quality decor, there are certain objects that are always expensive. For example, stores always know to charge high amounts for nice candle holders and candelabras. The way around this is to get large block candles that don't need candle holders.

Statues are always pricey, but a couple of stacked books may only cost a few dollars. Also, many antique consignment stores carry things that have a high or very high perceived value even though they only cost a small amount of money.

Most of the furniture we have in our home, we found discarded in the street. If you drive around the nicer neighborhoods in your area on Saturday afternoons, you will find -- in the street, free for the taking -- lots of nice stuff that rich people are just tired of, or that doesn't match the new rug they just bought.

I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.