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Decorating on a budget?

I'm looking to decorate and add a little color to our small apartment, but have almost no money to spend on this. I like crafts, and know a little about sewing, knitting and cross-stitch (but don't know how to crochet yet). Any ideas about some do-it-yourself decorating? Our walls are off-white, and the only color we really have are the light and dark blues and greens of our tea towels and placemats, and flags hanging in the doorways to separate the rooms. Thanks for your help!

Go to your local home improvement store or paint store. They have paint that is mis-matched and you can often find a paint you love there. I recommend going about once a week or until you find a good color for your walls. Try to get a "one coat" paint. You'll only need one gallon that way. You can even choose two or more colors, depending on your style. If you want a marbleized look, you can buy glaze in the decorative paint department. Then you paint your base color on the wall and, once it is dry, mix some of the glaze according to the bottle's directions, and use a sponge or rags to make the design. You can find example cards in the same area as the paint sample cards. If you don't want to paint every wall, you can paint one or two as "accent" walls, or walls that you want people to particularly notice. If you have any collections, putting them on display on tables or shelves can look nice.

I'd go somewhere like Goodwill or the Salvation Army and pick up some throw pillows. You can re-cover them to suit your decor. If you want to start out fresh, you can always just buy the polyester stuffing and make pillows from scratch. Get creative with it. You can make a pillow cover that is woven like a basket with a one-color or two-color theme. You can use buttons to button the covers onto the pillow. You can even make little cloth "ties" to tie the covers on.

The easiest and cheapest way to change a room is to concentrate on the wall color and the accessories. Make sure you choose two basic colors and add a "pop" of another color. We have used gray, blue and red/crimson well together. Greens, blues, and golds tend to go well. also. The easiest way to figure out what looks good to you is to look through magazines and see which decors you prefer. Then see what colors are used and try them out. You can also look through home decorating books from the library. It's what I did.

If you have any art/photographs, make sure they are framed in a similar style. It will look more "put together" if you have picture frames that are almost identical or paintings that are of the same genre.

I wish you luck. And I envy you! I love playing with color.

The sites below might have some ideas you can use. Happy decorating!

BLUE EYES 3 CROSS STITCH CHART 432 $1.56 (1 Bid) Time Remaining: 59m

DMC Aida 18ct Light Blue Cross Stitch Fabric NEW $4.99 Time Remaining: 4h 15m

BLUE VIOLET BOUQUET x st PILLOWCASE SET3628 $9.99 Time Remaining: 4h 20m Buy It Now for only: $9.99

Close At Heart A Sampler for Ann Blue Ribbon Designs $8.99 Time Remaining: 5h 16m Buy It Now for only: $8.99

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Blue Scenery New Counted Cross Stitch Kit Free Gift $39.99 Time Remaining: 6h 53m

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Jodi Evans Blue Moo Rules Counted Cross Stitch Chart Pattern $9.00 Time Remaining: 11h 20m

CINNAMON CAT CROSS STITCH CHART BIRDHOUSE PARADISE BLUE NO 507 BNIP $3.95 Time Remaining: 11h 33m

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8 DMC PERLE THREAD 972 TO 5200 CHOOSE $2.75 Time Remaining: 14h 59m Buy It Now for only: $2.75

ThreadBear Creations Little Boy Blue Cross Stitch Pack $12.50 Time Remaining: 15h

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One Cloth Aida Marker Mark Pen Blue $3.49 Time Remaining: 15h 7m Buy It Now for only: $3.49

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Zweigart 14 ct Aida Fabric Ice Blue $1.29 (2 Bids) Time Remaining: 15h 19m

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BLUE JEAN TEDDY Friends Crib Cover Stamped Cross Stitch Bucilla Baby 34 x 43 $25.50 Time Remaining: 17h 10m

Vintage 1984 Pink Blue Poppy Flowers Cross stitch Pillow Kit 12 x 12 14 Aida $7.50 Time Remaining: 17h 13m

New Berlin Co Blue Belle Counted Cross Stitch Kit NICE $6.99 Time Remaining: 17h 16m

Vermillion Stitchery Cross Stitch Blue Santa Kit 7031 $14.99 Time Remaining: 17h 31m