Jan4

The color purple is popping up everywhere these days, so why not try a little “pop” of your own?

For some, the idea of purple paint is too overwhelming. That is completely understandable…afterall, decorating with purple is not for the faint of heart.

Try thinking out of the box. Throw a little purple pillow on your couch as an unexpected accent, or use purple paint to wow guests in your main-floor bath.

Decorating with purple is a sure-fire way to start the year off with a bang!

Check out the way purple is used in these inspiration rooms – and if you decide to try it out in your own home, send along photos!

love, love, love these purple chairs

a little purple passion for the bedroom

this dining room makes a statement

great combo of purple and gray

little pops

just fun

this is not your barney purple

Here is a variety of purple paint you can try at home – courtesy of the January issue of Real Simple magazine. (Click on the image for a better view!) Remember that when decorating with purple, the best way to keep the color from looking overwhelmingly eccentric is to pair it with neutrals or complimentary colors of a more “earthy” palate.

Dec18

Frugal Shopping With Your AAA Membership Discount

Posted on December 18, 2009 by admin

We all know the value of AAA when it comes to cars, but did you know that you can save on home decor items with a AAA membership discount?

I just discovered that you can get a 10% AAA membership discount off of every online purchase you make on Target.com!

Who knew?

In my area, there are also similar discounts offered at local outlet malls – many of which carry home furnishings from retailers like Restoration Hardware, Marshalls, Room Gallery, and Sears Grand.

Check for discounts in your area by visiting the AAA website.

Dec11

Unique Christmas Decorations too Frugal for Even FDG

Posted on December 11, 2009 by admin

Unique Christmas Decorations too Frugal for Even FDG

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Okay, I am all about using what you’ve got…but these are some unique Christmas decorations you will never see hanging around my house.

Enjoy these photos – and if you have some photos of unique Christmas decorations of your own…do share!

holiday-wreath1

Busch Angel

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High Life Ornaments

ducks

Pabst Blue Ribbon Ornament

xmasNut

wreath

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Dec10

Decorating With Fresh Greenery is Festive and Frugal

Posted on December 10, 2009 by admin

Decorating With Fresh Greenery is Festive and Frugal

photo courtesy of point click home

As I mentioned in an earlier post about decorating your mantles for Christmas, I often rely on frugal decorating with fresh greenery.

Tucking fresh-cut pine here and there not only looks fun and festive…it makes the house smell terrific!

Some of my favorites spots for decorating with fresh greenery include the mantle, tablescapes, glass-front cabinets and small vases spread about the house here and there.

Another great idea for decorating with fresh greenery is to use the boughs and sprigs to enhance your silk or faux arrangements. For instance, this year I draped garland along the banister to the second floor. Garland at the local nursery was running $29+ for 25 feet of greenery – which certainly does not jive with my idea of a frugal decorating budget for the holidays! Instead, I found the same length of garland at SAM’s Club for $13. Unfortunately, the boughs used were really pretty skimpy.

My frugal solution? First I ran the banister with a length of faux garland – which by itself, would have looked cheap and pretty darn fakey. Next, I ran the realy, but skimpy, garland from SAM’s in front of it – following the same line. This made the skimpy garland look fuller, and covered up most of the fake stuff.

I wasn’t finished yet. For the final touches, I tucked in real boughs collected from the ground at the local Christmas tree stand. You know – the extras that fall off or get snapped just before a tree is sold. If you don’t have a friendly stand nearby, you can always collect some from your own back yard or use the fresh-cut boughs from the bottom of your Christmas tree.

When I was finished…the banister looked lush and complete!

I employed a similar tactic in the guest bath. My mother was tossing a faux arrangement that had magnolia leaves, pincones and a few glittery balls. By itself, it looked pretty tacky. Once I started decorating with fresh greenery in and out of the arrangement, it looked brand-new and quite realistic.

I was so pleased with the results, that I started adding fresh greenery to some of the fake holiday wreaths I have strung with pretty ribbon and left hanging from the kitchen windows. A sprig here and there made even my husband do a double-take. He was sure I had somehow gone wreath crazy and purchased fresh wreaths for the entire kitchen!

Decorating with fresh greenery is fun, festive…and best of all, frugal!

Enjoy these inspiring photos!

Decorating With Fresh Greenery

Dec9

Choosing Christmas Colors – No Need to Stick With the Traditional

Posted on December 9, 2009 by admin

Choosing Christmas Colors – No Need to Stick With the Traditional

photo courtesy of BHG, December 2009

Why stick with the traditional red and green when choosing Christmas colors this year? Kick it up a notch with fun and unexpected Christmas colors to reflect your personality or compliment your home’s existing decor.

Here are a few examples on non-traditional Christmas colors that will turn heads this holiday season:

green and yellow (BHG 12/2009)

blue, red and brown (BHG, 2009)

bright and vibrant (Creative Home, 2003)

black, red and white (Raz Imports)

aqua, green and brown

hot pink, red and green (Raz Imports)

lime green and silver (Raz Imports)

For more information about using non-traditional Christmas colors, watch this short clip:

Dec9

Whimsical Chair Paintings and Prints

Posted on December 9, 2009 by admin

Whimsical Chair Paintings and Prints

photo courtesy of art.com

I’ve been thinking about adding some fun chair paintings or prints to the house.

I love these by Etsy artist Anne Harwell:

click the photo for more of Anne Harwell's chair paintings

I also love the work of Chariklia Zarris:

photo courtesy of art.com

If you are looking for chair paintings and prints that are more modern, check out these by designer Mario Freese:

photo courtesy of ultraswank.net

According to UltraSwank.net, the artist had 15 feet of walls in his studio, but no room to place his designer chairs, so he simply created chair paintings and drawings to hang instead.

I’d like to know what you think of chair paintings. Come on…don’t be shy!

Dec2

Tips on How to Decorate Your Christmas Tree With Ribbon

Posted on December 2, 2009 by admin

Tips on How to Decorate Your Christmas Tree With Ribbon

photo courtesy of Southern Living

Why a post about how to decorate a Christmas tree with ribbon? Well, I would like to first go on record as saying that wrapping a Christmas tree in ribbon is not as easy as one would think.

Frugal Design Girl’s BFF (that would be FDG’s BFF…for those of you keeping track) has proclaimed it as a God-given talent, and I suspect she may be right.

I also suspect that it is a talent I was not given.

After the first attempt, my tree looked as though it has been taken hostage. I spent some time tweaking it though, and finally have a finished product I can live with.

Those are two hours I will never get back…but you still have a chance. Here are a few tips on how to decorate a Christmas tree with ribbon:

Make sure you have enough. You will use more than you think…so a good rule of thumb is to plan on 9 feet of garland per foot of tree.

Garland should go on after the lights, but before the ornaments.

Ribbon with wire is easier to manipulate.

Garland should drape around your tree (this is called “swagged.”) Do not simply roll the ribbon around your tree in a straight line.

Work with small lengths of ribbon instead of trying to wrap the entire length around the tree from top to bottom. In other words, do one section of the tree at a time as you decorate a Christmas tree with ribbon. It is much easier to place this way.

Pesonally…I think the couple below has the right idea. Decorate a Christmas tree with ribbon and ornaments in 3 minutes! Turn up the sound on your computer and enjoy!

Dec2

Decorating Your Mantle for Christmas

Posted on December 2, 2009 by admin

Decorating Your Mantle for Christmas

photo courtesy of BHG

I’ll admit it. I’m stuck. The house is starting to look quite festive – everywhere, that is, except the family room. That is because I am having a hard time refining my mantle decorating ideas for Christmas this year.

Typically, I have two urns of greenery flanking the fireplace and an abundance of boughs tucked in here and there along the mantle.

Totally frugal. I use the uneven, scrawny-looking boughs my hubby cuts from the bottom of the Christmas tree to fill the pots and the mantle – if there is enough to go around.

Just in case, I always score a few extra boughs at the Christmas tree lot. While the kind gentleman is helping darling husband wrangle the tree onto the top of the car, I politely ask if I may collect the fallen branches littering the ground. More often than not, the answer is “Yes.”

This year, I have decided to shake things up a bit and go a little more mod. So…I have been searching out new mantle decorating ideas for Christmas. Of course, they have to be inexpensive!

Here are a few of the photos I have gathered for inspiration:

photo courtesy of Southern Living

This next one looks like an easy DIY project…and a great way to use those way-ward ornaments that just don’t seem to fit in anywhere else. I love the fun and playful colors, but it would also look cool to replicate this with different ornaments all the same color.

photo courtesy of Flickr

This one features newsprint snowflakes sprayed with glitter! I love it!

photo courtesy of Flickr

photo courtesy of BHG, December 2009

Here are some tips to help with your mantle decorating ideas for Christmas:

Make a fresh start and clear everything from your mantle.
If you do use greenery, position that first.
Nestle items in an out of the boughs.
Use containers of varying heights for interest.
Group items for impact. Consider collections, but avoid clutter.
Remember to make it personal.
Edit, edit, edit!

photo courtesy of Southern Living, December 2009

What do you do to decorate your mantle this time of year?

Nov25

Incorporating the 2010 Color Trends

Posted on November 25, 2009 by admin

Incorporating the 2010 Color Trends

Fall/Winter Trends photo courtesy of Pantone

Change is good. Adding new elements to a room keeps your decor looking fresh and modern.

Doing it frugally means finding subtle ways to incorporate the 2010 color trends for design and accessories into your home. After all, shelling out for an entire “redo” is not money well-spent. Fashion trends come and go quickly, and you will be left feeling as if your decorating scheme is “out” even before your friends realize it was “in.”

Word on the street is that home furnishings will begin to lean toward the softer side of modern, with a nod to styles from the 60′s all the way through the 80′s. (Yes. Honestly. The 80′s.)

I, for one, am glad to see that the combination of gray and lavender is sticking around.

photo courtesy of ElleDecor.com

I personally used this photo as inspiration for the color scheme in the master bedroom!

Also popping up are walls painted black – which is just so Über cool that I may have to devote an entire post to the subject!

photo courtesy of Decor Pad

So, pick a color here and there to toss into a room or two – maybe using an accessory or pillow. (But for goodness sake…DON’T use a “throw”. Ugh.) Just be mindful so that whatever aspects you choose to incorporate from the 2010 color trends compliment the rest of your decor, as well.

Here’s a sneak peek at the 2010 color trends for sping/summer.