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How to Create “Personal Flair” on a Budget

If you enjoy looking at pretty things and find a sense of accomplishment from turning that yard sale find into a fabulous decorating item in your home, then read on…..

First, consider keeping your backgrounds simple, to allow for a plain canvas that can be arranged and rearranged all you want, with the treasures you can find. You must develop your imagination, and think outside of the typical box of what an object used for.

1. Look for items that are comfortable and make you happy.

2. Visit antique fairs and markets, junk and consignment shops, and yard sales to get familiar with what is out there. Look for interesting pieces that may need work, not fine antiques. 

3. If you like something, buy it. You will always find a place for it. Buy only what you really like and what makes you smile.

4. Make a collection. Nothing looks better than a grouping. Buy prints, plates, architectural fragments, garden elements, decorative objects, glassware, nik- naks etc. Group three or four at a time, mixing sizes and textures. 

5. Greenery and baskets fill void areas for a minimal expense and will soften hard edges. 

6. Look at the bones of upholstered furniture, not the finish or the fabric. Slipcovers will work wonders!

7. Think about new uses for what you find. Old needlepoint makes wonderful pillows, and old chest can make a beautiful focal point in a room, old church pews provide charming seating at a table or entrance, almost anything can be made into a lamp etc. 

Hopefully you’re beginning to get the idea. This type of decorating can be the most fun and the end result can be just as beautiful and charming as any other expensively decorated room or home.

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