hey!
do you ever search pinterest or home//apartment design blogs and think 'wow. i could totally do that if i had the space//time//money?!'
me too.
see, blake and i live in a two-bedroom apartment.
our main financial focus right now if paying off student loans and saving for a house.
we cant paint our walls & we dont want to spend too much [read : any!] money decorating our apartment.
i went around and took a few photos today, so you can see how to decorate on the cheap [free!] and still have a cute, cozy place to call home.
*also, i will be doing a few of these posts focusing on different features*
today, i am focusing on ways to repurpose//recycle//thrift//find items decorate your space.
pyrex bowls are *great* for storage & are pretty easy [and affordable] to find at garage sales/estate sales/thrifting. i have quite a few around the house that hold fruit, yarn, wooden spools, ect.
vintage books & cook books are easy to find and give your apartment a 'home-y' touch. along with some old cook books, first aid guide and sewing manual from the 60's, i have a few of my favorite books from when i was a child. anybody else read jane hissy and her 'old bear' series?! my fave!
my grandma painted that ceramic tile!
if you are like me, you have TONS of books. a fun way to start conversations with guests is to add books to your decor. i have my narnia books stacked on an end table. i also have all 7 harry potter books out for display.
the best [easiest!] way to display knick-knacks//trinkets?!
an old suitcase! again, we have 3 or 4 of them around our house [plus, i use one for my craft show display]. almost all estate sales & thrift stores carry vintage suitcases. i think this one was $3 & it came with 30 skeins of vintage yarn!!
we have the suitcase sitting on an oak table that was made for me by a family friend. the suitcase is full of items we care about. tons of polaroid film. minnesota twins potato head. yarn wreath. more paintings from my grandma. a couple of dinos. a few cameras. some christmas lights. a bike print & a bike ornament.
keeping lots of trinkets in a grouped space helps them look classy ; instead of cheap and cluttered.
fake flowers!! they are cheaper [and last longer ;)] than real flowers. i think these were a .25 thrift score. fake flowers are also a great way to use a 40% michaels//joanns coupon
create a mini-theme! blake and i bike commute & we are totally in love with minneapolis. in our entryway, we keep our bikes & some of our gear. we also have three great pieces of art, all related to biking. snowy bike photo ; pink mpls print & pen and ink [drawn by my grandma!]
accessorize your place!! we have both worked with kids for years & consider our place pretty 'kid friendly.' i have found lots and lots of vintage toy sets & games from the 60's and 70's.
even if you never play with them, they add tons of character, bright colors and people love asking 'how do you play 'going to jerusalem'?'
what is your best design//decorating tip?!
