Master Bedroom – Make It Your Haven

Thursday, May 10th, 2012 at 2:35 pm  
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Master bedroom – your haven!

 

Master Bedroom Make It Your Haven

Master Bedroom

Master Bedroom! What vision does that conjure up for what you want in your home? Somewhere you just go to sleep after a long day at work, or with the children? Or should it be more than that? Yes, absolutely! It needs to be the room you go to at the end of a long day to relax and recover, and should be and feel like your own personal space.

Having to come up with budget interior design ideas does not have to stop you from having a beautiful bedroom. The first thing to do is to have a total declutter of your bedroom, then you can see what you have.

Maybe you want to change the room around before you start painting, as just doing a rearrangement will instantly give your room a new feel. A bedroom should feel not only restful but also romantic, whether it’s a room for you and a partner, or just you. So let me give you a few ideas you could use in your Master Bedroom. A hint is in the title!

Tips to make your master bedroom your haven

  • Use the wall behind the headboard to make a dramatic impression. You can either paint it a rich dark color and use lighter shades on the remaining walls, or use an interesting wallpaper just on this wall.
  • Make sure you have the option to have the lighting soft and subdued. Maybe change your bedside lamps and central light to something that looks luxurious rather than basic.
  • Treat yourself to some new bedding, maybe a richly textured bed-throw and some matching cushions.
  • If you are short of storage, then buy some cheap baskets to use around the room. They look great and are so useful for so many things such as handbags, jumpers and the seasonal clothing you are not using.
  • Wash your curtains, and remember to clean the windows!

Just these few changes will turn your bedroom into the Master Bedroom it should be – A room to relax in and yet make you feel you have a little luxury in your life. You deserve it!

Cool Bedrooms For Teens

Tuesday, April 17th, 2012 at 1:32 pm  
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Cool bedrooms for teens on a budget!

If you have teenagers, then you know they want their bedrooms to be really trendy. But you have to come up with

Cool Bedrooms for Teens Budget Interior Design Ideas

Cool Bedrooms

some great budget interior design ideas if you want to not ‘break the bank.’

The challenge with teenagers is that they change their minds about what they want their rooms to look like, almost as often as they change their socks. The trick is to give them a room that they can change around on a regular basis.

Create cool bedrooms fast and cheap

  • Color is the first challenge! They might want a purple room or even a black room. 
  • Go for a compromise and let them have one wall (maybe behind their bed) in their favorite color of the moment and the rest in a neutral shade. Then if they change their minds a few months later, you only have to change one wall!
  • Choose curtains or blinds that are fairly neutral and then this will also allow for any future changes. 
  • Do the same with the carpet, or even better, lay a laminate floor as this is a lot easier to keep clean in a teenage bedroom. 
  • They can always have a funky rug to match their theme and these look great laid down on laminate. 

The key to cool teenage bedrooms is storage!

  • The more they have, the better! It also encourages them to keep their room fairly tidy. 
  • They need bookcases to store their school files (hopefully) and of course they will have CD’S, DVD’S and probably computer games. 
  • If closet space is limited, you can find great canvas boxed hangers that go over the rail and hang down. They will store jumpers, sweaters, T-shirts, underwear, belts, etc. You will find them in your local DIY outlets in lots of colors to satisfy their trend of the moment, and help you to stick to your plan of budget design ideas! 

Once the majority of the room has been completed, then they can add their own personal touches. Encourage them to make some photo collages, as all teenagers love photos of themselves with their friends. It’s a great way to display lots of photos but in a neat way.

If you have a budding artist, let them display some of their art. (It’s also a cheap way to fill wall space!

I always find it’s much better to include your teenage children in as many decisions as you can with regard to their rooms. It starts giving them a chance to experiment with color and layout.

Let them know the budget and guide them to work within it, then they also understand a little about great budget design ideas. When it is all complete, they will feel so proud to show their room off, and start a trend of budget, but cool bedrooms. 

Jo Tempest.

DIY Headboards – Great Budget Ideas

Thursday, March 15th, 2012 at 7:48 pm  
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Are you really bored with your bedroom and want to make it look more dramatic? Well,  DIY headboards are a great way to dress up your bedroom with budget interior design ideas, and I am sure you will find one you want to use to give your bedroom that ‘Wow’ factor.

Headboards that you can buy are usually very ordinary, or, if they are amazing, then the price will be extremely high. But with a little imagination and help from me, you will soon be the envy of your friends.  

Cushion DIY Headboard

Cushion DIY Headboard

Cushion Headboard

This is a very easy DIY headboard idea. Depending on the width of your bed, make 2 or 3 square or oblong cushions with tabs on the top. Then hang a pole to suspend the cushions. The pole can be wood or metal, whichever suits your bedroom. The fabric for the cushions can be plain, or something really unusual. Maybe Indian sari fabric as these come in such beautiful colors and designs.

Or what about fabric that has pictures on it? Maybe African animals or Chinese figures. If you feel artistic, then paint or stencil onto the fabric yourself. Making an impact is the key, so do not be scared to be bold, especially if they are against a plain wall. 

 

Reclamation Treasures

Salvaged Door DIY Headboard

Salvaged Door DIY Headboard

I can hear you saying ‘she must be crazy’! You will be surprised what you can find in an Architectural Salvage Yard. An old carved door turned on its side would make a great headboard after a little cleaning and waxing. Or how about a length of decorative wrought iron? Clean it up with a wire brush and then spray paint it in a color of your choice. Either of these can be fixed to the base of your bed with brackets or directly on to your wall. 

Bookcase Style Headboard

If you have a handy partner or friend, then have them make you a diagonal bookcase! This sits as the headboard and it can hold a couple of bedside lamps, a few books and a few of your favorite things. Remember to have the holes drilled through to allow for the lamp cables. 

 

Screens as Headboards

Screens make wonderful headboards. They can be cut down in height if you do not want them too high or they can stand on the floor to give a good headboard height. Again, you just need to fix the screen to the bed or the wall. A three panel screen will be a perfect length for a bed once the panels have been spread out and they come in so many different designs. Cane, paper, or wood are easy to find in many outlets or discount stores. 

Hanging Fabric Headboards

Hanging Fabric DIY Headboard

Hanging Fabric DIY Headboard

 

Fix a pole or fabric track to your wall behind your bed and hang panels of fabric to create a backdrop. You can use 

layers of iridescent voile’s or silks to create a magical effect. Decorate the top of the fabric with beads to really make an impression. 

I hope you have found some of my DIY headboard Ideas inspiring and will soon have a new headboard in your bedroom to impress your friends.

Flooring Decor Ideas

Thursday, March 15th, 2012 at 6:54 pm  
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Floor Decor Painted Finish

Floor Decor

We have floors all through our home but sometimes we ignore them as being important to worry about. But when you think about it, they take up a lot of space and can actually be a feature of a room. I have a few flooring decor ideas for you to try out around your home and I am sure you will feel inspired to try some of them out. 

Bare Floorboards

If you are bored with fitted carpets, then have a look underneath and see if you have wooden floors. If you do, then you can transform the look of your room very easily.

If the boards are not in a very good condition, then rent a floor sander and spend a weekend bringing the floorboards up to a good finish. When they are, you can choose whether to give them a wax, stain or paint finish. This is entirely personal, depending on the look you want for your room.

Just remember, it is not a job you want to repeat in the near future, so if you paint them, please select a color you will enjoy for a long time! I have seen people paint wonderful floorboards a bright purple or green, and then they hate them a year later!

Once your floor is finished, just throw down a couple of unusual rugs and your room will take on a great new look. One point to remember is that many people think that once their fitted carpet has gone, the room will be cold, but wood is warm to the feel and with the extra rugs, it will still feel cozy. Also, before you put your chosen finish on your floorboards, you can fill in any gaps with the correct filler to control any cold air escaping in to your room. 

Laminates

The choice of laminated flooring is now huge as its popularity has grown. The prices are also so reasonable that even if

Laminate Floor in Bathroom

Laminate Floor

you are on a tight budget, you can easily afford to buy some laminated wood for your home. The bathroom and kitchen are a great place to lay laminate floors. They make it very easy to keep the floors clean and it gives a fresh look to the rooms.

Whether you want oak, elm, ash, walnut, dark wood, light wood or colored wood, you will find the finish you are

looking for at your local DIY store. They will often have special offers on a particular range so make sure you look out for those. 

Ceramic flooring

Ceramic tiles are an ancient technique for flooring decor. Even in our days, there used to be a time when a ceramic floor was definitely too expensive for many of us, but now, even your local DIY store will have a great choice of ceramic tiles. I love using these in a kitchen. They work so well with all styles of

Ceramic Tiles DIY

Ceramic Tiles DIY

kitchen cupboards. You can choose from earthy, rich terracotta tones, to classic black and white. If your kitchen is large enough, then add an interesting border or a centerpiece to create an eye-catching feature.

If you have a closed porch, then lay a few ceramic tiles down to create a new look. The bonus is that they are very easy to keep clean in an area that takes a lot of dirty shoes. 

If you are looking for budget design ideas, then flooring decor is a great way to make a big impression.

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Unique Budget Design Ideas for Your Home

Wednesday, March 7th, 2012 at 4:36 pm  
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We all want a nice home and I’m sure you look at all the wonderful interior books and magazines and covet what you see. But, for many of us, we just cannot afford to go out and buy everything we want. My book on Budget Design Ideas shows you how you can have a great home with a little imagination. 

Budget Interior Design Ideas

Budget Interior Design Ideas

It teaches you how to look at something and see how you can use it in another way or adapt it for your use. Have you ever thought about making a table out of a door or using a Chinese umbrella as a lamp shade? Well you can and it’s easy. 

Learn how to use screens, bead curtains, paint finishes, stenciling and much more. All the ideas in my book are easy to accomplish either on your own or with a little help from practical family members or friends. Many of the projects, I have personally achieved over the years and really enjoyed the results.

I have lived in England and now I am living in Turkey, but I also love the Eastern Style so my home is a cocktail of Easter budget design ideas and it works beautifully if my friends are anything to go by. They always say they feel so relaxed that they don’t want to leave which is a lovely compliment. 

Second Hand Treasure

Second Hand Treasure

When you look at what you want to do in your home, take a room at a time and make a list of what you want to change. Visit boot fairs or yard sales to hunt out bargains for that room.

Another great way to get things for your home is to swap with family or friends as we all have bits and pieces in attics, sheds or garages we no longer need or want.

And, I know this sounds crazy, but you would be amazed what people put out as rubbish! 

My book is all about showing you that it’s not about how much money you have spent, but rather how little you have spent. Just what we all need at the moment in this really tough economic climate. 

You also receive another book as a free bonus I have written on decluttering your home. It is much easier to create a lovely home if you have cleared the clutter. And let’s face it, we are all guilty of this at some point in our busy lives.

Maybe you have moved to a smaller home and brought too much with you and it doesn’t all fit in your new home (remember to sell or swap anything you don’t need to get what you do need).

Or, you just have such a busy life with children, a job or similar and the clutter has accumulated and you don’t know where to start.

My book will help you to clear the clutter, get organized and keep your home that way. It shows you some great storage ideas which I think is the key to having an uncluttered home.

 And last, but not least, there is not much point offering you books on how to save money and making them too expensive to buy. I think you will find the price is really a bargain, especially as you are getting two of my books for the one price. 

I have really enjoyed creating these books and I hope you find lots of inspiration for your home now and in the future. 

 Jo Tempest.

 

 Click Here and Download your copy of Budget Interior Design Ideas

Budget Interior Design Can Be Chic

Wednesday, March 7th, 2012 at 3:58 pm  
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Budget Chic Curtains

Budget Chic Curtains

When you are thinking about budget interior design, please do not think it has to look boring or cheap. With budget design ideas, you can also have chic. It just means using a little imagination and creativity!

For example, let’s take your curtains in your living room. You are bored with them and want to replace them. But all the new ones you love are far too expensive for your budget.

What can you do to have the curtains of your dreams? Well, there are ways to have the curtains that would be perfect for your living room.

  • Go to your local thrift shops and see what they have. You will be pleasantly surprised what you can sometimes find.
  • It’s just being there at the right time. Maybe you could even leave your phone number with an idea of what you are looking for with the sizes. I am sure they would like to sell them as they come in rather than fill up space in their shop.
  • Visit a local fabric warehouse style store. They often have ‘end of line’ rolls of fabric on offer and then if you are able, you can make your own curtains. If this is difficult for you, then they will probably have a service in the store or find a local curtain maker.
  • Go on line and check out fabric suppliers or discount curtain prices. There are some great deals to be had for budget interior design ideas.
  • If you are creative, look at your existing curtains and think about how you can change them. Maybe you could change how the are hung. For example, if they are on a track, you could sew a contrasting panel on the top and sides, sew on tabs and hang from a pole. Add some interesting tie-backs and hey presto, a brand new look!
  • One of my favorite ideas to give your windows a totally new look is to hang a plain fabric behind and then a dramatic voile in the front. This really softens the look of your room and is very different. I have many a friend who has seen this in my home, loved it and gone on to do the same in their home.
  • You can create a brand new look by having blinds at your windows with a soft fabric curtain at the sides. The choice of blinds is endless, vertical, roller, cane, wood or fabric.
  • If your existing curtains are plain in color, try stenciling them with a design. Maybe pick out a color that is in your room, such as on the walls or the color of your sofas. You have to use fabric stencil paints but these are easily available from local DIY and craft stores.
Budget Interior Chic

Budget Interior Chic

 

I hope these few ideas have inspired you. Remember, “it’s not how much money you have spent, but rather how little you have spent.” It’s not money that creates great budget design ideas but rather imagination and creativity. So, go and get CREATIVE!

Jo Tempest.

It’s Spring And Time For Change In Your Home

Wednesday, March 7th, 2012 at 11:33 am  
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Budget design ideas for Spring changes in your home.

Spring Budget Design Ideas

Spring Budget Design Ideas

Winter is slowly coming to an end and Spring is letting us know she is here! The trees are budding, daffodils and crocuses are sprouting, the days are getting longer and warmer.

I bet you have been snuggled up in your home over the Winter thinking about all the ideas you have for your home, but not actually having the energy to get them done. But now, with the warmer weather, you want to do some projects but have to be aware of your budget, like most of us. 

And using these budget design ideas for Spring is the way to give your home a fresh new look without spending much. 

Personally, my first job after a long winter is to have a quick declutter. Throw out all the old magazines, newspapers, mail, dead plants, chipped china and anything else that looks like it shouldn’t be in your home anymore. Once the sunshine is coming through your windows, it makes your home look very different!

Then give every room a really good clean, including the windows, and all the furniture a coat of polish. Already, rooms will look better and it didn’t cost you anything! One of the very best budget design ideas is a good cleaning.

Now, find yourself a notebook and pen, then wander from room to room making notes of everything you would like to change or add to your home. Then go and sit with a good cup of coffee and read through what you have written down! Let me take a guess at a few of your ideas. 

New Sofas?

If this is too much for your budget at the moment, then why not just get some new sofa covers? There is a great choice out there now and really not expensive. A good place to find these is in the back of home magazines where companies advertise. Or you could add some throws to your existing sofas to give them a new look. I have found that even just changing the cushions can totally transform a sofa, especially if you go for something really bold and fun. 

New Carpets?

A very big expense in a home. If you have nice floors underneath your carpets, then why not get rid of the fitted carpets and lay down rugs? The choice is endless and if you hunt around, the prices are really reasonable. If you want to leave the carpet, then put a couple of rugs down on the carpet. Again, this will transform a room. 

New Kitchen?

Huge expense but have you thought of just changing the doors of your kitchen units? Again, you will find lots of companies offering this service in the back of popular home magazines. Or, why not just take off a couple of doors in your kitchen and display some fun china? You would also be surprised that just by changing the handles on your kitchen units you can update the kitchen look.

It’s very easy to look at the whole picture rather than at some of the details in a room. Why not tile the area behind your oven with some interesting tiles depicting a picture or really funky colored tiles. 

The secret is to change something small but to make it impact the room. It may mean spending a little more than you normally would on that item but it’s nothing like the expense you would have to change the whole room. 

Jo Tempest.

 

Budget Design Ideas For Great Storage

Thursday, February 16th, 2012 at 3:03 pm  
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Toy Hammock Budget Design Ideas

Toy Hammock

 

Did you know that the Ancient Astrologers felt that if your home was well organized, it would be a happy home and give you a sense of security? It would also help you to be more motivated to accomplish your goals outside your home. I really agree with these views on your home life.

So this article is really about combining budget design ideas with clearing clutter.

I think you will find all these ideas really easy to create, and they will make your life a lot of easier.

 

Creative Storage Ideas On a Budget

  • I bet your children have lots of soft toys laying around their rooms. They take up a lot of space but your ‘Little Angels’ love every single one of them and want them all in their room. One remedy is to hang a small hammock style net in a corner and fill it with the soft toys.
  • Another way is to put a Velcro® strip along one wall and fix the smaller soft toys to the Velcro®. Of course, you can store them in big baskets, but these ideas are more unusual and will get the soft toys off the floor.
  • What about all those rolls of gift wrap laying around? If you are like me, you like to have a selection handy but they are difficult to store. Well, my solution is to fix a row of fine wires at the top of a cupboard (around 4) and then just put the rolls of gift wrap across the wires. You will be able to select the one you need without pulling them all out of a cupboard.
  • So many of our cleaning materials now come in spray bottles, which is great, but they take up a lot of space. Try this, it works.
    Spray Bottle Storage

    Spray Bottle Storage

    Fix a small tension rod inside a cupboard and hang all the spray bottles on to it. Then you still have all the space underneath for storage.

  • Is your linen cupboard in a complete mess? You need to remake beds and cannot find the matching pillow cases to the cover you have pulled out? So, what you do is when you have finished ironing your bedding, pack the matching sheet and cover into one of the same pillowcases. That way, you just can pull out the complete set you need without any problems.

I hope you agree that these are great storage ideas and will help you get organized in your home but still in a creative way. And of course, they cost very little to implement. What more could you ask!

Click here and download more Budget Interior Design Ideas

Clutter Or Hoarding – Am I In Trouble?

Saturday, January 28th, 2012 at 10:45 pm  
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Clutter or hoarding. How can I know?

Am I Becoming A Hoarder? Budget Interior Design Ideas

Am I Becoming A Hoarder?

You can often look around your home and think there is just too much clutter, and you might ask yourself, “Am I becoming a hoarder?” The kitchen worktops are full of packets, pans or china. The bedroom has clothes laying around instead of having been put back in the closet.

The living room is cluttered with newspapers, magazines, toys abandoned by your children, and the bathroom is a mess. This is clutter, and in a couple of days, you could have your home looking great again.

But, if when looking around the home one sees the kitchen is unusable, no one can even sit on the  sofa or sleep in the bed, and just walking around the home is a problem, then the person in this living situation could be on the road to becoming a hoarder. If you take a look at some true cases, you can determine if it is clutter or hoarding.

Hoarding usually occurs when someone have experienced maybe the loss of a beloved partner or child, a traumatic divorce, or even mental illness. Sometimes the hoarding comes about because  they just cannot cope with the home and so everything from newspapers to clothes just piles up in rooms. But in other incidents of hoarding, things are brought into the home that the hoarder thinks they must have or feel should not be thrown away.

A typical home of a hoarder will have huge piles of newspapers, magazines, books, bills, empty packaging, clothes, and so much more. Some hoarders also collect dogs or cats! A room will become full, and then another room will be filled up, until the whole house is unusable. Sometimes it will overflow into the garage, yard, basement or loft.

There is a high risk of fire, along with rodent infestation and of course, the home will smell. The hoarder can run the risk of being literally crushed by their own debris. The hoarder will fall into ill health because they cannot prepare food properly for themselves, and be unable to use the bathroom. They become reclusive, as they know one will want to visit them, and depression sets in.

Can I help a hoarder?

If you talk to many hoarders, they do not want to live like this any more, but do not know how to change their lives for the better. It takes a huge amount of patience and understanding to help a hoarder and often needs a professional to start the process.

The worst thing you can do to a hoarder is to just start clearing thing out, especially in secret. They will get very upset and probably just replace what you have taken out of the home.

It is important to realize that it has probably taken years to make the home so full, and it is not going to take just a couple of days to clear and clean. Patience is the key to helping a person who hoards, and to understand why it started. It is too easy to judge a person, but a lot harder to truly help them in their time of need.

So, if you know someone who you think could be on the road from clutter to hoarding, then try and help them at the clutter stage. They will thank you one day!

When Does Clutter Become Hoarding?

Friday, January 27th, 2012 at 9:45 pm  
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Budget Design Ideas and Clutter Clearing -

What does that have to do with hoarding? Although I am predominately interested in interior decorating and the idea of Life Laundry, hoarding has always interested me, because it is an insurmountable obstacle to having a happy and healthy home. Let’s look at hoarding.

What exactly is hoarding?

Hoarding Or Cluttering

Hoarding Or Cluttering

Extreme hoarding is often diagnosed as OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder) but research has found that only around 30% of hoarders are actually OCD. The rest have been found to have a more severe illness with many suffering from personality and anxiety disorders, and this group are less likely to respond to the same treatments as general OCD patients.

So, what makes a person start hoarding?

There can be many reasons but these are the most common.

  • Having gone through a war and been deprived of basics such as food and clothing.
  • Belonging to a family of hoarders.
  • Bereavement of a loved partner
  • Loss of a child or parent
  • See their world as a throw away society and cannot bear it.
  • Maybe they have had an extremely hard time financially in the past and even if things have got better, they can feel a panic that the hard times will come back.
  • Sometimes hoarding can occur after a stroke, surgery, injuries or infection.

Most hoarders suffer from indecisiveness, procrastination, difficulty organizing tasks and avoidance behavior. It can be very frustrating trying to help a hoarder in the normal way, as they do not see it as help, but more interference. They have very real views (in their minds) with regards to their clutter.

Let me explain how a hoarder views their life.

  • They fear they will make a wrong decision as to what to keep and what to discard and so NEVER discard.
  • They have an inability to discard worthless items even though a normal person would not want to keep the item.
  • By saving possessions, the hoarder can avoid any stressful decisions about what to discard.
  • They will have an obsessional fear of losing important items that they are sure they will need, and so nothing is put away.
  • They display an extremely excessive emotional attachment to their possessions.
  • A hoarder can feel very responsible for their possessions and will go to extreme lengths to avoid being what they see as irresponsible or wasteful when it means disposing of their belongings.

The most common items to be hoarded are newspapers, magazines, books, mail, notes, lists, old clothing, bags, food and even animals such as cats and dogs. Some extreme hoarders will also keep their excrement in containers, as even this cannot be discarded.

The hoarding can be in the home, but can extend to basements, lofts, the garage, sheds, garden, and even in friends and family homes. It will come to a point where they cannot get to a bed to sleep in, a kitchen to prepare food in, or to be able to use the bathroom. Some hoarders have even moved out of their home because they literally cannot get into their homes.

The more a person hoards, the more depressed they will become. They know they cannot invite family or friends around, so become reclusive. The home will smell over a period of time and there will be vermin. It becomes a dangerous environment with a health risk, as well as a fire risk.

It is very sad to watch someone you know develop into a hoarder, but there is help out there. Sometimes in very severe cases, it is wise to call in a professional, as they know how to approach a hoarder. But if it is in early days, then maybe you can help.

Here are a few ways you can approach the hoarding problem.

  • Whatever you do, do not just go in and start throwing things away. This will make a hoarder extremely upset and stressed. You almost have to trade in the way that you can throw something away and they can keep something.
  • Make sure who ever is clearing the clutter is trustworthy as there will be valuables such as money and jewelery mixed in with the rubbish.
  • Never take things out of the home secretly as they will know and will just replace it.
  • Some hoarders develop a paranoia that if they let some one into their home, they will want their possessions for themselves so trust is a huge issue to help a hoarder.

Hoarding is a very sad and difficult problem as well as creating a dangerous place to live. The hoarder can run the risk of being crushed or asphyxiated by their own clutter. There was one extreme case where the poor husband of a hoarder had moved out of the home, but after a few weeks, he returned. He was crushed and killed by the clutter and it was two weeks before he was found!

If you know a hoarder, believe that deep down, they do not want to continue living in these conditions, but have no idea how to change their lives. With kind, gentle and understanding treatment, they can reclaim their lives.

Budget Design Ideas.com, supports getting professional help for this crippling situation.

Jo Tempest.

Budget Decorating Ideas – 6 Brilliant Tips

Saturday, November 26th, 2011 at 4:27 pm  
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Budget Decorating Ideas

Saving Old Furniture for Budget Interior Decoration

Saving Old Furniture

 

With the economy the way it is at the moment, we all need ‘Budget Decorating Ideas,’ and I have too many of them! And I am delighted to share with you. I always got so much more pleasure out of how little something costs, rather than how expensive it was! In fact, I am still like that (well, maybe until it comes to my shoes, sorry!!).

So, what are my favorite tips for home decorating?

1. Start a file. A good idea is to cut out and save all the great interior decor ideas you see in magazines; you may not use them for a while, but you have them there for future inspiration, so just keep adding to it. I didn’t actually use a fireplace design for a good many years, so I would never have remembered it without my file.

2. Clutter clearing. If you have lots of clutter in your attic, shed or garage, then clear it out and have a yard sale, or go to a boot fair. (For my American friends, that’s an English flea market) This way, you will have cleared space, AND have some extra money to put towards your home decoration ideas.

3. Choose a room or an area to start decorating. Maybe your hallway (often neglected), your bedroom, your bathroom, or your kitchen – think about what you want to change or add. Write a plan of what you want to do, and also what you need, to complete your finished look. Work out your budget and I bet with some clever thinking, you can do it!

4. Look at second-hand furniture. If you are looking for a specific piece of furniture, then try the auction houses. They are a really great way to find bargains and it’s also a fun day. If you are careful and don’t blow your budget, an old restored treasure is one of the very best budget decorating ideas.

5. Ask around friends and family – see if they have what you need in the way of furniture, as quite often, they may have it hidden away, cluttering up their shed or garage. They may be more than happy to clear their clutter. Remember, one person’s clutter is another person’s ideal piece of furniture.

6. Facelift! Sometimes, just a new paint finish can transform an old piece of furniture. Maybe a color wash, or a stain to fit in with your new look.

Just remember, it’s not how much you have spent, but rather how little you have spent!

Happy hunting.

Click Here to download more Budget Decorating Ideas

Visit me on my blog, Jo Tempest.

Interior Decorating on a Budget

Saturday, November 26th, 2011 at 3:31 pm  
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Interior Decorating on a Budget

Interior Decorating On A Budget

Interior Decorating On A Budget

Interior decorating on a budget, impossible, I can hear you saying! Well, it isn’t, especially with a little imagination.

The secret is never looking at an item and only seeing the use it is being shown as. A Chinese umbrella can become an up-lighting shade, a screen can become a bed headboard. A table can be cut down to become a coffee table, many containers can be used to hold candles. Do you see what I am trying to show you? Change an item to suit your use!

Repaint furniture if it is tired or boring

Try your hand at buying an old piece of furniture and then repaint it, stain it, or even stencil it. You may surprise yourself with hidden talents. You know the saying, “you never know until you try?” Sometimes, your piece of furniture may just need some tender loving care and a little bit of time spent rubbing down, sanding and gluing!!  See past why it had been rejected by its previous owner.

Even in the department stores and garden centers, you often find damaged goods at knock down prices. These can be great bargains if you can repair or adapt them for your use.

Tips for the Kitchen using interior decorating on a budget style

Just taking the doors off a piece of furniture can transform its use and how it looks in your room. For example, if your kitchen could do with a new look and all your cupboards have doors, take a couple off so that you can display some fun china or glass. Perhaps even uses some baskets inside the shelves.

I often take doors off rooms where they are not really needed, or space for furniture is tight, then I hang an interesting bead curtain in the doorway so there is still the feeling of a separate space.

You can find so many ideas for interior decoration in books, magazines, and even on the TV programs now so popular on home decoration. The clever thing is to look at what you like that someone else has done, and then see how you can create the same but within a budget.

Try your hand at painting furniture, sewing, or even upholstery. You may be surprised at what you are capable of! Many of my friends have done this and then realized they are actually quite good at it and some even started it up as a business.

Design on a budget is exactly that! It’s not about money, it’s about putting time and imagination to work to get what you want for your home.

So, when you are out and about to find a bargain, interior decorating on a budget just means think about how you can change it. Sometimes, you may need a little help with the work, but you can always repay that with a nice supper for your friends!

Jo Tempest.

“Budget Interior Design Ideas” Awaken Your Own Imagination!

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