I find myself constantly jumping between two decorating camps. I can’t decide if I am the girl who waits, saves her money, and splurges on one fabulous item at a time; or the girl who can decorate on a dime and finds creative ways to furnish her home without spending a lot of money. I certainly have a ton respect for talented decorators on both sides but I am not really sure where I belong these days.
In the past, I have definitely been the girl who can decorate on a dime. Sometimes there really isn’t a choice.
Country Living
I have done it all from making my own willow furniture, lamps and frames; sanding furniture down to the bare wood and restraining; scouring yard sales and picking things up off the side of the road; reupholstering - ok really I was stapling fabric; and sewing my own slipcovers.
Certainly, I am not above doing any of those projects and still do many of them today (except stapling or gluing fabric, yikes!) .
I was recently introduced to these fantastic blogs that have tons of inspiration for the girl wants to design on a dime.
Check out the Nesting Place. She says that “it doesn’t have to be perfect to be beautiful” and tells all about her window mistreatments. LOL.
Check out Our Suburban Cottage for great ideas and inspiration. AnNicole has a lot of good old fashion grit and will stop at nothing to make her home decorating dreams come true.
Also – don’t miss Clover Lane and how she furnished her house without spending a ton! She painted this dining room set, the walls and reupholstered the chairs all in a week.
It looks beautiful!
The problem is that even “on a dime” projects cost money and time. You can not decorate for free and I am feeling like sometimes it is better to just wait and put the money you would have spent on a DIY project towards something that you really want.
I guess it is the whole splurge versus save debate and what is the answer???
I am learning that you have to have a little bit of both in your home. The magic is in the mix.
What camp do you belong to: splurge or save?Any advise?
4 comments:
Although I have a mix of both, I find that I am happiest with the projects I have done on my own. There is an accomplishment that goes along with that, and you also end up with one of a kind pieces. Anyone with money can go out and buy stuff - what makes it so special is what you put into it.
I really think it all depends on what your life situation is. Right now I have no other option but to do the best with what I have. I am grateful for those bloggers out there who give inspiration to people like me who don't have the option or patients to wait and splurge on an item. Plus a house / decorating is such an evolving process. As much as I would love a house 100% finished with all the details figured out, but when I look at my house, my desk has a piece of me, my dresser has a story. That is my kind of living. I now know why people hang on to ugly pieces in their house. They mean something to them or it represents a positive time in their life. But I also think that there are key pieces a home needs to even out the balance, of homemade, and name brand.
Great post! And thanks for including me.
I think I'm from both camps. Most of the time, I repaint/repurpose because it's less expensive than a particular inspiration piece I want (and there is a certain amount of satisfaction that comes with it). But if it's possible for me to buy that inspiration piece that I looooove, then you bet I'm going to buy it!
I'm right there with you Bethany. Right now I feel like I'm buying a lot of cheap stuff that I might regret soon. I love feeling like i'm getting something done but in the same breath I hope i like it for a while. I love the new blog look!
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