I too, just bought a house...MY FIRST...yeah! Anyway, I've ALWAYS been the type to make do with whatever I had, instead of buying new. Saves $...plus NO ONE else has the exact same thing! Some of my favorite things that I've discovered along the way....
1. Make your own pillows... I find clothes, dresses and skirts mostly, @ yard sales, thrifts, etc... wash them, and cut them up. I have made some GREAT looking pillows from these remnants, and they are fabrics that I couldn't afford to buy. I have beautiful cotton velvets, etc... I have also used this to cover the seats for my dining room chairs.
2. PAINT. ANYTHING... you can't go wrong here. You can get
$2. 00 a gallon paint @ Big Lots, and Any store that mixes custom colors will sell the mistakes CHEAP. Home Depot always has a good selection!
3. Go to a thrift store, and look for inspiration. I found 2 green lamps for a dollar apiece, that are perfect for my daughters room, but they didn't have shades. A few days later @ another thrift, I found the right size and style of shade, but they were covered in a ripped, pleated silk material. Got those for 50 cents each, took them home, stripped them down, cleaned them up, and covered them with some of my bargain material. Also found along the way, 3 old suitcases. Got all three for $2.50, found the perfect paint @ Home Depot for $2, and stacked them next to her bed. she now has extra storage, a night stand, and light to read by, all for $7.50...and it matches her bed ruffle PERFECTLY!
4. Use items that you already have around the house. My mother's old flower pot is now my utensil holder in the kitchen. A picnic basket holds shoes @ the front door. Small, antique, floral saucers are soap dishes in my bathrooms. A grape crate was attached to the wall for a shelf. My toothbrush holder is an old vase, and my daughter's is another of mom's old flowerpots. My cats have an old, chipped roasting pan for a water dish, and catnip toys made from socks.
5. HAVE FUN! Everything DOESN'T have to match. If it makes you happy, then it'll be fine. My fiancee' calls my style "Eclectic junk". But, even he admits it all looks good together!
Lisa~
