Create Thrifty Decor for Your Home

Whether you're a college student, new homeowner, or just looking for some inexpensive decorating tips, this guide is perfect for you. Fabric can be used all over the home and comes in many different colors and patterns. This guide guarantees that you will find a project suited for you no matter what kind of home or budget you are working with.

Fabric "Paintings"

The patterns and designs found on many fabrics can add a new dimension to whatever space you are working with, and making a fabric "painting" out of material is super easy. First, choose the color palette you want to work with. Choose colors that you want to enhance in the room and patterns that compliment any existing designs. Next, scout out your local arts &crafts stores like Michael's or Hobby Lobby, because they usually have beautiful fabric and canvases all in one stop. The canvas can be whatever size you desire, but make sure that the fabric you buy is big enough to fit around the sides of the canvas. Once you have purchased your materials, you'll need a staple gun or a hot glue gun. Cut the fabric so that there isn't too much excess and cover the canvas with your newly found design (be careful when folding at the corners, if you rush the process, the finished product could look homemade). When you hang up your finished project, it'll look cute and it's so inexpensive that you can make new ones whenever you get tired of them!

Recycled Pillows

This is an idea that I got from a website on how to recycle nearly anything in your household. For the eco-friendly craftspeople out there, this is a fun and super inexpensive project. First, you need to gather up the lint from your dryer, it may take a while before you're able to collect enough to stuff a full pillow, depending on how often you do the laundry and how big your loads are. Remember, there's nothing wrong with lint, it's clean (just came of you're washed clothes), and it's made out of nothing but fabric fibers. If you still feel a little weird about filling an entire pillow with lint, mix lint with whatever other "stuffing" you want to use. Once you've gathered up all of your lint, you're ready to start making a pillow. There are many websites with detailed instructions on how to make pillows, but I've found that HGTV.com has the best tutorials. Just visit the website and search- How to Make a Pillow.

Inexpensive Window Sheers

I love having curtains that allow some natural light to come into my home, because nothing is better than pure sunlight. For this reason, I have sheers over my windows so that I can obtain the privacy factor while still enjoying the sunlight during the day. I like to change my room around a lot and experiment with new colors, but since I'm a college student, I don't have very much money to do so every two months. This is why I have begun creating my own window coverings, and now I can pass the inexpensive secret on to you. I go to Target or Wal-Mart and find pretty pastel sheets (but of course, any color will work), you'll want to make sure that they are plenty big enough to cover your full window. I usually buy two sets. Then, you cut two holes on both the left and right upper corners (make sure that the holes cannot be seen from the other side, and that the stitched side faces the window, not your room). Next, all you have to do is slide the curtain rod through and you're all done!