Budget Wise Home — Decorating on a Budget

April 18, 2012

The Search For Curtains

My sister just barely bought her first home and we both couldn’t be more excited. I’ve been helping her with the design for the past month or so and it is coming along beautifully. She has scoured thrift stores and online classifieds to furnish almost the entire house. I’m so proud of her. She found some amazing pieces that are getting a new lease on life with paint.

She has a fantastic living room space with a super high, pitched ceiling, and great natural light. I’ve been on the hunt for the perfect drapery fabric for a few weeks, but with no luck. I convinced her to go with a subtle linen horizontal stripe pattern, but it’s hard to find. I found a couple options, but the fabric is too expensive for the amount that we need for her tall windows. Then last night a light bulb went off! I remembered seeing a bunch of fabulous painted stripe curtains around the blogosphere. I’m going to pick up a few of these panels from Ikea and paint the stripes on myself.

This is the look I’m going for, but a little more subdued. I don’t want it to be too bold because there are a lot of other patterns going on in the space.

I’ll keep you updated on the progress of her house in the coming weeks and months. We’ve got some fabulous things planned and I can’t wait to show you.

Posted at: 4:25 pm by Heidi |Filed Under: Heidi's Projects | Leave a Comment

April 17, 2012

Favorite Things

Decorating Magazines

I will admit that I don’t read a lot of books, but I am completely obsessed with my design/decorating magazines. It feels like Christmas when I get a new issue in the mail and I can’t wait to dive right in. So today I thought I’d share my top 5 favorite reads with you.

This one is great for a DIY-er at heart. Lots of projects, things to build, and detailed instructions.

This one has tons of project ideas that are simple and doable for anyone. There’s always some great paint transformations in every issue. Anyone can paint!

BHG has always been a classic, filled with simple and beautiful designs.

This one is my favorite. It features houses that were completely renovated from top to bottom–which is my ultimate dream to do! It shows before and afters of the the floor plans and explains the renovation process.

The name really does say it all for this one. I get so much inspiration and so many ideas in every page.

What are your favorite reads?

April 16, 2012

Paint Can Trick

Today I’ve got an easy trick to help you with any paint project. I’m sporting some blonder hair as well, which I’m still adjusting to. Enjoy!

Posted at: 4:10 am by Heidi |Filed Under: How-To Videos | paint can trick 2 Comments

April 14, 2012

The Beauty of Bulbs

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Bulbs. Dig, Drop, Done.. All opinions are 100% mine.

I’ve mentioned before that gardening has never been my forte. I’m always on the hunt for ideas to have a beautiful yard without a lot of work. A big problem for us is that we really don’t have a great spot in our yard to plant anything, which is why I only use planter pots or baskets. So I was delighted to find out that you can plant bulbs in a pot. I never knew that! Bulbs have always scared me a bit, but I don’t know why. After visiting DigDropDone.com, I no longer feel scared to try. I learned a lot about bulbs like what is it exactly, when to plant them, how far apart to space them, and how to care for them. Bulbs can be can also be used inside (another fact I wasn’t aware of). So whether you’re an experienced gardener or a beginner, it’s doable. The “bulbs 101″ section was very helpful for a newbie like me. You can also meet the “bulb ladies” as well. I like Juliana’s tips on doing bulbs in pots–perfect for me. Head over to visit www.digdropdone.com to learn more

Another great place to visit is Curbside Chaos. There is a fabulous contest going on right now that you can enter for a chance to have HGTV’s Taniya Nayak come give your yard a $5000 makeover! Taniya will go through and give you tips on the best way to update your yard! She will give you creative ideas for incorporating flower bulbs into your landscape. All you need to do to enter is submit a photo of your yard at CurbsideChaos.com. The contest ends April 15th, so get your entry in TODAY!!!!!!

Here are few other cool features:

• For every share on Twitter, “Bulbs. Dig, Drop, Done.” will donate $1.00 to Rebuilding Together – the nation’s leading nonprofit, working to preserve affordable homeownership and revitalize communities.

• Be sure to try out the Garden Guru Tool located in the bottom left of the screen. This tool will help you figure out which bulb is perfect for your home depending upon where you live! Here are the easy steps.
Step 1 – Pick your Country
Step 2 – Pick your location within that Country
Step 3 – Choose the type of bulb you want to grow
Step 4 – Check out the Planting Guide that shows you how to plant your bulbs.

Here is a screen shot of my planting guide.

I would love to know what your experience with bulbs is. I’m going to try them in a pot, so I’ll keep you posted.

Posted at: 9:00 pm by Heidi |Filed Under: Uncategorized | Leave a Comment

April 13, 2012

Spring Break

I’m taking an early weekend to spend time with these cutie pies.

It’s our spring break this week and we are headed outdoors for the weekend. Have a good one and I’ll see you back on Monday.

Posted at: 4:00 am by Heidi |Filed Under: Uncategorized | 1 Comment

April 12, 2012

Lampshade Trim

I found a great lamp at a thrift store a while back that, surprisingly, wasn’t in need of any spray paint. Even the shade was in great shape. But it was feeling a little plain to me, so I decided to give it new life with some trim. I grabbed a few packs of double fold bias tape and some fabric glue.

About 10 minutes later I had this.

It found a perfect home in my boys room.

Posted at: 4:46 pm by Heidi |Filed Under: Heidi's Projects | lampshade trim 2 Comments

April 11, 2012

Colorful New Additions

I’ve recently added a bunch of new pillows to my shop that I’m super excited about. Take a look at some of the latest colorful additions for spring.

Orange and White Geometric

Yellow and White Chevron

Blue and Green Geometric

Green and Black Moroccan Tile

Plum Conservatory

Yellow and White Suzani

I also have a few more newbies in my shop, so hop over for some more eye candy.

Posted at: 9:00 am by Heidi |Filed Under: Heidi's Projects | new pillows Leave a Comment

April 10, 2012

Favorite Things

Stick UM! & Hook UM!

If you are looking for a commitment free way to put hooks on your walls, then you are going to love today’s favorite things from UM! Brands. I’ve always been a fan of Command strips, but they are not re-positionable, movable, and reusable once they are set in place. The UM! products tackle all three of those, which is why they are my new favorite thing. The nice people at Um! sent me a few of their products to test out and I’ve been hooked ever since (no pun intended).

I put the “stick um” and “note um” on the side of my fridge. The stick um will hold anything up to 5 lbs. It’s a great spot for the phone. The note um is a peel and stick white board that comes in sizes big and small.

I used the “hook um” on the inside closet door of the boys room and nursery. These will hold anything up to 10 lbs.

These have been so perfect since our doors are hollow. The best part is that they are removable and reusable. So if I change my mind later (which I know I will) and want to use these somewhere else I can. You can also wash them if they get dirty.

I really did remove and reposition these a few times, just to test it out. I also hung some heavier objects. Sure enough they can hold their weight time and time again.

I have to say the adhesive technology is pretty cool. These products would come in handy if you’re renting and need to be careful about damaging walls. Head over to Um! Brands and check out more cool ways to use these. All products come in a rainbow of colors. You can also check out their Facebook and Twitter pages to stay updated on the latest deals.

Posted at: 5:56 am by Heidi |Filed Under: Favorite Things | um! brands Leave a Comment

April 9, 2012

How to Paint Perfect Stripes

I hope you all had a wonderful Easter weekend. The weather here was so lovely! Today’s video is all about painting stripes. I’m showing you a full-proof way to prevent paint from bleeding through your tape. Also, a lot of you have left comments asking me questions about my upholstered chairs. I reply to all questions in the comments section of that particular post. So if you haven’t gotten an email from me, I promise I’m not ignoring you. Check the comments of the post you asked your question in and it will be there.

Posted at: 5:19 am by Heidi |Filed Under: How-To Videos | Leave a Comment

April 6, 2012

DIY Look For Less

Secret Garden

I first saw this gorgeous, nature-inspired room designed by Lauren Liess last year on her blog, Pure Style Home. I was planning to feature this room down the road, but when I picked up this month’s issue of Better Homes and Gardens and saw it in there, I bumped it up on the list.

There are so many things I adore about this space.

Texture! There is so much texture here which makes the room so cozy and inviting. There’s grass cloth wallpaper (on all the walls and ceiling), soft fabrics, bamboo blinds, a crocodile skin desk, glass lamp, woven rug, and shiny silver sconces. It’s texture overload–in a good way!
It’s filled with nature-inspired green fabrics. Oh how I love green!
That oversize window bench/bed is a dream.

Although you may not have a space in your home to recreate a window seat of this size, you can still put all the elements of this space into any room to achieve the same look and feel.

Here is the look for less.

The real room is very custom and all the fabrics go for $120/yard. The fabrics I put together are just as lovely, much cheaper, and will give you the same nature-inspired feel. Perfect for spring!

I found the original lamp, but it costs $425. You can buy a similar shape for under $40.00 and paint a white drum shade green. Yes, you can paint a lamp shade. You can apply the paint directly with a small brush, or go the easier route with spray paint. The look is just as fabulous.

Have a wonderful spring weekend!