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How to Decorate Series {day 18}: Creating Beauty on a Budget by Miss Mustard Seed

If you are just joining our How to Decorate {for the DIY’er} Series, welcome!  Miss a post? You can find all the entries for our series listed conveniently on one page here.

We are in our final week of our How to Decorate Series and we are starting it off with a bang! Today, Miss Mustard Seed is teaching us how to decorate on a budget. Marian is an antiques lover and professional furniture rehabber. She is the master at giving old pieces of furniture new life and is very generous in sharing her tips and tutorials with all of us!

Here are two recent Mustard Seed projects that I am loving:

Have you seen her kitchen yet? She painted her cabinets and they look gorgeous! I’ll tell you what, it brings me one step closer to painting my own….

And this is a bit out of the norm for her typical projects, but the  farm chic wedding that Marian helped pull-off is perfection.

I recommend you take a peek at Marian’s portfolio and see what items she is currently selling!  If you are lucky enough to live near Lucketts, you can stop in and see her items up close and personal.

And now, let’s learn some tips on how we can emulate the expert!

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This has been an excellent series so far and I am so excited Beth asked me to be a part of it.  As I was thinking about decorating tips for the average DIYer, I kept coming back to money.  Most DIYers do what they do a.) because they are gluttons for punishment and really love it or b.) they want to create the look they want on a tight budget…or tighter budget compared to the five and six figure rooms in some magazines.  The evidence is all over the blog world that a beautiful home can be made on a budget.  Don’t let your budget (or lack there of) hold you back.  Let it challenge you to create a look, a room, a home that is entirely yours.

Here are my top three tips to creating beauty on a budget:

Learn to sew
You will save a bundle and “wow” everyone who steps into your house if you can learn to sew a straight line.  You don’t have to be great.  You don’t have to be perfect.  You can make really beautiful things with very basic sewing skills.  The whole world of fabric options is then open to you.  You don’t have to settle for curtains that are too short, skimpy, not quite the right fabric or color or weight. Get over the fear, buy a sewing machine and go easy on yourself as you learn.
Grab a Brush
If you read my blog, you know I love paint.  Paint is one of the most dramatic and inexpensive ways to transform furniture, walls and the overall feel of a room.  You can create a mood, lighten and brighten, inject color or make a statement all with a can of paint.  Scour the “oops” section regularly for bargain paints and buy sample quarts for $5.00 to use on a piece of furniture.
Become a Hunter
You are not going to find bargains walking into a furniture store to furnish your home.  You’ll walk out with a smoking credit card and a room-in-a-can look.  Instead, hit yard sales, thrift stores, auctions, Craig’s List, estate sales, antique stores and flea markets.  With some patience and an eye for potential, you can furnish an entire room for a few hundred dollars…even less.  Look for pieces that have good bones and pretty lines, but need some cosmetic help.
I hope you’re inspired to roll up your sleeves and get to work on making your home all you want it to be…even on a small budget.
Visit my blog, Miss Mustard Seed, for more budget friendly decorating ideas and inspiration.
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Comments

  1. Your tips that you have shared has been my decorating philosophy forever. I always see the potential, but not everyone has that artistic vision to see beyond the sorry state of thrift store finds. You need to find a friend who does to help you! But I love that you have shared this basic concept to be thrifty and do it yourself. So much better than buying a roomful of furniture from your local furniture store.

  2. As usual, wonderful ideas. Learning to sew sounds intimidating, but just go for it. Check out those thrift shops, yard sales for a good buy. Get the history, ask questions and a little money can start you off with an inexpensive machine!!!

  4. great tutorial!

    I love this: “You are not going to find bargains walking into a furniture store… You’ll walk out with a smoking credit card and a room-in-a-can look.”

    So true on both accounts. You get the best all around if you’re patient and cruise the thrifts frequently. Cheaper and more unique! Plus you get to impress your friends when they say “where’d you find that?!” and you get to tell them you found it at a thrift and you fixed it up yourself!

    • I would suggest buying a quality, used machine at a sewing store. They usually take trade-in’s and then refurbish them. I have a 20 year old Viking that never jams and sew nicely. All you need is a simple straight and zigzag stitch.

  6. This was an awesome post! I love MMS! I have learned so much from her blog and tutorials. All of these are stunning! Thanks for a great DIY series.

  10. love MMS and those are all great tips! especially the learn to sew one- I tell everyone if I can do they can too!! and LOVE LOVE her new kitchen makeover! WOW

  12. Love her top 3 suggestions. Now…I need to get that sewing machine! lol MMS is very generous with her tips. I have emailed her and asked her several questions and she has ALWAYS been nothing short of WONDERFUL!! 🙂

  13. Love MMS and rolling up my sleeves and making my home reflect my family! The how to decorate series puts new perspective on a lot of decorating ideas, thanks for doing this!

  15. Darn it, you went and used the “S” word! I’m a no-sewer, but you’re so right that all kinds of possibilities exist for those that can sew. Food for thought. 🙂
    Thanks, ladies, for another wonderful post in this series!

  16. Beautifully written! Being able to sew has definitely made a difference for me. It is possible to teach yourself and thanks for the reminder to go easy on myself as I learn! And, Beth, thank you for doing this series. I have been inspired.

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