Homemade Home decor

[Christy]

Been wanting to change just about every thing in my home. make it look diffrent. honestly I hate looking at the same old from when the ex lived here. i need a hole diffrent look! but like most people im poor pholk so most will have to be home made stuff so ya got ideas or have done somthing please share!

My first thing I want to do is make a couch cover witha couple pillows..then maybe a valance for the curtains...I just cant make up my mind to either make a pattern. or go with a solid, or a print.. the only thing bout going with solid or print is, id have to buy the fabric n im trying not to buy if i dont have to unless i have a thick sheet to use phor the cover, then make a throw to overlap it...? a area rug too.

my wall needs filled. never replaced all the crap i took down, {I dont miss deer antlers all over the place!} I want a ton of pics up of the kids. but i dont want a plain look. thinking of putting scrapbooking stuff in with the pics. if i can phind colors that match the cover n valance's that would be cool...maybe sew a wall hanging.
Im wanting to use bout 2 or 3 main colors in a lilbit of everything I make so it all matches one way or another..

not doing anything right now, just getting ideas together. ugh! why cant home decor be as easy as comming up with a quilt pattern!!

[Wrennie]

You could hang a picture type quilt on a wall. Like your veggie jars. A couch cover will change the whole pheel of your room. With bb & dogs I wouldn't choose a real light color tho'. I'd go pretty plain with the couch and then use zippy colors or prints for the pilows. And re-arrange the furniture if ya can. That makes it feel like a whole new room too. Have phun dong it!!

[Christy]

yep i was thingking of my block family tree pattern for the wall hanging i could go with browns n greens for the cover.
ill have to see what all i got in my stash i want floral in the living room. veg/herbs in the kitchen
I know no soft colors with bb n the dogs

[Penny]

Paint changes the look of a room pretty quick too, since you are tight on money, ask at your local hardware store for cans of paint that customers didnt pick up, or returned, its amazing the colors you can get and for next to nothing in price.

[Christy]

awesome idea Penny! never thought of that. dont wanna paint the walls but bet i could pick up some end tables. coffee table at the flea's and pain them the same color. could paint the bookshelf n tv stand too, maybe decor them with other paints,
thats acutally a great idea, cause my grams rocker is brown with gold trimmings...

[Penny]

I have a friend here, and thats all she does, and she gets some awsome prices on the paint......go check it out, you never know.

Or you could get enough paint to paint just one wall, and use it as a "focal" wall.

[Penny]

New cushions and throw pillows change a look too.

[Christy]

we got 2 paint stores that i know of, wallmart n the one in the plaza ill look in the phone book n call around on my day off

[Wrennie]

At the hardware store I used to work at we called it "Oops" paint. Either the formula for the color was wrong, or a wrong pigment was put in, wrong base used etc. Quarts were $2.99 and gallons $5.99. But remember t hat was over 10 years ago. Still, retail on the same sizes were $5.99 & up and 11.99 and up on gallons.

[colorado]

Good lucky Christy,

My place could stand it too. I bought throws years ago for couch and two chairs. At that time was pretty cheap. Nothing matched and throws were green. They need to be replaced as worn out. What to use? Those two chairs are good solid things but worn too . Money. I have told son his house if I rent it would cost me $5000 to make it usable and he says not. It take such big pieces to cover things and for drapes. Patio door and livingroom window in same room really. One at each end and window is on plan at 4 feet wide. I have no drapes that would do. My wide pair is only 6' long which I bought to cover the stairs here are too short. I asked him.. Used from thrift but like new. My front room drapes are too narrow and short . My frontroom and dinning room ones would do the bedrooms. I do not think any hope of finding two wide long pairs that match at the thrift in color I could use. Use to be cheap stuff and you worked it over. I have not priced drapery material but I am sure high and I priced some draperies on internet for Penny's for insulated ones and several hundred.. And I am not sure really are insulated good. Lined I want. It is cold up there and electric heat so need them on the windows. I know what you are up again trying. And to top it off not sure is front door has a glass in it to cover. Be more thing, I need to ask. I have to have plans laid in case they woud have to move me up there.

MY kitchen curtains are red and white checked ginham with white sheeting on the back and I need to put some insulating material inside. I have some scrap of what is called that and I can piece and will not show inside. That added color to the kitchen.

Paint and some covers can make a big difference.

[Christy]

duh me! the hardwear store! why didnt i think of that. thanks Wrennie. ill call them too.

Colorado, it dose take alot of fabric to make a cover or drapes. i was thinking of getting a couple sheets and i could dye them if i wanted to. a box of dye is only a couple bucks
Ill use regular old quilting or scrap meterial. apolstery? [dont think im spelling that right] or drapery meterial costs way to much, and is harder to wash. I like meterial you can toss in the washer, dryer n be done

[colorado]

Yeah, Christy, I want washable stuff too. One time I did make a cover for cot I was using as couch and I had made a couple big back cushions and I used sheeting and dyed it. I can not remember where I got the sheeting. It was heavier stuff. These sheets I buy now are thin like. Good for quilt back and drapery backs. Ironing board covers. (mine is wide old wooden one)

I cut the the top off the red velvet drapes I bought that time for craft table covers. Washable. So be shorter yet. I know upstairs and some old gold colored ratty drapes I though I could use the material. Blue upolhstery material. And what ever is on the bolt of grey I inheirted from my sister. Part was cut in to drapes and none finished. Lining grey and header strip. I am sure not washable. I have wracked my brain trying to think of anything I have. I have few more drapes like in dinning room. I had not did anything with and I had planned my front door (in a hall) and my bedroom. Floral. Not thrilled with it but cheap.

Color will make things look different. Some pieces of fabric can be used for wall hangings. As I sorted drapery material I saved back some pieces for cushions.

As long as I can see to sew I can and able handle it. Big piece are heavy to get through machine. I helped DIL on window quilts for my son's shop. Not the public part and it took couple days. Found that coated drapery material would not sew worth a darn. My front room are that type.

[spuds]

You are right Colorado,store bought curtains very expensive.The insulated Mrs made werent cheap either.

[Christy]

Im gonna go through my stash today n see what all i can use. and make a list on what all i need...
yea you dont phind the thick sheets anymore. only once in a blue moon. there nice too. i used one phor the patckwork quilt backing. its so heavy n warm phor winter! I need to make another quilt like that.
couldn't you use flannel fabric to insulate curtains? or those thermal blankets like the hospital uses?

[Penny]

I have a friend who bought plain white sheets, got the little hooks(with teeth at one end, and hoop at the other) at the craft store, and a new curtain rod, and voila....that is her new curtains, bought king size on sale

[Christy]

thats what i was thinking Penny you could even sew a border on the bottom to match the valance's...if you make valance's

I got 3 blue sheets so i could even sew a flat or ruffle border in greens n browns n blues to match what ever throw or pillows i make....heck could even just go with the cover n applique on it..

[colorado]

I use those rings with teeth on the clip end and the ring goes on the rod okay. You can get different sizes. Clip to top of drape. Unclip to wash. I have a gallon zi ful of them and no all alike.

For insulation you can use lot of things. Old quilted bed spreads I used in diningroom one and they don't show. Sheeting on the back. It is the front drapery part that is hard to come by. Old blanket would work. I would need insulated as so cold there. I think I have a box upstairs full of shear curtains and batch of what I think is curtain material.

Some one said put a border on those 6 foot drapes to make long enough. I have never made a valence. Are off white, nearly white but none to match for the window. Need two to match. And trying to match the material on the back to make it longer too I think is beyond me. That would really show from out side. I have loads of white sheets. It is not the insulating part or the backs it is getting enough one one kind of material for the fronts. Like for two pair and at least one 7 feet long.

I have a green bedspread I could not use as I could not stand it that color in the bedroom/ I like green but this must have yellow cast in it. I have two other pieces of green. Few yards and velvet and the other upholstery type green tweed. I yd of theis and that in the drapery box yet. Too big to just cut in to blocks like I did a lot of scrap.

I do have oil paintings to hang on the walls and do have them up and got more to frame. I have a batch of painted sandstones that I have on the wall of Indians. Few paintings I bought some I did and some son did. He did all the sandstones.

I sat here late last night as I had something I wanted to tell you Christy but I sure do not know what.

Rental house they said they would put up new mini blinds and I said no as I wanted insultaed drapes to cut the cold. That is my cost. Shelving my cost. It does add up. Over the years I have gotten stuff here and there. I still need things done here .

Just keep thinking Christy and you will get there.

[Penny]

The other good thing with the curtain rings with the teeth, is a friend of ours who has a cottage, uses those and some really nice large tea towels, and those are bathroom and kitchen curtains.

[colorado]

Terry towels in the bathroom is good.

My kitchen window is like about 5 feet from side to side. Two windows together over sink. And it gets hot there in summer with sun on it and I do have trees on the west. I pull the shade and the cutains to help both summer and winter. Winter nights smmer days. Sheet backed ginham and I plan to add the insulated material in. Need to come down and wash and then do it. It is thin like sheeting but marked insulating materail and came from thrift shop cheap. I do not have a lot of it. I can't go heavy insulating in the ginham curtains.

And too I found some striips of 4 layer insulation. Won't not sew good but I got in to a piece to put for back door. That is a cold spot, So that was 25 cents and the material another 25 cents and it was all new stuff. As in side the drape/curtain it will not show. I am not fond of the color but it is the utility room. Hopefully enough left to the do the small window. Door has 8 panes of glass. Have plastic on the out side of the door and window. I got a curtain for .25 new and I gave that to nephew wife for their mountain house. I am still trying to figure how to fasten to back door. Be flat and I want to tie back to the right. I guees could not fast the bottom then and maybe wt the bottom. I bought a box or two of lead wts and the drape over the stairway has lead string of beads in it. I will save them. I was using some wts for fishing. Those string of bead lead wts would be good for the patio door drape if have to move. I plan to stay here as long as I can . Getting old alone is not fun. As long as here I want to improve the heating and cooling by drapes and such.

Christy I think it was on picture frames. You idea of wall with family pictures. Yard sales and thifts some times have small frames. One could paint all the same color but most would not have glass in them. I think color would tie them together?

[spuds]

Frames dirt cheap at our thrift store.

[Christy]

painting the frames is a good idea too. heck yea Spuds thats were i get frames! even wall mark cost tomuch for frames. i got a couple so far. i look every time i stop in. usally there the plain cheap thin metal ones. thats why i was thinking of using scrapkooing stuff. i could make a color frame in the plain frame.
on my door i used those sticky hooks n a thin rod to put a curtain up.

[Wrennie]

You might be able to find sheets at the thrift store too. Ours has curtains, sheets & blankets all the time.

[colorado]

I don't think I could make it with out the thrift shops. I was not thinking of metal frames as I never use. I use to get old bedspreads and blankets to use in quilt making $1 or less. They have good stuff too. Most now have good stuff and do not put out crap. I can remember the Goodwill selling old blankets for .60 as had a hole. The old electric no good ones were cheap and I would pull the junk out and darn the hole.

For awhile here bunch of colored sheets at the thrifts. Bed and Bath was sure selling that. I suppose other stores too but not seeing them much now. I bought a few more colors for quilt making. When $1 or .50. One chance deal.

I missed getting a fancy table cloth last week. Really do not need.

[spuds]

Jun 29, 2010 5:34:06 GMT -6 Wrennie said:

You might be able to find sheets at the thrift store too. Ours has curtains, sheets & blankets all the time.

Ours get blankets but they are pretty ugly! Wouldnt even want to sleep with one,yuch!But now you talked me into a thrift store run,watch me find some nice blankets!

[colorado]

Spuds, I do wash everything. Wool blankets ugly or not is good buy. I even got a down quilt in a cotton cover on it. I have a old quilt heavy that needs new cover. I used it for years and it cost $3.50 in 1963 and I was desperate for some bedding. I will put a duvet on it. Should have before worn so bad. You can buy duvets here at the price of two sheets and about what they are, This quilt is a bit to small for the duvets I bought and and I have a pair of sheets to use. Least I hope big enough as singles. Nope too small. I do have other sheets maybe can work it out. I had hung the quilt out on the line to air. Can alwas use white on one side and figured on on the other.

Quilt batts are getting high. I found that this spring with 13 quilt tops to do up. I bought two of the cheapest Walmart had.

Here one time at thrift they had a bunch of blankets that the stuff looked new. It was half blankets and some one had cut a batch all the same in half. Was too high to buy IMHO. Some one smart I think at the nursing home did it and no drop on side to be any good to use. Trying to cut bedding costs. Be okay for a day care center. I do put new binding on a few but I use sheeting to do it and not fancy binding/ribbon. Other material will work.

One ad/deal on internet said she bought insulated drapes and used the material to make covers for things.

I do have on hand 4 old quilted bedspreads I got for lining drapes. I do save things to use also. Got a couple about ready to add to it I had been using. DIL gave me a white bedspread that was too small she said for her. I have never opened it up to see how big it is.

I did get a swag? and it made my son's insulated window quilts. DIL was trying to find something. Like we have said trying to get enough material to make a cover or drapes is hard. Specially if need several things of it.

Good luck . Spuds, hope find good things.

[Penny]

I have a friend, who to decorate the walls of her cottage, bought some old window frames, 9 panes, the old wood kind, and in each square, she cut different fabrics to fit, and stapled the fabric to the backs of the frames, and almost looked like a quilt on the walls.

[Penny]

One website that i recently found, that i just love is called Tipnut.com

Its full of homemade ideas, and tips.

[BestoFour]

I have those old windows and may try that sometime.

[Christy]

Good site Penny ill put it in my favs!
tipnut.com/

[Penny]

I get the daily email from them, and its always full of cool tips and ideas.