Through years of decorating for myself & others I have become well versed at decorating on a dime & creating a custom look without the high dollar price tag.

Here are some tips & things I have learned along the way.

1.Take it Slow. Don't be afraid to take your time. I think often we are easily influenced(me included) by others; we can browse the Internet & get caught up in following blogs & home design sites that we can get discouraged by our own home's lack of presence & beauty. The homes that we see in magazines which are beautifully decorated take time & thought to get that way, I remind myself of that often.

2. Establish A Budget & A Plan. I am not sure about you but we do budgets. With the economy the way it is & the fact that I am married to an accountant, influences how I decorate:). I am not ashamed to admit it (I actually enjoy it), we are like everyone else out there, trying to be careful & thoughtful about how much we spend and also save for the future at the same time. Try to be realistic & if you have only a small amount to start with, that is fine, you may be able to add to the budget at a latr time.

3. Enjoy it. Sounds simple, right? Well, sometimes we can put pressure on ourselves and loose sight of the true purpose for designing a space. I usually start with my magazines & store catalogs, yeah kinda sounds old fashioned, but I love this part. I sit down with my coffee and just flip through. For me, this is the dating part, no real plan and lots of ideas stirring in my noggin.This is also going to sound old fashioned:), but I still rip out pages. I start a fresh binder with each room and file them away.The reason I START simple is because I can get overwhelmed if I jump right to the Internet. This way I have an idea of what I am looking for.To read the rest of the list(4-14) click the link below.

More projects to come this week!

#KeepingCozy