If it’s important to you to use fewer toxic chemicals in your home, then the first place you should look to cut back on them is in your cleaner cabinet. We commonly use some pretty toxic chemicals when cleaning mildew off the grout, or hard water deposits off the faucet, or even just disinfecting the kitchen counters! The good news is, you don’t have to. Not only are natural household cleaners better for the environment and your family, they also are cheap to make! From fabric softener to oven cleaner, we have the best DIY natural household cleaner recipes out there, by great bloggers who care enough to share! So pick one or two you use often, and take a jump on over to their websites to check out the natural cleaner recipes… It only takes making small changes in the beginning to make a complete change in the end!

From the ‘Liz Marie Blog’, I love this recipe for DIY  laundry softener for a couple reasons… First, that jar with the chalkboard label is adorable…. Second, the recipe is so easy, and can be customized. You can use either a high end organic conditioner, or one from the dollar store! Check it out at her site!

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Need to tackle that bathroom soap scum? This all in one bathroom cleaner recipe from ‘Riffles and Ruffles” uses just a few things found around the house, but takes the place of several cleaning products.

Try these homemade fizzy toilet bombs from ‘One Good Thing by Jillee’… You can make a big batch, and always have a way to freshen the toilet, without the chemicals…

From ‘Passion for Savings’, try this DIY stainless steel cleaner on those appliance fingerprints!

Try this all natural carpet cleaner that will get out any stain, from ‘Surviving the Stores’!

Cleaning the toilet is not a fun job, and we all know it. Feel a little better about it by using this DIY non toxic toilet bowl cleaner by ‘Live Like You Are Rich’.

‘Mrs Happy Homemaker’ has a DIY carpet powder recipe to freshen those stinky, stale rugs… and she even has a twist that is supposed to repel bugs!

‘365ish Days of Pinterest’ has a DIY grout cleaning recipe for you, and when looking at the before and after, it looks like it really works! No bleach fumes!

‘Joyful Adorations’ shows us how to make DIY dishwasher detergent… Did you know that some commercial detergents contain lye? ICCKKK!

‘Rooted Blessings’ has a DIY oven cleaner that has no toxic chemicals! And it works! You know how bad those commercial ones are, you have to wear thick gloves just to use it!

Try this DIY natural furniture polish by ‘Sweet T Makes Three’! I honestly hate the way “Old English” smells.

Want to take a shot at creating your own natural household cleaner? Use this infographic from ‘Heiton Buckley’ as a guide to creating DIY cleaning products, covering the most popular ingredients and what they do. What kind of natural products do you use? Share with us in comments!

Photo by ‘DIY Network‘.

Image Credits: DIY Network, Liz Marie, Riffles and Ruffles, One Good Thing by Jillee, Passion for Savings, Surviving the Stores, Live Like You Are Rich, Mrs Happy Homemaker, 365 Days of Pinterest, Joyful Adorations, Rooted Blessings, Sweet T Makes Three, Heiton Buckley

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When summer is here,  most of us look for a different home decorating look for those warmer months. Using fresh design elements based on nature is the epitome of summer. Here are some great ways to update your entire home for the summer season!

Walls

One of the fastest ways to change out the décor in any room is to change the wall art. Choose artwork with lighter values, and choose frames that are less substantial. You can change out just the matting in photo frames to white. Frame up some garden art to bring in the spirit of the season, or print out some ethereal landscape images of places you would like to go. Take down any heavy wall hangings and store until fall. Photos by BHG.

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If you really want to add a fresh color shot to your summer home decorating, paint the focal wall in your room a fresh, summer inspired color. Aqua blue, spring green, sunny yellow or french blue are all great choices. Remember, its only paint, you can paint it back in the fall! I LOVE this master bedroom from ‘Lee Ann Thornton Design‘. In fact, it inspired my master bedroom!

Windows

Summer is no time to sit in a dull dark room, so this time of year is a great time for sheer drapes to let in as much light as possible. Take down your layers on your windows and keep it simple. Cotton curtains and drapes are a great choice for this time of year because they are lightweight and casual. Photo via ‘Remodelista‘.

Add insulated drapes to windows that get a hot southern exposure to keep your rooms cooler, and to protect your carpet and furniture from sun damage.

Accessories

When those first summery days give you beach fever, use that energy to de-clutter your rooms. Pack away at least half your accessories to give the room a much cleaner look.

• Replace throw pillows with fresh, striped or floral covers in modern prints.

• Bringing summer decorating inside your home means bringing the outside in, so make sure flowers and plants live in every room.

• When in doubt, white tablecloths and slipcovers transform any room into a summer haven.

Need summer decorating DIY projects? We found you some great ones!

Try these DIY sisal candleholders by Four Generations One Roof! So beachy and easy!

Gotta love these DIY dipped plant pots by ‘HGTV“.

Tricia from ‘Simplicity in the South’ has this driftwood heart tutorial for us… This can be an expensive little buy in a gift shop, and what a fun way to use up all those pieces of pretty wood the kids (or you!) collect from your trips to the beach! I love that you can keep the memories alive just by making this project. Plus, I love things made from nature used in the home.

Keeping on with the beachy theme (what could be more “summer”?), Heather from ‘At the Picket Fence’ made this DIY coastal rope mirror, and shows us how she did this easy project with  just rope, some starfish from the craft store, and Mod Podge!

This idea from ‘BHG‘ is as simple as it gets… don’t worry about buying expensive flower bouquets, just use some dollar store vases and some pretty leaves from the yard. These Hosta leaves feel so restful!

Want to brighten up your front door? Cyndy from ‘The Creativity Exchange’ has a tutorial for this DIY easy moss basket that looks amazing. I want this! You could use any color scheme, and any annual flower you choose… Yep, these are real flowers! I am not a big fan of faux blooms, so to have real ones in a front door basket really sets your home apart. Pretty!

From ‘Midwest Living‘, this idea for a summer centerpiece is perfect for the eco-conscious mentality the world is embracing. I happen to love the simple beauty of things that are fresh grown… Using them as decor seems so fitting! Make it look chic by using a large clear glass container, and use distilled water with fresh veggies and greens. The distilled water will keep it looking crystal clear. Love!

Summer home decorating is just as important as any other time of year, and it just takes a little creativity to brighten each and every room.

Image Credits: HGTV, BHG, BHG, Lee Ann Thronton Design, Remodelista, Four Generations One Roof, Simplicity in the South, At the Picket Fence, Midwest Living

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When money is tight, it can seem impossible to decorate your home. But we found tons of great ideas and DIY tutorials that you can use to transform your space, no matter how tight your purse strings are! Think creatively and put in some elbow grease, and take inspiration from these tips and projects.

Laura from ‘A Beautiful Mess’ created this DIY concrete countertop that goes right over an existing counter. This saved them TONS of money over having a custom concrete counter done. TONS. Oh, and the tutorial is easy!

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‘Young House Love’ created this ceiling light with a diffuser from a scratch and dent lampshade! It looks like a $400 upscale version from a specialty lighting store, and it cost around $30! Oh, and it’s big, so it makes a statement. Click through to see the ordinary light it replaced.

From ‘Sweet Pickens’, these DIY letters from reclaimed wood work so well because they are big and bold… and the texture form the wood is so awesome! She made these in an hour, no power saw required. Oh, and you can buy them from her too!

Liz at ‘Love Grows Wild’ knows how to make the most of repurposing and styling to make a “budget” look really rock it. She made this kitchen display thrifting and upcycling the whole thing, and it cost her less than $10. Love this little vignette!

Wallpaper is back in a big way, but it can be expensive and time consuming. ‘The Painted House’ has the perfect solution… patterned paint rollers! You use regular house paint and one roller to create the feel of wallpaper without the expense, and if you change your mind later, no awful wallpaper removal!

From Katelyn at ‘Learning, Creating, Living’. These DIY concrete planters are fast and easy, and inexpensive! You can use things around the house to create the molds. Love these!

‘Love at First Book’ updated her bathroom counters to a granite look with a peel and stick product from Lowes. Check out how she did this for just a few bucks! This is so cheap and fast, you could easily redo it if it didn’t last as long as a paint finish.

Ok, so this isn’t technically decorating. But look, if you don’t have your place organized and decluttered, all the decorating in the world won’t help! So these closet accessory organizers from ‘The Chic Site’ are so clever, we had to share. Instead of cluttering up your drawers with scarves, bags and belts, make these simple hangers from an old pair of jeans and some simple shower hooks!

More great budget decorating help from Liz at ‘Love Grows Wild’. She created this DIY gallery wall, complete with that repurposed arrow sign for less than $20. And her trick for hanging all this great art? You have to read to find out!

These DIY painted vases from Aniko from ‘Place of My Taste’ look like they were a fancy boutique find. The tutorial for these is easy to follow, and I LOVE the colors! What a simple but elegant project.

Lisa from ‘Grey Luster Girl’ made this wooden sign tutorial for all those who love inspirational sayings as decor. (My hand is up!) You could make this with a vinyl cutting machine, or with pre cut peel and stick letters from the craft store.

This is an easy upcycling idea from ‘Style Me Pretty‘ using things you already own as decor. In this case, this gorgeous green cup and saucer becomes a pretty planted pot! Photography : André Teixeira from Brancoprata.

This copper barn light Ikea hack from ‘Kojo Designs’ takes the ultimate budget resource (Ikea) and turns a simple light fixture into something really warm and inviting. Easy!

‘Oh My Creative’ brings us this DIY rustic shelf project from Mindi at ‘My Love 2 Create‘.  I love that she made this from an old fence board and some leftover wire mesh. Oh, and more inspirational sayings!

From ‘House of Smiths’, this mirror framing tutorial will make your bathroom look custom designed, instead of builder boring! Great tutorial with lots of pics. Take note of how she painted the mirror white to match the other woodwork, for instance, the door and door frame.

That’s it for today! 15 budget decorating ideas you can do! Do you have a favorite?

Image Credits: Learning Creating Living, A Beautiful Mess, Young House Love, Sweet Pickens, Love Grows Wild, The Painted House, Love at First Book, The Chic, Love Grows Wild, Place of My Taste, Grey Luster Girl, Style Me Pretty, Kojo Designs, Oh My Creative, House of Smiths

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The post 15 Easy Decorating Ideas on a Budget appeared first on The Budget Decorator.

Home decorating on a budget is totally doable! Get started with The Budget Decorator’s top 20 budget home decorating tips! Feature photo, above, from ‘Good Housekeeping‘.

Paint your world.

Paint is the cheapest, fastest way to dramatically change a room in just hours! This colorful living room by ‘BHG’ is a great example of how they used inexpensive furnishings and lots of paint to make this room shine.

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Use a theme.

Choose a theme for every room, even if it’s a favorite color scheme or one you found in a magazine, it’s a place to start and plan. One that’s really now and easy to do on a budget? Modern farmhouse or vintage themes. See how one of our favorite bloggers ‘Liz Marie‘ does it! Can you just see all the DIY possibilities here?

Change things up.

Rearrange…move things around until you find a pleasing arrangement that works for you, whether it’s your furniture or your bookshelves! Check out our post on furniture arranging tricks! Here is a great arrangement for awkward rooms from ‘Midwest Living‘.

Reflect upon your home.

Use mirrors to reflect light, make a room look larger or just to double a pretty view like ‘BHG’ did with this bathroom. Or go even further, and turn a thrift store dresser into a vanity with this tutorial from ‘HGTV’.

Picture this.

If you can’t afford larger pieces of artwork yet have a lot of wall space to fill, pick up numerous photo frames at the dollar shop and spray paint them all white. Hang them together as a large grouping. Try this DIY fabric in wall frames project by ‘Sincerely, Sara D’.

Decorate with plates.

Hang decorative plates as wall art, from the kitchen backsplash to over the bedroom headboard for texture and interest. This example is by designer Kelly Wearstler at the ‘Viceroy Hotel’ in Santa Monica. The take away? Stay in a small color palette that coordinates with your room, and go big!

Think green.

Bring in live houseplants to any room of the home to add life and style. Learn how to root plants in water from ‘My Domaine’. Love this, it’s easy, inexpensive to add lot’s of greenery to a room, and if you choose a pretty and clear vessel, even the roots are part of the show!

Use the fabric of our lives.

Flat sheets are an inexpensive and easy source of fabric for curtains, slipcovers and pillows. Rachel at ‘Smile and Wave’ shows us how to make these DIY cloth napkins and placemats. I love the fresh, happy colors and patterns!

Use what you have.

There are so many items around the home that can be repurposed…learn to look at things in creative ways and see if they might meet a decorating need.

The art of disguise.

If you can’t afford to replace, disguise! Cover a sofa, lay a rag rug over that stained carpet, or use fabric to screen an unpleasant view.

Be a treasure hunter.

Use fabric from sheets and quilts, use yard sales to locate furniture to be painted to match your décor, and visit your dollar shop on a regular basis for picture frames and candles.

Kitchen creations.

Use paint to transform and customize your kitchen cabinets, knobs, counters and floors. Use good quality primer and sealer to make it last years! Jenna at ‘Jenna Sue Designs’ did an entire budget kitchen makeover! If you scroll down to the bottom of her post, there is a tutorial for all the DIY projects they did. Don’t forget to check out the “before” photos!

K.I.S.S.

Use solid colors for your bedding and window treatments so that you can easily change out accessories to change the mood or style.

Bathing beauty.

Use fabric and your sewing machine to soften your bathroom with coordinating towel edging, shower curtains, throw rugs and window treatments. This pretty bathroom from ‘BHG‘ would be really cold and boring without the sunny curtains and towels.

Make it shine!

A simple tip to make rooms look larger? Keep your windows and slick surfaces sparkling clean!

Style it.

It isn’t what you have, it’s how you use, what you have. Check out our post on how to style bookshelves. It’s easy, relatively fast, and inexpensive. Check out the tutorial on how to style a vignette by Yvonne of ‘Stone Gable Blog’. So pretty!

Family tree.

Print out black and white photos of each member of the family, and then hang them in matching black frames gallery style as a grouping for an unforgettable focal point. ‘Pottery Barn‘ shows us how to do it. Remember, don’t hang the frames too far apart, you want them to feel connected in a grouping. Also, use a few different sizes for interest.

Welcome home.

Place a piece of furniture in the entry, such as a chest or cozy chair so that visitors will feel the welcoming comfort of your home.

Sew not? So what!

If you don’t know how to sew, pick up some iron on hem tape at your local craft store. You can create simple hems and rod pockets easily with your iron!

Get personal!

Inject yourself and your family in to your home with personal items…photos, vacation finds, or ball game tickets in a frame all bring interest and life to your rooms.

Image Credits: BHG, Sincerely Sara D, Designer: Kelly Wearstler, Smile and Wave, Niji, Stone Gable Blog, Pottery Barn

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There is nothing that makes a bedroom look more luxurious or high end than a well made bed. It doesn’t take a lot of cash to get a boutique hotel style bed, either. What it takes my friends, are the secrets. No lie, it’s way more than making sharp corners! So we found some great blogs offering their tips for how you can make your bed look amazing every day of the week, every season of the year. And guess what? No one will be able to tell if you get your linens in Paris or at the discount store up the road! (Or better yet, that excellent yard sale on the corner!)

‘Style Me Pretty’ has a great basic guide on how to make the perfect bed. This covers everything to get you started, and  has the best tip we have found for finding the best sheet… It’s not all about thread count, although thats how they charge you! Steve and I heard this from an employee at Nordstrom once, and it is 100% true. It’s about the cotton. Not just any old cotton will do, the best is Egyptian or Pima cotton. If you buy sheets with that fabric, you can buy much lower thread count and still have the softest sheets around! Cha-ching! Also great step by steps on the basic bed. Must read for getting it down!

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‘Pottery Barn’ has a quick video on how to fill a duvet (which I didn’t figure out ’till I was in my 30’s!), and a couple of graphics to help you with the basics to remember on how to make a bed look amazing, and also where and how many pillows to use for each size bed. Easy to just glance at these and “get it”!

‘Trulia’ shows us how to buy bed linens so we can have that luxury feel to our bed, without wasting money on poor choices. We agree, cotton, good. Polyester, bad.

From ‘Houzz’ 13 steps to a perfectly made bed has some great tips… including one’s that make all the difference, like ironing your linens, or using corner fasteners to keep the sheets smooth. Photo by ‘Normandy Remodeling‘.

Ok, now that you have the basics all down, how about switch it up a bit? From ‘Style Me Pretty’, how to style a bed, 3 ways! A little glam, a little minimal, and a neutral bed with texture… Yep, they are all the same bed!

Need someone to pull it all together for you? Steven Whitehead at ‘One Kings Lane‘ does a nice video for us, where you can see a professional actually do it, and make it all look amazing! Ok, so ready? Tomorrow morning, it all changes, right?

Image Credits: SLC Interiors, Style Me Pretty, Pottery Barn, Trulia, Normandy Remodeling, Style Me Pretty

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Yard sale season is in full swing, and there is no better way to get budget home décor items for your home decorating that also have personality and style. Here’s how The Budget Decorator takes trash for little cash, and turns them into gold!

Furniture Finds

While finding furniture at great prices at a yard sale is a no-brainer, to get the best bargains look a little deeper. Furniture that is past it’s prime can be remade with paint, fabric and little elbow grease, but do you know what’s a find and what’s a dud? Here are some quick guidelines for making yard sale décor for your living room really work.

Buy only sturdy pieces that do not need repair. If one joint or leg is loose now, chances are it’s a short time before more problems appear. Also, look for lifting veneer. In some cases a table top can be covered with fabric or cork, but it cannot be easily repaired.

Need a project to make you a believer? Try this DIY dresser turned TV console by Domestic Superhero…

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Finding outdated furniture that you have no idea what to do with? Just to show how far you can go, Deb at ‘Seeking Lavender Lane‘ turned this outdated patio set into a rustic custom look with her makeover! Wow!

Don’t discount old laminate furniture. If it’s in good shape, it can be painted! Use a good quality primer like KILZ and you are on your way to having an original piece of furniture art from an ugly duck! Kim at ‘Sand and Sisal’ shows you how to paint laminate furniture, and while she was at it, totally made over this ugly credenza!

Remember that a chair is not always a chair. Or in this case, a bed! ‘Just Jill’ turned this old bed frame into an amazing garden bench! It may be a yard sale find, but it’s up-cycled chic! Before, and after!

Realize that slipcovers have gotten trendy (and expensive, try Ebay!) Sometimes a sofa just needs the bottom cushions recovered, but is in otherwise good shape. Choose a coordinating fabric and color to cover just those cushions and pin underneath. Use that same fabric to sew a couple of throw pillows for the sofa to make it look purposeful and co-ordinated.

Want to know how to make slipcovers? Check out this video series by Miss Mustard Seed… Amazing DIY instructions!

Fabric can also be used to recover beat up drawer fronts. Shirr fabric on tension mounted rods to replace cabinet doors. Recover dining chair seats with a trendy fabric to take a dated piece into now.

Fabric Expressions

I look for fabric at yard and garage sales, and not the “on the bolt” kind. You don’t need much yardage to create one of a kind pillow covers, table runners or to edge a pretty throw. Just make sure you choose fabric that fits into your color and pattern scheme for your room, and that can be washed and dried before use. Make sure they spend at least 20 minutes in a hot dryer. Some options for yard sale fabric?

• Dresses and blouses can be a great quality fabric for pillows.

• Sheets can be made into curtains or slipcovers.

• Pretty quilts/coverlets make wall hangings, table covers or window coverings.

Want ideas on what to do with sheets? Try Modern Kiddo’s post on “10 Great Crafty Sheet Ideas“.

Make these DIY no-sew throw pillows from ‘Style Me Pretty’ with their step by step tutorial and video! Photo by Ruth Eileen.

Lighting Your Room

Lamp kits available at craft stores make it possible to turn almost anything into a cool and creative lighting piece for your living room decorating. You don’t have to be an electrician to use these kits either! Great yard sale decorating finds that can be converted into lighting?

• Vases or Large Jars

• Stack of Books

• Teapots

• Industrial Metal Items

• Even Old Shoes!

Kristen Duke made this bright pop of color DIY colander light fixture… Check out the after photo!

Or try this DIY hanging chandelier from ‘The Summery Umbrella’ via ‘Remodelaholic’. This is from a standard yard sale bathroom strip light fixture!

And don’t forget, almost any accessory can be made new again with a can of spray paint and a Pinterest idea! Need proof? At ‘Sincerely, Sara D‘ you can see exactly how valuable those 25 cent yard sale knick knacks can be!

Before…

After!!!

Anyone can shop the yard sales and find great living room decorating ideas for very little money. Just open your eyes to creative possibilities!

Image Credits: Domestic Superhero, Seeking Lavender Lane, Sand and Sisal, Just Jill, Miss Mustard Seed, Modern Kiddo, Style Me Pretty, Kristen Duke, Remodelaholic, Sincerely Sara D

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