Frugal Floral-Themed Decorating Tips
by Monica Resinger
Floral themes are so charming! I recently visited a friend who did her house
in a floral theme and I was so impressed, I considered changing my decorating
theme to floral. I've included some tips I learned on my visit.
~ Use a floral or ivy print material to swag around windows or sliding glass
doors. My friend simply cut hers with pinking sheers, rather than hemming and
it looked fine. You can cut the material any size or length you prefer. You
could bunch the material up with rubber bands or pins at the points where the
swag would attach to the wall above the window. I like to do things simple,
so I would probably attach the swag by nailing or tacking it to the wall. To
save money on this project, you could visit thrift stores and look for pretty
floral sheets to cut up and use.
~ Collect pretty floral tins (can be found at thrift stores or yard sales for
very reasonable prices), and line them on their sides atop cupboards. A
bonus to tins is that you can use them for storage of small items, or even food
(pasta, flour, trinkets, etc.)
~ Use a floral tablecloth and chair pads. Again, these can be found at
thrift stores and yard sales, but also watch retail stores such as Wal-Mart or
Target for their clearance sales.
~ Wicker furniture looks great in a floral themed room. My friend layered on
various pillows; the pillows did not match, but all had either floral prints
or shapes. One pillow was silk with silk roses sewed on. The pillows give a
nice cozy feel and add to the charm (be sure to check the thrift stores and
yard sales... hope I don't sound like a broken record!). Speaking of pillows,
be sure to layer them on your bed!
~ Stencil an ivy or a floral border around the windows and/or near the
ceiling on the walls. Craft stores have many stencils to choose from along with
supplies and instructions.
~ You can find faux flower swags at the Dollar Store (if you don't have a
Dollar Store nearby, your local craft store will have them, but they will be
more
expensive there). These are great for atop cupboards, around doorways and
windows, winding around stair rails or affixed to lamp shades as a trim (cut to
appropriate length first).
~ You can also find a lot of other floral-themed items at the dollar store...
placques, art prints in frames, colorful glass flowers, cups, mugs, plates,
bowls, hand towels, pot holders and more. Just take a walk through there and
see how many items you'll find that will fit into a floral decorating theme!
~ Don't forget real plants! My hostess gift to my friend was a miniature
rose plant which fit right in. But any type of plant will fit into a floral
theme; they don't have to be flowering plants. If you don't have a green thumb
then use silk arrangements they can be just as pretty.
~ Wicker baskets fit right into a floral theme and give you some storage
space. They are great for holding anything that will fit into them... remote
controls, books, bills, papers, keys. They also make great plant containers.
You
can dress up wicker baskets with floral material bows (just cut a strip of
floral material and tie into a bow around the handle), or floral ribbon bows.
You can also spray paint them if you desire a certain color.
I hope this gives you some inspiration for decorating in a floral theme. To
find other foral decorating ideas, check magazines, decorating books, on the
Internet, or your friend's homes.
Monica is the founder/editor of The Homemaker's Journal E-Publications. She invites you to visit The Homemaker's Journal website where you'll find
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