Something different this Saturday

So I know that I have been using Saturday's post for my "Supermarket Saturdays" feature, but we honestly don't need to go to the store this weekend! We have enough odds and ends to get us through for the week, which I'm so excited about because we are saving ourselves close to $100.00 this week! :)

I have decided to talk about the Saturday Spotlight on the wonderful SITS site! Now I don't gain anything personally for talking about this site, but I spent about 45 minutes this morning pouring over it, and decided that I just have to share it with you! (For those of you who are not a part of SITS (The Secret is in the Sauce), I would highly recommend that you join-it is a wonderful support group for us bloggers, and we are all supported by comments left from fellow SITSta's!) Anyway, every Saturday, they do a Saturday Spotlight. I always like who they choose, but today's spotlight is extra special, and so I just had to talk about them!

The Saturday Spotlight feature is Dali Decals! The second that I clicked over to their page, I fell in love! This site has the most gorgeous wall decals! These have become quite popular over the past few years, but I have honestly never found any that I am just crazy about...until now!!! Dali Decals has one of the largest selections of wall decals that I have ever come across, and their prices are definitely the best that I have found! The prices that I saw while browsing through their decals ranged from as little as $5.00 to $200.00. (The $200.00 was for a large tree that would probably take up most of your wall!) They offer everything from huge tree decals to monograms to headboards and children's decals! These do NOT look cheap! They would definitely dress up any room, and you will be the talk of the town!

One of the best things about Dali Decals is that they offer all of their decals in a HUGE selection of colors! Most places offer decals in your typical black, white, and maybe brown or gold; but Dali Decals offers everything from lime green (and we all know that I LOVE green!), to cardinal red, to purple, and any other color of the rainbow!!!

For those of you not familiar with wall decals, one of the best things about them is that they easily stick to your wall, and you can take them down whenever you feel like it! You don't have to repaint or anything like that! Dali Decals sends you easy instructions for applying and removing your decal with any purchase.

Please, if you have a moment, go check out this wonderful site! I fell in love with it the moment that I saw it, and I would be willing to bet that if you like decorating and a good deal as much as I do, you will fall in love with Dali Designs too!

Decorating on a Budget

I don't know about you, but I get tired of my house looking the same all of the time, and I am always wanting to change something. The problem is...it costs money to redecorate, and if you're not careful...lots of it! Being a person who has completely changed how our home has been decorated at least four times in the three and a half years that we have been married, I have become an expert at redecorating on a budget! I have listed some of my ideas below!

1. When it comes to big purchases, like furniture, buy neutral colors. You may really like that red sofa right now, but more than likely, in a year or two, you are going to be sick of it, and want a different look for your house. We bought a light beige solid color couch and chair when it was time for us to make this purchase. We also went for microfiber because it is easy to clean, and we knew that we would be having children. Choose a great pattern for a chair or an ottoman!

2. Completely change the look of your furniture with pillows! I cannot even begin to tell you how many pillows we have had in our short marriage! Just by changing the color or pattern of pillows in your home will give your home a completely different look. You can find really great pillows for cheap at a lot of stores (you can also find really expensive ones, but just steer clear of those)! Ikea, Hobby Lobby, and Pier One all have pillows for a really reasonable cost. If you are like me, you may find pillows that you love at Pottery Barn, and sometimes this is the only place that carries that particular pillow. Let me just give you one piece of advise on this...you have to purchase the pillow and the pillow cover separately...often times making the total cost of the pillow over $60.00! If you have to have that pillow, buy the pillow cover at Pottery Barn, and buy the actual pillow insert at WalMart, Hobby Lobby, or any other discount store. It will save you tons!

3. Paint! This is possibly the cheapest and most effective way to change how your home looks! Paint everything! Don't hold back! Change your walls from white to a great shade of blue, green, yellow, or red...whatever you like. This is where you get a lot of bang for your buck!

4. Change your items that you display. Often times, this can be done for free. Just remove the items that you had on your coffee table, shelves, or counter, and replace them with other objects that you love in your home. Group similar items together in odd number groupings, and it will give a finished look to your home. This is a great way to show off a collection.

5. Change the pictures on your wall...or add pictures or mirrors. If you already have pictures on your wall, you can take the original picture/painting out of the frame, and use the frame for new artwork. On a pretty day, go outside and take some pictures! You will be surprised at the beautiful objects you can find to photograph. You can then take them to a discount store and have them blown up to be larger for a very small price. Use the old frames that you have to frame your new creation. You then have original artwork for a fraction of the price it would cost you to go out and buy a new piece of art. You can also purchase artist's canvas' for a small price and then find a beautiful fabric that you love. Wrap the canvas in the fabric very tightly and staple to the back of the canvas. Makes beautiful wall hangings! You can leave it as is, or frame it. If you add mirrors to your home, this will make any room look larger. Think about where to hang the mirror, and which direction you hang it. Sometimes a mirror that was meant to hang vertically, actually looks really great hung horizontally. Just be creative with it...you can't mess up!

6. Rearrange your furniture. This is a free way to completely change the look of a room. Figure out what looks best where...you will be amazed with the difference!

7. Paint furniture. If you have an old table that you are not thrilled with...paint it a different color! You will have a piece of furniture that looks completely different, and is customized for your home...without the custom price! You can paint any furniture...a desk, an end table, an armoire, a chair, etc. Just play around with it, and you will be surprised at what you will end up with.

There are many other ways to decorate you home on a budget, but these were just a few to get you started. Come up with different ideas, and leave a comment so that we can all gain some new ones. Happy thrifty decorating!