Inexpensive ways to make you love your home...

I love decorating my home. If I had an endless supply of money, I would redecorate my rooms every month! Evidence of this can be seen by reflecting on my childhood love of rearranging the layout of the furniture in my bedroom every so often. I was always confused when I woke up the next morning though and my bed was in a different place than the night before!

Since I have yet to find a tree that grows money instead of leaves, here are a few tips on how to decorate your home inexpensively:

• Light it up: Buy some cute, little decorator lamps. Lamps add such a great ambiance to your home. Then, make it a habit to turn those on and all of the main lights off in the evening when you are ready to relax. It also adds brightness and cheerfulness to your home when you are having guests over... even during the day! Target usually has some cute ones with fun, beaded shades (around $10). I've also found some very cute and inexpensive lamps at Ikea ($15ish). Put them in your living room, kitchen, office, even bathrooms!
• Set the mood: Make your patio a more inviting place to sit in the evening when it's a little cooler by adding a strand (or two or three) of string lights. Target has some on sale right now for $7.99 in a ton of really fun styles. I bought two strands and using some screw hooks, and my very helpful husband, we now have a nice line of patio lights across our back porch. I've turned them on every night since we've had them and they just call to me to come sit outside and enjoy their glow. Below is a picture of the lights I got... cute little boxes. Now don't expect them to provide a ton of light. It's all about setting the mood...
• Buy in multiples: When buying picture frames, figurines, candle holders, baskets, etc., you don't need to buy really expensive varieties in order to make your room look nice. For example, by purchasing coordinating or matching frames, you can create a great wall layout of pictures or a cute desk display. Walmart has some very inexpensive picture frames ($5-$7 each). When you buy 3 or 4 of those and display them together, you create a put-together look that stands out and creates an eye-catching exhibit. And you don't have to spend a fortune!

I hope these ideas help you spruce up your living space. With the amount of time we spend in our homes, any little thing you can do to make it more cozy can add happiness to your life daily!