Living in a White Box: Dollar Store Decor

Are you a student who doesn't have much money for extras like decor? Or have you just started living on your own and would like to experiment with decorating? Or are you just a thrifty person? One of the issues renters face is how to decorate on a budget. With all the options out there it's easy to go overboard with spending, even at stores like IKEA or Target. This latest post in my Living in a White Box series will show you how you can decorate frugally yet beautifully with items that are only a $1 each.

When I first moved away from home, I didn’t have much money to spend on anything besides the necessities. Every piece of furniture I left with was given to me or was a hand-me-down. While I had some decor to use from when I lived with my parents, I still had a much bigger space to decorate in my new apartment.

This is when I really started taking advantage of all the goodies available at the Dollar Store. In fact, I still pop in there— this weekend I bought a few basic silver frames for a gallery wall I’m creating.

The key to decorating within a budget is that you usually trade the money you save for some DIY work. Thankfully, these dollar decorating ideas don’t require too much work, just a little bit of craftiness.

Check out these mirrored planters by Karen at The Art of Doing Stuff. These are super-easy to create yet are very chic.

Another glam piece of decor is this DIY tiered jewelry tray by Krista at The Happy Housie. Taking a little bit of time to use paint turns this project into a customized, decorative piece.

The power of paint also allowed Tabatha from Chic By Tab to transform some wall decor that wasn’t her style into something just right for her home. (This would be great for those gifts you receive that you just aren’t feeling!)

This DIY wax monogram art by Amy at Delineate Your Dwelling is an especially thrifty project, because you can buy all the items for a dollar each!

Thumbtacks are a great way to add a touch of glitz to a room. Check out how Virginia from Live Love DIY created this ampersand art with thumbtacks and a blank art canvas. (TIP: you can save money by buying an old canvas at a thrift store and painting over it.)

Paper doilies are a cheap way to turn something plain into a romantic, feminine piece. Tamara from Etcetorize had a super creative idea of gluing paper doilies to a plastic shower curtain. You could add many doilies to give more privacy.

Lemons are a lovely way to add color and happiness to a space. You can easily do this by creating a centerpiece like Kelley from Kelley Highway did with artificial lemons and a decoupaged bucket.

These moss-covered candle holders and vases from Meegan at What Meegan Makes are also perfect for infusing a natural vibe to a room.

$1 stores are known for selling loads of plain dishware. Pick up a few bowls to use for storage or decor and marbleize them with nail polish like Elisa from EnJOY It did.

Basic drinking glasses and wine glasses are also abundant at your local Dollar Store. Hop over to Juicing with Jennifer to see how she painted a tie-dye effect on her stemless wine glasses. Think outside the box and you can even use these decorative glasses as vases!

Do you love the thrifty decor as much as I do? Have you created any decor for your home from items at the Dollar Store? If so, feel free to link to it in your comment!

 

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