Whether you’re looking to make your own pieces of decor, save a little money with your own clothing alterations, or simply want a creative hobby, sewing can be an excellent craft to get into. It doesn’t have to be all that difficult, either. Here, we’re going to look at the basic tools that you need to get started, and their purposes.

Source – CC0 License

A good machine

Choosing your first sewing machine can take a little forethought. You might not want to opt for the most expensive option straightaway, but the super-cheap ones might be fairly limited in what they can do for you, as well. There are guides that can help you choose based on price range, whether you want it to be portable, and how good they are for things like quilting and embroidering. Your first sewing machine is not likely to be your last one if you end up really getting into it.

Decent fabric scissors

A lot of people who first get into sewing will wrongly assume that any pair of scissors is going to do the trick. Not so. If you don’t get yourself a real pair of quality fabric scissors that have a super sharp edge, then you’re rarely going to be cutting straight. This is nearly as important as the machine.

The right workspace

You might initially start out on the kitchen table, but that’s going to be fairly limited, as you not only want the space to be able to sew your fabric, but you’re going to find that you need storage space for all the supplies and tools that you need to grab on a regular basis, which can make sewing cabinets a lot more reliable. In time, you might want to also look at setting up a cutting table and ironing table.

The supplies

There are a host of other supplies that you’re going to want to keep close at hand. This can include pins to help you keep your fabric in place, bobbins to keep you in a good supply of thread, measuring tape, spare sewing machine needles, and more. A good desktop sewing supply organizer can be vital for helping to keep it all together in one space, too. You want to make sure your most-used tools are visible and accessible.

The right lessons

Aside from all of the material goods, you’re going to want to know what, exactly, you’re supposed to be doing. Whether you look at one of the many craft blogs out there, or you opt for YouTube videos, there are all kinds of sewing tutorials that can teach you everything from how to operating a sewing machine to the more advanced techniques, so take your pick.

Sewing is a hobby that will give as much as you’re willing to put into it. If you’re willing to invest in an elaborate setup, you can do a lot more varied work with a sewing machine. That said, you probably should start small and make sure that you like it, first and foremost.

Photo by Sidekix Media on Unsplash

Your lounge is one of the most important rooms within your home. It’s often the primary social space, a place where you’ll come together as a family to binge-watch the latest Netflix movies, enjoy a cup of coffee in the morning, or even entertain your friends over some drinks. 

As such, it’s crucial that this space is as warm and welcoming as possible, which could mean it’s overdue a makeover! If budget-friendly decorating is your priority, you’ll be pleased to hear that there are many inexpensive ways in which you can decorate your lounge – and here are just four examples to get you started!

Upcycle your furniture.

It goes without saying that DIY Projects are a great way to save money, and one of the best ways to improve your living room through DIY is by upcycling your current furniture instead of buying something new. For example, if your coffee table is looking old and tired, you can refresh this fixture with a fresh coat of paint or varnish. This way, you’re rejuvenating the space without having to spend hundreds of dollars on new furniture. 

Create your own throws and pillows.

As mentioned above, it’s important that your lounge is a warm, welcoming, and cozy space – and the easiest way to achieve this goal is by decorating with an abundance of throws, blankets, and pillows. You can save money when it comes to sourcing these accessories by learning more about the art of quilting and creating your own! 

Of course, this will require you to buy some tools, such as fabric glue sticks and fabric, but this is much cheaper than buying quilts, throws, pillows, and more from a store. Furthermore, it also means that all of your items are entirely unique and designed to your own tastes! 

Shop Second Hand.

Shopping second-hand, such as by visiting thrift stores, or frequenting online selling platforms, such as Facebook Marketplace, is a relatively obvious way to ensure your redecorating endevors remain budget-friendly. Despite this, many people are reluctant to explore this option as they think that second-hand items will be of poor quality. However, this is often not the case – and provided you’re willing to put the effort in and search for them, you’ll likely find a great deal of hidden treasures within your local thrift store. Remember, if you come across some items that you love but need a bit of care, you can also upcycle this too! For example, a comfortable yet outdated sofa can easily be reupholstered so that it better matches your aesthetic! 

Create your own wall art.

Creating your own wall art can also help you save money when transforming your living room. Not only is this a cost-effective way to ensure you do not leave your walls bare and empty-looking, but it’s also a lot of fun! For example, you could buy a series of canvases and paints that match the style of your living room and have each family member paint their own canvas. 

Image credit

Depending on where you live, it might feel almost impossible to maintain a nice-looking home when you’re dead set on feeling comfortable. Take the winter, for instance, having thick and heavy curtains over the windows and doorways and layers upon layers of blankets on the couches and beds. 

Even how you dress at home may have an impact, too. There needs to be this balance between having a nice home and being comfortable, and that goes for the summer months, too. Honestly, it can feel almost like it’s impossible. But it can very much be possible to have a stylish-looking home all while keeping comfortable, even in the summer. Can you be budget-friendly while doing this? Absolutely! So, here’s everything that you need to know!

It All Starts with the Window Treatments

Windows are your first line of defense against the sun’s heat. Choose window treatments that strike a balance between style and functionality. There are some things you’ll need to keep in mind, so it’s not really a good idea to pick just any window treatment and just immediately assume it’s going to do the trick. So, you’re going to want to keep in mind that light-colored curtains might be the best option- especially when it comes to being stylish in the summer months. Light-colored curtains are made from breathable fabrics like cotton or linen. 

They’ll not only add an airy, sophisticated touch to your interiors but also filter sunlight without trapping heat. It doesn’t totally end there, either, though. They need to be energy efficient, too, and not every window treatment is energy efficient. As already mentioned, breathable fabrics are stylish; if that’s what you want to go for, then go ahead, but they’re not energy efficient compared to thick black-out curtains or honeycomb shades. 

You’re going to especially need this to keep out the heat, especially during the limbo period, while you’re looking for an AC repair technician during one of those super hot summer days. It’s honestly about finding the right balance, something that, for the most part, can feel a tad challenging. 

Embrace Light and Airy Decor

In the summertime (and spring, too), you’re going to want to embrace airy decor. It goes with that summer theme; it feels all light and bright. It’s all about having that light-neutral color palette like whites, beiges, and super soft pastels. Minimalism is super important, too, since this helps with creating and airiness. 

The less is more when it comes to this concept, and that’s super important for airiness. Plus, in the summer months, more things retain heat, like rugs, so removing those can help with creating a cooler space. Lastly, just some natural materials will help keep up with the light and airy decor, but it technically doesn’t help with keeping the house cool (just makes it look cool instead). 

Consider the Airflow

Whether you’re using windows, AC, or fans to keep the house cool, you’ll need to think about the airflow too, like your furniture placement and how well everything is expanding. You want the air to flow freely and comfortably throughout the space.  Like, if you have a couch and it’s parked next to the AC, then, of course, your home won’t cool off.  Nowadays, even ceiling fans are basically known for helping out too. 

CC0 Licensed Image Courtesy of Pexels

Budget-friendly decorating isn’t impossible. It can cost a lot to decorate, and even a small room will run into the thousands. So if you are stuck for funds, you may have to come up with some savvy solutions such as getting what you can for free or buying preloved stuff for your home.

Think Very Far Ahead

On average, we decorate every three to five years and renovate around once every fifteen years. But you can save a ton of money by thinking ahead of how you go about it. For example, a new kitchen floor could set you back quite a few dollars. So why buy one that only looks great for a few years and then needs replacing? Play the long game with durable (and sustainable) flooring options such as Spanish tiles, natural hardwood, and stone or polished concrete.

Source Free Materials for Budget-Friendly Decorating

You can get a lot for free when you really try. One of the easiest ways is to just ask. Many people actually have new stuff lying around that they haven’t even used and just want to get rid of it. This includes things like extra paint, wallpaper, and brushes from the last decorating job they did. This also reduced stuff going to waste and landfills. Other sources of free stuff include Facebook Groups, sites like Freecycle in the UK, and just asking when you are at a family party.

Improve Instead of Replace

It’s nice to have new things at home. But many things actually don’t need replacing when you look. For example, your kitchen cupboards are probably fine and have good bones. So why rip them out for new ones? Maybe replacing the doors and the handles or even painting them will help. You can also do this with other things, such as couches, chairs, and bedding. Maybe your stuff isn’t new but isn’t too old either, and new upholstery can give the furniture a lease of life.

Try Some Interior Design Tricks

Have you ever been wowed by a room’s makeover, even though not much has really changed? That’s because interior designers are great at what they do, and they are almost like magicians when it comes to decor. They use certain tricks to fool you, some of which are as follows:

• Replacing old and tired colors with brighter and neutral tones to emphasize space.
• Picking quality items to place in a room and removing anything useless to the space.
• Placing things at the correct heights, such as artwork, mirrors, and even curtains.
• Using lower furniture to make the walls and ceilings look higher than they really are.
• Bringing in home-friendly plants to add freshness and vibrance to a room.

The insight of modern interior design isn’t easy, and it helps to know one when decorating. However, these quick tricks can enhance your room when decorating if you get them right.

Add Quick and Easy Fittings

Adding new fittings to a room can bring it back to life. Some can be purely decorative, such as moldings, and some offer new features. For example, you can revitalize your next bathroom decor project with some recessed lighting. This will bring your bathroom into the 21st century while giving you that luxury spa or hotel feel. You can also renew an office or living room with a simple and cheap but very effective feature wall, best placed around a fireplace for impact.

Buy Preloved Stuff for Budget-Friendly Decorating

Too much stuff just gets thrown away when most can be reused. There’s always someone you know getting rid of something, whether it’s a couch, TV unit, or a simple office chair. The point is there is no reason for most stuff to be tossed when you can use them. Of course, some repairs or a good cleaning might be needed. But there is life left in most things. You can visit charity stores in your local area and buy some cheap stuff there while also helping out a good cause.

How About Just Moving Stuff Around?

Interior design tricks are mentioned above. But one that is missed is that many designers simply move stuff around to make better use of the available space. The incorrect placement of furniture and fittings can really impose on a room. So before you even think of decorating, see what you can do by rearranging stuff. Empty the room of all clutter and items, and play with different variations of where your main furniture is placed. The results might surprise you.

Summary

You can think ahead and use sustainable materials for a budget-friendly decorating project. There are also some designer tricks you can use, such as rearranging the room’s furniture.

Pexels. CCO Licensed.

There are many parts of your home that could have money-making potential. A spare bedroom could be rented out to a lodger, while an empty area of your backyard could be used to grow vegetables to sell. You may have already considered these parts of your home, but one part of your home you probably hadn’t considered was your roof. Many of us never go up on our roof, but this unused space has a lot of potential. Below are just 3 examples of ways in which you can make money from your roof.

Provide solar power to your community

Many people install solar panels on their roof in order to enjoy a free source of energy for themselves. However, such solar panels don’t just have to be for personal use. Community solar projects have become very common in heavily developed urban areas – they consist of installing solar panels on a single property and sharing the power with neighbours who may not have access to a roof. Everyone who wants to get involved can chip in to help fund installation of the solar panels. Alternatively, you can charge energy fees for people to use your solar panels – which could be at a much cheaper rate than grid energy. You can read more into community solar customer acquisition here. 

Grow crops on a rooftop garden

If you have a flat roof, it may be possible to turn this into a rooftop garden. This could be used as somewhere to relax, or you could potentially turn it into a vegetable patch to grow some produce. Rooftop farming in cities is thought to become very popular in the future and is already starting to gain traction. It is quite expensive to build a rooftop garden – especially one with safe access. Crops can be grown in raised beds or in a greenhouse to reduce conversion costs. The larger the roof, the more produce you can potentially grow. You can check out this post to see some spectacular rooftop farms.

Rent your roof out as advertising space

If you’ve got a home located on a busy street, you may be able to take advantage of this by setting up advertising space for a billboard. Such billboards are more commonly found on the side of homes, but can also be added to rooftops. You get to choose which advertisers are allowed to rent out your advertising space.Just be wary that billboards may not be allowed in some areas due to restrictions regarding protrusions from roofs. In other areas, billboards may be allowed, but may have to be placed in certain locations on the roof and  may have to be a certain size. There are other inventive ways in which companies have used roofs of homes for advertising space that are less protrusive than a billboard that could also be worth looking into – check out this example of rooftop Coors ads that also double up as cooling features. 

https://unsplash.com/photos/1_yycyoMT6g

When your garden isn’t really looking as great as it could be, you may find that you don’t always want to be in it. Yet, any outside space really will have so much potential. It’s just about getting to work and seeing what you can do with the space. But in order to do that, you need to know where to start. So if you’ve found that you really want to be using your garden more, you can. In this blog post, we’re going to take a look at what you need to do to get it into shape.

Give it a Tidy Up

To start with, you’re going to want to make sure that you go around and give it a tidy-up. If you have things everywhere and you find that everything is overgrown, it’s going to always look messy. So, instead, by getting out there and looking to tidy it all up and getting into shape. If you’ve left it for so long that it’s all full of weeds and branches and all needs a tidy up, doing this will make a huge difference – even if it takes the most work.

Treat Your Lawn

From here, you’re then going to want to tackle the lawn. If you know that your lawn is looking quite sparse, then this is the next thing to work on. You may find that it really helps for you to invest in lawn care services in order for it to really come to life. But at the same time, you can take this on yourself. By nurturing your lawn correctly, it should start to take shape and really look beautiful.

Create a Dining Space

At this point, if you don’t already have an outdoor dining space, then you’re going to want to think about creating one. Having a really pretty space to sit and enjoy your garden, have your morning coffee, and even have a few drinks can be great. It will make all of the hard work that you’ve put into the space feel completely worth it.

Plant Something Pretty

At the same time, you’re going to want to take a look at what you’re planting in the space too. If you ripped out a ton of stuff during the clearout, then you’ll want to think about replacing it with something new. After all, having some pretty plants and flowers can really bring the space alive too.

Stay on Top of it

Ultimately, you’re going to want to stay on top of it in order for your garden to start looking the part too. If you find that you are not able to maintain it regularly, then it’s going to show. You’ll need to make sure that you’re mowing the lawn and trimming plants and bushes regularly in the growing season in order for them to look great. Plus, in doing so, you’ll find that your outside space becomes much more manageable all year round.