Font Size:

It’s “spring-cleaning” time and a new season means a restless woman looking to make-over the household. I consulted my Real Simple magazine and a few personal favorite traditions for making each space in my home look and feel renewed.

The best part, these solutions are all under $5, most of them are already in your house! Check out these ideas and then post your own tips and tricks below!

1)      Turn a quilt into a headboard

Grab an old quilt (that you won’t use in the summer months) or a large piece of fabric that may be kicking around the craft room and either drape it over your existing headboard for a refreshed look or tack it to the wall behind your bed for a artsy headboard

2)      Stick a plant inside a non-working fireplace

You probably won’t be turning on your fireplace for several months, so use the space wisely and creatively by placing a large plant inside

3)      Repurpose bracelets as napkin rings

Most of us women have old colorful “must-have” bangles that are just sitting on our jewelry trays, go through your stash and decide what you will and won’t wear. Then, use those sturdy bangles as napkin rings to update your dinner table

4)      Dress-up a dresser with colored ribbons

Want a simple way to make your dresser or closet doors more fun? Add ribbons to the handles! It’s fast, easy way to bring more color into the room and give old furniture new life

5)      Paint the legs of an old chair

Even just changing the paint on a piece of furniture can give it new life. Old wood is beautiful and many people, like me, don’t want to loose that sense of time and age, but you can easily paint just the legs to give it a new fun look (without worrying about sitting in wet paint!)

6)      Use a fun colored or patterned sheet set as furniture covers

I have a beautiful old leather couch, but sometimes, it needs a makeover, so I simply take one of my decorative sheet sets and use them as a cover. Tucking the ends into the cushions and around the arms and Presto! a brand new cover, that’s easily washable!

7)      Cover old boxes with wrapping papers for storage

Without question you’ve got shoe boxes or mailing boxes just sitting in a storage closet somewhere in your house. Before you throw them away, grab a few good ones and cover them with wrapping paper (or old fabric) and use them as file, bill, letter, photo, or memory boxes to help organize your life!

8)      Hang photos and kids’ artwork on the wall

No longer do frames need to match to look good nor does your kids’ art have to be in a frame at all! Make a hodgepodge of frames and artwork on a bare wall to spice up the area and make more room on the fridge!

9)      Plant herbs and flowers in old vases (use pebbles for drainage).

It’s plating season! Why not use some of the odd vases for flowers and herbs? Just remember to add some pebbles at the bottom for drainage. If you don’t like the soil look, wrap the vases in cardstock, tissue or wrapping papers and secure with a nice twine or ribbon

10)  Organize toiletries in mismatched dishware

Have you broken a few plates lately? Have more coffee mugs than you know what to do with? Move them into the bathroom and use them to organize toothbrushes, Q-tips, cotton balls, makeup or hair accessories. It’ll keep the clutter off the counter and give your bathroom a new, fun look.

  Post your ideas below!