Adventures of the Cheapskate Mom

I've come to the conclusion that it is a life-long quest to inject personality into your home's decor.

Luckily, I have multiple personalities. So each room can be a bit different.

I've spent the past few weeks adding a few budget-friendly touches to the house. And since my creativity has been sapped by post-preschool art projects (leaving my brain with nothing interesting to write about), I thought I'd share a few of them.

Vintage Frame Chalk Board:

Thanks, mom, for pulling this frame out of your basement! Love it! I think I hung it in two different rooms before I decided what to do with it. One can of chalk board spraypaint and a $2 piece of plywood later, and we have a kitchen chalkboard. Now, if I only I can figure out what to write on it.

Colorful Bath:

I decided that the boys needed some fun colors in their bathroom. The towels were all $4 at Wal-Mart. I took down the silver towel rack because, let's face it, no 2 or 4 year old is going to hang their towel back up neatly on a rack. It was replaced by two bright red towel hooks. They were $15.99 at Hobby Lobby...and of course, 50% off...making them a grand total of - you guessed it - $15.99. They also match the boys' step stools from Target. And speaking of Target, I bought the white frames above the towels from their dollar section a couple years ago and created some art on the computer to match the bathroom decor. They are not high quality...but they do the trick for now. Plus, they are just darn fun! (Honestly, these frames are not crooked...but they sure do look like it in this picture)

$30 Art Gallery:

I picked up these nice, huge matted frames at Wal-Mart for $11 a piece. They are hanging in the upstairs hallway outside of the boys' rooms. I added a few of the big guy's latest masterpieces and voila! Instant art gallery. He loves showing off his art, and we can change them out as often as we like.
 
Super Hero Costume:
Ok, I know, this isn't decor. But you've gotta' give it to the kid. He wanted to be a super hero. And he created a DIY mask and crown. (yes, super heroes wear crowns now)

They even eat in them.

Next Project:

The boys will be sharing a room (hopefully) starting next year. I've already started gathering up great deals when I see them, including a cool find from an antique store that I plan to fix up and put above their window.

Ok, so maybe none of this stuff is worthy to grace the pages of Better Homes & Gardens. But good or bad, it has personality. My family's personality. And I don't think that you can ask for more than that!