Something for nothing?

Thank you all for your fabulous response to my dining room make-over.  I'm so glad you like it as much as I do.  But now, it's a new month, which means it's a time for a new PCH theme.

My idea for May was to bring spring into our homes as the weather had been doing precious little to make it feel like spring around here.   In my post I showed you my crochet flower and since then I've made some Petal Coasters and my flowery Dresden's for Dinner.  I hope you found a way to make your home feel a little more spring-like too.

Due to all the decorating I got up to in May, some planned and already paid for, some unplanned and un-budgeted for, I'm looking to get back on track this month by looking for some free or virtually free ways to spruce up the home.

So how do we get something for nothing?

Don't throw it way

Re-purposing is a great way to get fabric and sometimes even yarn for nothing: 

• Keep old clothes, bedsheets and curtains for fabric.  
• Old jumpers and cardigans can sometimes yield a 'new' batch of yarn.  
• Old clothes can also be a good source of buttons and pretty trims.  
• Unwanted jewellery can be broken up for beads.  
• Cardboard boxes and shoe boxes can be turned into great storage.  
• Left-over wallpaper can be used to cover boxes, folders and books.  
• Left-over paint is an easy way to spruce up picture frames, shelves, furniture and all manner of things.

It's who you know

Friends and family can be another way to get hold of useful, used things.  Maybe you don't feel right asking for their 'rubbish' but once people know you can and do make use of these things they are often only too pleased to offer them to you.  We all hate to throw things away so you can ease someone else's conscience by assuring them it'll be put to good use.  My family rarely throw any clothes, curtains or bedlinen away without asking if I want it first.  Bless them!

And if we can't get it for nothing, let's get it for next to nothing...

Charity case

Charity shops and thrift stores are a great place to grab a bargain.  You need to check them fairly regularly and not expect a bargain every time.  But you can get some gems.  They're a great source of old clothes, bedlinen and sometimes curtains or small pieces of furniture.  Car boot sales are well worth a browse too, especially if you get there early.

Save it for the sale

If all else fails and the only place to get what you what is from a shop, then wait for the sale or keep the remnants bin.  It's a great way to get an otherwise expensive treat at a good price.  Laura Ashley in particular has great sale discounts, and it's a good time to get your Cath Kidston fix too.

There's lots of way to use all the reclaimed fabric, buttons, trims, old paint and goodness knows what that you collect.  Here's some things I've done:

• My sewing machine cover was mostly made from Little Miss's old clothes.  
• I used old emulsion on my foot stool and tables. 
• An old dress became an apron.
• I white washed my bathroom picture frame with left-over paint.
• My thrify curtains were made from old bedsheets
• I used old shirt buttons to make a decorative little heart.
• Beads from an old belt became weights at the ends of my raining hearts.

Something I do very often though, is cover up plain, boring old boxes with pretty and colourful wallpaper.  I do it with Ikea boxes, all kinds of storage and cardboard boxes.  I even use old wrapping paper and shoe boxes.  I didn't realise it until I started writing this post, but I'm kind of obsessed with it.

That's what I'm planning to do in June too.  I'm going to use the left-over wallpaper from the dining room to cover the boxes in my craft room.  Although red is a fabulous colour, it's a little bright in this room and anyway, I just can't get enough of that wallpaper.

It'll be another tick on my Hit List if I get it done.

Why don't you see if you can craft something pretty for your home for free this month too?

Share photos of your free or thrify makes, or just share your next to nothing crafting tips with me at the PCH Flickr group.



:: ♥ Crafting for free in June ♥ ::




S x