Keep Your $$ and Let’s Do A DIY Living Room

It really doesn’t matter whether you have lived in your house for a week, six months, or a lifetime.  There are areas of our house that need help and sometimes we simply need to save a few bucks to get what we want.  After the Christmas decorations came down and the realization that we were moving soon hit, I needed a few things to spruce up the living room for a few months until our departure from Copenhagen.

 So, I decided to do a DIY Living Room.

Of course, most people don’t want their place to look like they DIY’ed it, so I really needed some ideas that would help me fly under the DIY radar and get the most bang for my no-bucks.  The first thing I did was hang up some photography I already had sitting in a mailing tube.

First, I used gold clips to “pin up” my winter photos.

This idea is fun because you can change out the artwork later.  Clearly I have a thing for a lack of permanence.  Maybe you do too?  Second, I used washi tape to tape a different architectural shot I had left sitting in that same mailing tube.  I was in a rush and this got the job done fast!

I just taped it right over the matting and didn’t worry about expensive framing.

Third, I used stacks of magazines to make a power statement.

I already owned them, so this was free.  No expensive bookshelves were needed!

Finally, I snagged the lighting I already had in the kitchen to finish the branch that had been waiting for attention since Christmas.  I’m all about free when it comes to decorating.  There’s a good chance that you could use all four of these tips if you search your own home today!

What other tips would you add to the DIY Living Room?