My living room curtains are fake, but you wouldn't know it at a glance. Hampered by a lack of money to buy curtains for five windows in sets of two and three, respectively, and disliking the look of the miniblinds alone that hung on them, I did the best I could with the limited fabric I had- I created curtains that will never close, but at least add a little character to the windows. I get a lot of compliments on them, actually. I tell people the curtains are the "illusion style".

It doesn't take a whole lot of money to decorate your home, and in fact, the more you utilize what you already have and like, the more personalized your decor will be. A good thing to remember is that redecorating doesn't necessarily mean changing everything- a few changes and a room will seem completely transformed.

Paint is a big part of most redecoration projects, but if you change the entire color scheme of a room, it can get expensive. Instead, use some simple texture techniques to liven it up. A sea sponge and a small can of paint can work wonders. If you're on a really tight budget, try a few bottles of acrylic paint from a craft store; in my opinion, it works just as well.
Choose a wall you want to add dimension to, or even half a wall by creating a boundary down the center horizontally. You can mark it off with a border after the paint dries, but be sure to measure it out first.

Then, choose a color. Make sure it doesn't clash with the base color of the wall, but choose a color or two that will pull from the rest of the room. I generally like a lighter color than the wall, which I sponge on sparingly, and then a color a little bit darker than the paint. It doesn't have to be the same color, either- beiges and greens work together well, as do reds and golden yellows. If you're not sure, consult the paint color displays at a local paint store.

It doesn't take much artistic talent to sponge a wall- just get a sea sponge and start dabbing until the wall has enough dimension to make you happy. A regular sponge will work in a pinch, if ripped into irregular shapes, but they do saturate quicker than the sea sponge and are a little more difficult to work with.

Another thing you can do is create a focal point. This can be a painting, a collection of objects, a vase- whatever you like. If you have one object you really want to accentuate, its not hard to find other objects to set it off. Colored bottles make great accents in kitchens. In my kitchen, my functional

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