Dear June

Photo by mazaletel

Dear June, My husband and I are on a fixed income. We made this decision so that I could stay home with the kids. I'm not crafty but want a cute home. Where do you get your inspiration?

Dear Frugal,

I commend your desire to make your home a warm and personal environment. It is, after all, the backdrop of your children's childhood.

As a huge fan of the DIY (do it yourself) community, I have a cache of bookmarked blogs and websites I frequent for inspiration and tutorials. Once you're on these sites, check out their favorite blogs and websites. It can be time-consuming, but it's a good way to find what you like. And many people provide free tutorials for their great ideas. Here are a few that might provide you with the ideas you're looking for:

designspongeonline.com
allthingsthrifty.com
etsy.com
vintagerevivals.blogspot.com
thepleatedpoppy.com

If I could recommend a plan of attack, I'd say to figure out what you like.

1. Start bookmarking your online finds. (Try pinterest.com to keep it all in one place. I promise, I get no kickbacks from pinterest!).
2. Request free Pottery Barn Home and Pottery Barn Kids catalogs. These two publications have great ideas than can be personalized and reproduced.
3. Scour thrift stores; they house many items that are begging for repurposing.
4. Check craigslist for inexpensive look-alikes and fix-me-ups.

From my home to yours,