How To Redo Your Room…Cheaply.

By Brie Roche-Lilliott, staff writer

It\’s common knowledge that most of us get bored easily. Our style, haircut, or cell phone: after a few months, we always desire something new: a change. Our room is one of these facets we constantly look to change in our lives.

No matter how frequently we rearrange, paint, refurnish, it\’s never exactly right.  Well, there are ways to remake your room as frequently as you want without spending a fortune. And no, it\’s not Walmart.

The way to change your room effectively is in the small, seemingly insignificant, details. Pillows, rugs, and curtains all contribute more than the large furniture. So, why not get creative with those instead?

How about our light switches? They are so small that they\’re usually ignored, but some fabric and glue can go a long way in a few short steps:

• Remove the cover from your wall, or you can purchase a new one from the hardware store for about a quarter.
• Then find some extra fabric or cut up an old shirt and measure it just about half an inch bigger than the cover.  Using white glue, rubber cement, or hot glue, simply put a few drops on the front and sides of the cover and lay the fabric on top.
• Once it dries, carefully cut out the center of the switch and push the screws back through the holes.
• And voila! An original wall cover all in twenty minutes and less than a dollar.

Another simple way to redress your room is through the use of furniture collages. Lampshades and picture frames are great mediums for collages. All you need to do is grab a stack of old magazines, colored paper, or photos and some glue (glue stick or rubber cement work best.)  After choosing a stack of images or pages you\’d like to use, cut them out in nice shapes like strips, triangles, or hexagons. It won\’t even cost you a cent!

If you have any experience with sewing, you could also make pillows and pillow cases quickly and easily. To make a pillow, all you need is fabric and a bag of pillow stuffing, which you can find at any craft store. Depending on the size of your pillow, take two identical sizes of fabric and sew three sides together. Stuff it with as much filling as you wish, and then sew the final side shut.

You can decorate pillowcases or pillows in a variety of ways. Make a picture by cutting out animals, flowers, people, etc. out of felt or other material and gluing or sewing it onto the case.

You can also make patterns by taking a thick yarn and sewing a zigzag, spiral, or wavy patterns into it. Experiment with colors, patterns, and fabrics to get a one-of-a-kind pillowcase! If you plan to make a few, you can alternate them as you wish without buying anything more than fabric swatches.

These are only a few of the many ways you can spice things up in your room. Use them as a platform for your own ideas! With a few dollars and some creativity, you can alter almost anything to satisfy your liking. You can even look online, in movies, or in magazines to inspire your design.

The only downside? You can\’t use boredom as an excuse any longer.