regent sideboard

We're all looking for ways to save a bit of cash these days, and the trend for all things home-made from Cards to cushions, has given us not only a feel-good factor (that card would have cost me £2.50), but also lets lose our creative inhibitions.

So go for it - have fun sourcing crazy buttons, buy a cheap hat and jazz it up. Or take a course in beading and make everyone necklaces and bracelets for Christmas. Extend your creativity to your furniture and move things around. Don't be afraid to completely re-plan your space according to how you best use it. If you have a large open plan area at the back of the house and a smaller dining room at the front which nobody ever really uses, why not change this into a cost lounge space to retreat to in the evenings, or a cinema room? Accessorize each individual area in a room - from a shelf, to a fireplace, dressing on sofas etc. You will be amazed how different a room can look when you toss a string of pearls over a dressing table mirror, add a few antique books to a dressing table and a put some dried roses into a glass bottle that you've up cycled.

Enjoy your home, the more you individualise it the more it will be a true statement of you.