{"id":10,"date":"2011-01-05T07:33:51","date_gmt":"2011-01-05T14:33:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/?p=10"},"modified":"2011-03-01T10:11:39","modified_gmt":"2011-03-01T17:11:39","slug":"11-under-11-in-2011","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/?p=10","title":{"rendered":"11 Under $11 in 2011"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Welcome!<\/p>\n

Well, your tree is down,\u00a0 the gifts are stowed away, and everything is back in its proper place.\u00a0 But things are looking a little dingy.\u00a0 Right?\u00a0 The problem is that your bank account is suffering from too much holiday shopping, and you just can’t spiff up your house the way you would like.\u00a0 Not this month, at least.<\/p>\n

Don’t worry.\u00a0 I have come up with a list of 11 easy, cheap, and fast fix-ups you can do that are subtle but will add add some brightness in this usually dark and gray month.<\/p>\n

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1.\u00a0 Buy some distilled vinegar and mix it with equals parts of water.\u00a0 Vinegar is one of my favorite cleaning ingredients.\u00a0 Now, use\u00a0the concoction to wipe down all of\u00a0your mirrors, picture glass, light bulbs and glass do-dads.\u00a0 Instant sparkle for just a few cents!\u00a0 Jordan hates the smell of my vinegar solution, but unlike the sprays you can buy, vinegar and water don’t leave streaks.<\/p>\n

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2.\u00a0 Buy one or two new guest towels for your powder room.\u00a0 Try a bold color that you wouldn’t normally use to add that impact you are looking for.\u00a0 Better yet.\u00a0 Buy some embroidery supplies and stitch your own monogram on them.\u00a0 I did this, and it took just one evening of television watching to complete it.<\/p>\n

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3.\u00a0 Buy some fresh taper candles.\u00a0 if you have tapers\u00a0placed around your home, chances are they have faded from the sunlight.\u00a0 Here, too, you can add a punch by adding a color you might not ordinarily use.\u00a0 Be sure to light them just long enough to make the wick looked used.\u00a0 That is a tip a decorator friend taught me.<\/p>\n

4.\u00a0 This one is so easy.\u00a0 If you display photos around your home, switch out the photos for more current shots.\u00a0 Better yet – color code the clothes your subjects are wearing to the colors in your room.\u00a0 This can be done for free and is great for the OCD in all of us.<\/p>\n

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5.\u00a0 Buy a flowering plant or two.\u00a0\u00a0In January\u00a0many supermarkets sell plants like primroses at the bargain price of two for $10.00 or less.\u00a0 They come in vibrant colors and can be placed in a cute cup or bowl to match your decor.<\/p>\n

6.\u00a0 I have always thought of silver as \u00a0jewelry for a room.\u00a0 If you have some heirloom pieces or wedding gifts that are always stored away, get out a few pieces, shine them up, and place them around your home.\u00a0 It is another easy and free way to add instant sparkle.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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7.\u00a0 Stores that already have great prices are putting their current stock on sale to make room for spring merchandise.\u00a0 They are sure to have some cute pillows that you could buy on the cheap to toss on a chair or sofa.\u00a0 Another way to add a new look to your sofa is to toss a throw on it that you have stored away.<\/p>\n

8.\u00a0 I am going out on a limb with this one, but it is actually something that I experimented with and had great success.\u00a0 A few years ago I wanted to change the matting in one of my framed prints.\u00a0 The store that normally does our framing couldn’t complete the project by the time I needed it.\u00a0 On the way home from that shop, I stopped and bought a can of spray paint in the color I wanted for the new matting.\u00a0 I gently deconstructed the art work, spray painted the matting, and put it all back together.\u00a0 Bam!!!\u00a0 The results were so good that I have spray painted several others since then.<\/p>\n

9.\u00a0 Here is another freebie.\u00a0 Move your lamps.\u00a0 That’s it.\u00a0 Maybe the lamp you are using in your bedroom would work in your entry or in your living room.\u00a0 Have some fun with this one.\u00a0 Hey, it’s free.\u00a0 Something that is a pet peeve of mine is\u00a0when both\u00a0soft light bulbs and daylight light bulbs are glowing in the same room.\u00a0 (Actually, in the entire house)\u00a0 I suggest you use either one shade or the other throughout your home.\u00a0 And you know that spray paint you have sitting in the basement.\u00a0 Use the leftovers to spray paint a lampshade.<\/p>\n

10.\u00a0 Organize.\u00a0 What better time of the year than now to get your things in order.\u00a0 Buy some baskets for your incoming\/outgoing mail, go paperless with your banks and credit card companies, and buy some baskets for your family’s hats, gloves, and scarves.\u00a0 Hang some hooks for those coats that don’t always make it to the closet.<\/p>\n

11.\u00a0 This last tip is my favorite, and my husband can back me up on this one.\u00a0 Rearrange your furniture.\u00a0 This has the biggest impact of all and is FREE!\u00a0 Move your furniture to a new placement in a room or change up furniture from one room to the other.<\/p>\n

I hope you have enjoyed my suggestions and will put\u00a0 them to use.\u00a0 What is an easy and inexpensive thing you do at your home to spiff things up?\u00a0 Tell us in the comment form below.\u00a0 We will be having some contests in the near future, and commentors, followers, and subscribers will all be eligible.<\/p>\n

Come back soon to read how Jordan (Spring) has organized her electrical cords.<\/p>\n

Till then.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Heinz vinegar did not pay us to show their product and all other images are from google images.<\/em><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Welcome! Well, your tree is down,\u00a0 the gifts are stowed away, and everything is back in its proper place.\u00a0 But things are looking a little dingy.\u00a0 Right?\u00a0 The problem is that your bank account is suffering from too much holiday shopping, and you just can’t spiff up your house the way you would like.\u00a0 Not […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=10"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":98,"href":"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10\/revisions\/98"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=10"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=10"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=10"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}