It made me smile...

I recently found myself on the blog of fab.com and I noticed their slogan:

Smile. You're designed to.

Thursday's Thoughts: Design project spending patterns

The spending habits of our clients have changed recently.  While spending freely on decor and questioning the costs related to construction had been the way things were, there is now a noticeable swing in the opposite direction.  People are understanding the importance of the "invisible stuff" (i.e.: electrical, insulation, etc...) and are looking for ways to make their spaces "look like a million dollars" for a fraction of that cost after the big stuff is done.

The best way to save on decor, and many of my clients are doing this, is to involve yourself in some DIY projects.  Whether you are all thumbs, don't have a creative bone in your body, or just think you don't know how to make things, there are projects you can tackle that will cost you only 10% of what you would pay for a similar item in a store. The tricks to a successful DIY project?

• Choose your projects carefully. Consider your experience & the complexity, your comfort level with the tools required, the amount of time required & the amount of time you have...
• Read all tutorials, instructions, and materials lists before you begin.
• Be organized and have everything on hand before you start.
• Don't try improvising when you really shouldn't. If the instructions call for carpenter's glue, you should not have a Crayola glue stick in your hand.

In the upcoming weeks I will be writing about some easy, inexpensive, no-special-skills-required, do-it-yourself decor projects that will save you money, make you proud, and motivate you for your next projects!