Favorite Stores for Easy Decorating Ideas {Day 30}

I’m about to let you in on my best kept secret: my favorite sources for practically instant home décor items and ideas. Now I’ll admit I’m not afraid to spend a little bit more on something I LOVE, but I’m a frugal gal at heart so most of these places have great prices and are outstanding sources for inexpensive home decor.  Here you go, my TOP TEN places to find easy decorating ideas on a dime:

1.  HomeGoods

The gold standard of quick and beautiful décor is, of course, HomeGoods.  I’m there every other week or so.  The trick to shopping here is to buy it when you see it, otherwise it will be gone when you return.  I still regret not getting a painting I spotted there a few years ago because I was being a snob and didn’t want to buy art at HomeGoods.  My loss.  I think of that painting often and kick myself for not buying it!  This is a great source for anything from dishware to rugs to small furniture to baskets to sheets.  Basically, everything.  Here’s a few HomeGoods favorites in my home:

Live Wood Edge Bowl/Tray

Snakeskin Tray

Dining Room Chairs

Large basket in my basket wall (it was $14!)

Dining Room Rug

Plus the baskets for Wall Mounted Towel Storage, the striped basket for a Kid-Proofed Indoor Plant, and this post-Haven HomeGoods haul (what can I say, I was inspired…)

2. TJ Maxx and Marshalls

These two stores are in the HomeGoods family (literally), so if you get the credit card there you can earn points at all three stores and get $10 back for every 1,000 points you earn.  Ahem.  😉  I found these Diane Von Furstenburg sheets at TJs for $15 and turned them into curtains!

It’s more of a treasure hunt at these two stores than at their sister HomeGoods, but there’s always something there to catch your eye.

 3.  Tuesday Morning

You can find the good, the bag, and the ugly at Tuesday Morning.  The key is to find a good store, because individually they range in quality.  I don’t buy a lot there, but Tuesday Morning is a good source for small furniture, décor accents, garden stools, papergoods (wrapping paper and napkins) and linens.  There’s one next to my gym so I go in every few weeks and take a stroll.  I found this lovely metal lantern thingy (that’s the technical term) and use it to display shells and rocks (“J-C, Marie, they’re MINERALS!”– name that t.v. show…)

4.  Kohls

How on earth does Kohls actually make money? The deals are outrageous!  So, there’s some low-end decor here but you can find a few gems if you know where to look.  Plus they have AMAZING deals when you stack coupons with sales and Kohls cash.  I shop at Kohls for sheet sets, throw pillows (in the bedding department, MUCH more stylish there), small furniture, frames, and poufs/floor pillows.  A great place to get candles and towels too—for a deeply discounted price if you shop smart.  Plus, check out my 50+ ways to save thousands of dollars on home and family post for my secret to getting the coveted 30% off coupon.  Here’s a recent find that I DIDN’T buy:

… and towels that I DID.

5.  Michaels Craft Store and JoAnn Fabric

Most of my DIY supplies come from these stores.  They are great for craft paint, wooden dowels and tags, scrapbook paper, wire, baskets, and décor items to redo.  I also like using the alphabet stickers for vinyl letters on labels, such as my DIY wooden drink tags.

I mean, a little craft paint goes a long way:

Obviously JoAnn is great for fabric, but they have craft supplies as well.  Be sure to check out their burlap section, and ALWAYS use a coupon!

 

6.  Thrift Stores, Flea Markets & Yard Sales

Most of my décor items came from a thrift / vintage store , flea market, or yard sale.  Sad but true.  The trick is to go often, browse each section, and think outside the box when it comes to repurposing them.  Here are a few of my absolute most beloved furniture, household items, and home décor that started life on the shelf of a thrift store or yard sale, like this recent haul that cost $11 total including the white sweater for a craft project underneath:

Greek Key -ish Gold Console table

 

Brass Pig ($8)

Drink cart ($3)

Embroidery Hoop Wall Art ($2 for all hoops, I created the art inside with fabric)

Ceramic Umbrella Holder (now wrapping paper holder) $7

Owl ($2 or $3, can’t remember)

ReStore Chandelier ($25)

Two of the Mirrors in my Mirror Wall— the gold one and the white one ($10 total):

Plus the white wall shelf in my bathroom, his and hers wine decanter set, and the painted chowder pot to remind me of home.

7.  One Kings Lane {use this affiliate link and get a $15 credit if you sign up!}

Flash sales put all the best home décor items at your fingertips.  Plus, when you sign up at One Kings Lane you get a $15 credit towards your next purchase!  Even if you don’t have the funds to buy right now, these sites are an amazing way to browse high-end items so you can buy them for a low-end price.  That’s where a ton of my DIY inspiration comes from, simply by following the browse high end, buy low price philosophy.  It’s a great place to scope out trends and I’m CRAZY for their inexpensive outdoor rugs that go on sale every few weeks that you can USE INDOORS.

Here’s two of my favorite finds, a rattan ottoman and totally random yet awesome marble mortar and pestle:

8. Grocery Stores

Okay, this one is a stretch but I had to add it because that’s where I bought the turquoise vases in my jewelry organizing display.  They were about $3 each!  Plus, adding a bowl of fresh lemons or a 6-pack of Pellegrino instantly classes up your kitchen and home.  Not that you NEEDED classing up.  You know what I mean.  😉

9. IKEA

I know.  DUH.  It’s hard to venture through IKEA and not come out with a million items and ideas.  They have great inexpensive furniture, lighting, and tableware.  The kids decor items are amazing.  And the prices are great!  I love to find placemats, glassware for adding my own touches, fabric, and planters.  While my tastes have changed from my post-college “buy everything at IKEA!” style, there’s still great home items to be found all over that place… like these black and white pillow covers that I’m totally rocking in my home for a few dollars.

10.  West Elm

If I could move into a West Elm store, I would.  That place is the perfect mix if neutrals, texture, pops of perfect color, natural items, and just the right bit of quirk.  My friend Jessica from Decor Adventures recently visited Philly and we snapped pics and dreamed of how we could DIY everything there.  Of course, the prices are actually not outrageous so it’s definitely an affordable source for trendy home decor for modern families.

 

 

Here are some West Elm favorites in my own home:

West Elm even has an outlet in Lancaster where I spotted the motherload of Making Lemonade dreams: hexagon marble end tables!  HOLD ME!

As you can see from my Instagram feed, I tend to go shopping A LOT.  Usually it’s to keep my son occupied while his sister is at school.  While I might be in stores all the time, the trick is I only buy something if I LOVE it.  However, I always snap pics of my favorite finds (all the shopping thrill, NONE of the guilt!) so follow me on Instagram and be my virtual shopping buddy.  Gosh knows I need a shopping buddy besides my 3-year-old, all he likes are trains and also nutcrackers.  While you’re at it, check out the thrifting holy grail I found yesterday– a mirrored fretwork buffet at a thrift store.  I haven’t bought it yet… this could be the one that gets away.

EDITED TO ADD: I totally bought that buffet, and I think it’s hands-down my favorite thrift store score ever. I’ll share a post at some point, but until then you’ll catch it on Instagram quite a bit. 🙂

I should probably include Target as a source, but I’m almost never there anymore so I don’t know what’s new.  Anyone have some fun Target finds to share?

Pssst: Find more AMAZING tips and secrets for saving money on everything for your home in this roundup of 50+ tricks for saving tons of money!  See how to get the elusive 30% off at Kohl’s coupon over there, too.  😉

WHEW.  That was a monster post, but I wanted to spill my favorite sources for easy decorating ideas before the 31 Days series was over.  Where are your favorite places to score great deals?

Favorite Sources for Easy Decorating Ideas is Day 30 in the 31 Days of Easy 15 Minute Decorating Ideas series.  Subscribe in the header to get each quick decorating idea delivered to your inbox daily, and find of the rest of the 15 minute decorating ideas series here.