Sundays are the perfect day to go flea market shopping! I've been to my share of great flea markets in So. California as well as Paris. For inspiration on how to "display" your flea market finds, here are my top 5 favorite decorating books that has an emphasis on flea market style. Not only is it more frugal but it's also a unique way to showcase your decorating style. Plus, the books themselves make great display statements on coffee tables or anywhere in your home or office.

1. Flea Market Decorating: Creating Style with Vintage Finds

This is one of my all time favorite decorating books. It gives practical flea-market shopping tips and advice. This book has 275 inspiring color photos of homes and rooms featuring creative decorating ideas. Hundreds of ideas for giving a room character and personality with vintage finds. It gives easy how-to for evaluating, salvaging, and refurbishing finds. It has a list of favorite flea markets and antique fairs around the country. 

Click HERE to buy this book.

2. Flea Market Style: Decorating with a Creative Edge

This book offers exciting new ideas for choosing and decorating with flea market finds, illustrated with lush photographs of a variety of interiors from formal to funky. Part collector's guide, part decorating manual, Flea Market Style celebrates the marriage of two great passions - shopping and home design. It highlights flea market categories, from old textiles and paper goods to sports memorabilia, garden ornaments, collectibles, and major pieces of furniture, among others. This book proves anyone can use flea market finds to give their home a distinctive, personal style.

Click HERE to buy this book.

3. Flea Market Style

This book has great inspirations to furnish and decorate your home with "found" objects instead of new items bought in stores. It explains how to find fresh and unexpected uses of second-hand pieces and antiques, and reveal how to mix old and new with flair and panache. The author explain how to locate bargain copies of modern classics (or the real things) and how to mix flea market or thrift store finds with high-end basics.

Click HERE to buy this book.

4. Flea Market Chic

This book is about saving you money, along with recycling and repurposing. But its also about a sense of history and place, about individuality and creating a home that reflects your life and personality. Every piece in this book's interior has a story: the colorful pitcher found at a garage sale or the little chair found in a country junk store.  Discover how to spot clever finds in a pile of junk and how to re-discover and re-use things your or your family already have.

Click HERE to buy this book.

5. Paris Flea Market Style

If you love flea market bargain hunting and French interior design, this is the book for you! Shop and dream your way around the Paris flea markets like a pro with this colorful stroll through the city's best markets. Get tips on where to find what, trade secrets, favorite dealers and advice on shipping items home. Even if you can't make it to Paris, this book is truly inspirational. Take a seat and take a trip to Paris!

Click HERE to buy this book.

   

Does your home (or office) need a little style transformation? Just because you are low on cash (or don't want to spend any money) doesn't mean your home decor has to look old and stale. 

If you are willing to do some projects, the possibilities are endless. Open your mind to some creative ways of updating and creating new surroundings.

1. Re-arrange the furniture - this is one of the most effective ways to alter your space. Before you start moving heavy furniture around, either visualize it in your head or draw up a simple floor plan layout. Don't worry if you hate it, you can always move them around again. Bonus: you get to clean and sweep under the furniture.

2. Refinish furniture - give existing furniture a new lease on life - with paint or stain. Make sure to clean and sand each piece prior to applying paint or stain. For a vintage chic distressed look, use sand paper on the edges after the paint has dried. The photo shows a desk I painted and a chair I sanded then stained, both of which I found curbside!

3. Move pillows around - if you've got several decorative pillows like I do - see how they look on the bed vs. the couch (or vice versa). You can also purchase inexpensive pillow covers to update an existing pillow. Or if you have any fabric lying around, use it to cover old pillows for a fresh, new look.

4. A new rug - invest in a fabulous new rug for your living room or bedrooms. I recently added a jute-like rug under my coffee table in the living room. This was a small addition, but it completely transformed the look of my living room! Check out stores like Home Goods, Target and Amazon for inexpensive area rugs.

5. New photo frames - update photos by putting them in new frames. You can get nice cheap frames at discount home stores or freshen up existing ones with spray paint. This will also give your "new" frames uniformity.  Arrange the frames with small decorative items for an interesting display.

6. Fresh flowers or succulents - if you have a garden with flowers or succulents (like I do), snip off a small arrangement and put them in small vases (or glasses) around the house. Make sure to water them or change them out when needed.

7. Organize with baskets - not only are baskets decorative, but they are also a great way to organize everything from magazines, books, blankets, etc.. plus they keep things tidy in your home. Baskets come in all shapes and sizes. I've acquired most of my baskets from thrift stores and yard sales.

8. Paint those walls - paint from your local hardware store is relatively cheap, especially if you score some unwanted or rejected cans of paint. I've purchased some "oops" paint from Home Depot for as little as $5/gallon. If you aren't happy with the color, you can mix it with other color(s) until you get your desired shade. A newly painted space transforms a room in dramatic ways.

9. Wash curtains, slip covers, etc - it's amazing how refreshing clean draperies, or sofa cushion covers can be. Make sure to dust off and shake off any dirt, etc.. outside before throwing them in the washer.

10. New curtains - if your window coverings are beyond shabby even after you wash them (as suggested above), it's time to buy new curtains. I buy most of my store bought curtains from Target, they have a great selection. For a new look without spending money on thicker panels, add inexpensive sheers to existing curtains, by placing them in between 2 existing panels.

Happy November Tuesday! It's been a very busy last couple of weeks, sorry I haven't posted a blog in a while. We have been moving stuff all week long because we just sold our beach cottage!

When Jim and I purchased the beach cottage, the goal was to renovate it, live there for three years, enjoy living close to the ocean, then sell it. We even entertained the idea of moving there full time, since it's much bigger than the house we currently live in. 

Well, four years later, the timing seemed right to put it up for sale. Even though the real estate market has bounced back, there was still that risk that you are not going to make a profit when it's time to sell. I'm happy to say that all our hard work paid off, this investment proved to be a savvy decision after all.

One of the most enjoyable and rewarding part for me was designing each room's color scheme and shopping for the perfect furnishings & accessories to decorate the beach cottage. I believe that by presenting the house as a place someone can see themselves living in helped sell the beach cottage. One of the rooms that was a big selling point is the large sunroom, which is my favorite room (see before and after photos). Not only was the sunroom a hit, I was able to negotiate the furniture and accessories to make the deal happen.  I also did some savvy negotiating with other furniture and accessories towards the sale of the home.

We will miss the beach cottage, but what is even more rewarding than decorating the place is that a wonderful family will now get to enjoy it and make new memories in their new home. To my gleeful surprise, the family that purchased the home has a beautiful English Bulldog, which just proves that they were meant to live in the home that we lovingly worked on. 

Happy Thrifty Tuesday! I wanted to highlight some of my favorite thrift store finds. These are items I've scored from thrift stores throughout the years and have proudly displayed them in my home. They were all in pretty good condition. I only painted the stool and table to coordinate with the color palette of the bedroom. I've acquired these items from Goodwill, Salvation Army, Disabled American Veterans, and others. Not only are these items frugal, but they are one-of-a-kind treasures!

    

Happy Frugal Friday! Although I've haven't been to Paris or anywhere in France yet, I love all things french!

For the past 5 years I've kept my eye out for frugal Parisian items for the home. I've also been researching quaint apartments to stay in when we finally do make it to Paris, which I hope is within the next couple of years.  I was considering an apartment in the Latin Quarter. I welcome suggestions and recommendations on which is the best, most centrally located arrondissement for the money. Please send me your recommendations here.

In the meantime, I satisfy my french dreams by surrounding myself with beautiful french inspirations. My best friend Jeanine treated me to a delicious birthday lunch at Paris in a Cup Tea Salon in old towne Orange. To top off our great afternoon tea sandwiches, we split a scrumptious petite chocolate truffle cake (see photo).

Below are a couple of areas in my home where I did french-inspired yet frugal display vignettes that j'aime! 

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I love looking through home decorating magazines and books for inspiration ideas for my own home. I take those ideas and find similar items for less money in order to create my dream room.  

I recently furnished our living room in Oceanside, California with furniture and accessories from thrift stores, discount home stores, sidewalk finds and hand me downs.

You really can have a stylish room without spending a fortune.  The total cost of the living room was only $350. 

Here’s a photo of the living room and an itemized list of where I acquired my frugal items:

• Shabby Chic Sofa + Ottoman – Thrift Store $200 set
• Assorted Pillows - Ross & Marshall’s $7 each
• Coffee Table – Yard Sale $5
• Small Nesting Tables – Donated (thanks Leslie)
• Silver Bowl and Shells – Donated (thanks again Leslie)
• Sun, Sand, Surf Coasters – Ross $5 each
• Colored Glass Vases – Rummage Sale $3 each
• Retro Ashtray – Swap Meet (free at end of day)
• Vintage Lamp + Shade – Antique Store $25
• Sheer Curtains – Ross, Target $8 per panel
• White Tray – Salvation Army $5
• Flea Market Book on Tray – Gift
• Side Table – Sidewalk Discard (re-stained with new knobs)

These days people have been more budget conscious on how they spend their money on non-essential items such as home decor. 

It doesn't matter how much money I have to spare, I have always practiced the art of smart and savvy decorating. 

It will not only be more rewarding financially but creatively as well. You can proudly say to your friends that you've furnished your room for less than 3 months worth of coffee at Starbucks!  

Shop resources such as discount stores, thrift stores, outlet stores, garage sales, swap meets, flea markets, estate sales, Craigslist, even curbside discards! Let your friends and family know you are re-decorating, you'll be surprise what hand me down treasures they'll pass on to you. 

Check out the guest room below that I furnished for $160 total. Happy decorating!

• Floor Lamp - Rose Bowl Swap Meet $10
• Loveseat - FREE Curbside Discard
• Slipcover for Loveseat - Target $30
• Window Shade - Target $20
• Stool for Fan - Flea Market $10
• White Tray - Yard Sale $5
• Flower Vase - FREE Water Glass Bottle
• Pillows - Ross & Marshall's $15
• Vintage Fan - Antique Store $40
• Stack of Boxes - Michael's $20
• Guest Room Book - Gift from my friend Jeanine
• Woven Floor Covering - Sample Sale Prop $10