My sister and I went to buy blinds this weekend for a very small, even teeny, bedroom window. According to the sale flyer, said custom blinds were 60% off. When we were told the total amount for said blinds, however, they ended up costing the equivalent to the GNP of a small third world country. Did I mention this was a teeny window? We ended up ordering a cheaper alternative - ready made blinds ordered to the correct length. They were about one quarter of the price and will still look good.

So if you want custom blinds, you can say goodbye to your bank account. Instead, why not explore cheaper alternatives that can be dressed up with a little work. Blinds to fit most windows of a standard width can be ordered in custom lengths at a much better price than totally custom ones. Feel free to ask the shop for cheaper alternatives. Most can come up with several selections that will work for you. So my motto this week has been "Go cheap or go home (with a pocketbook still intact)."

Daniel Drolet of Canwest News Service recently observed in the Windsor Star that

The colour palette available to consumers in any given year is determined by the Color Marketing Group, a U.S.-based international association that does colour forecasting. Increasingly, the fashion world is influencing colours in home design. And because fashion is influenced by current events, the recession has muted colour options in 2009.

I am not entirely sure I agree. I see so many bright and sunny colors in home decor lately. Of course, that may be a reflection of where I live and the southwestern colors that are such a strong influence around here. I certainly hope that people will brighten their color palette. Your surroundings can influence your mood and outlook. We can stand a brighter outlook for the next year. So go out there and add some color to the neighborhood!

When you have a whole room to decorate. the thought of all you have to change can cause your pocketbook to shrink. But you can redecorate most bedrooms or bathrooms for the cost of a few top sheets and a little creativity.

Sheets can be one of the best low-cost materials in home decor. There are dozens of ways to use them and you don't have to buy the highest quality ones to do it - although you can easily find high thread count sheets at most discount or bargain basement stores now. Remember to buy the largest (king) you can find for decorating (more fabric for the buck).

If you are decorating a bedroom, use the sheets to add a bright new cover for an old comforter (just make a bag out of two sheets and stuff the comforter in the middle. The bag can be closed with buttons. Upholster a small side chair with a sheet to match. You can also cover a side table with a sheet cloth, cover a bench at the foot of a table, make pillows with sheet scrap fabrics, cover a lampshade, make easy curtains, use as a wall covering, braid strips for a rag rug or make drapes for a canopy bed. You can do all of these things with sheets, but I would recommend you not do them all in the same pattern. Too much of a good thing (or floral sheet} can really be too much!