How long have you been at UPC?

4 years

Where are you originally from?

Pennsylvania (State College, Pittsburgh)

What are some of your hobbies and/or interests?

Martial arts, reading, cards/games, TV

What’s your favorite dessert?

Chocolate, cake, pie, ice cream. Ok, just about everything.

How have you seen God work in your life recently?

Spending time with my LIFE Group.

How can we be praying for you?

Learning to be less selfish.

Patricia asked me to write about decorating, and I was so surprised because I don’t consider myself very good at it. You see, I am sort of an amateur because my mom never really got into that sort of thing growing up. We moved too stinkin much to really decorate. Most of the time, our walls were completely white and pictures were hung just to be up, not really in any decorative fashion.

So, when Jason and I first bought this house, it was a huge step for me to even paint the walls. I remember crying one time when we painted our dining room yellow. It turned out way to neon looking, and Jason told me that I just needed to get used to it. (I think he was trying to get out of painting it again) But that evening, I couldn’t go to sleep because I just kept thinking about how much I hated it. I ended up telling him the next morning, and we did repaint it. Thank goodness!

But almost 8 years later, I can finally say that I know what I like and enjoy making my home an expression of us. And because we are on a budget, I thought I would share with you a few ideas for how to decorate when you aren’t loaded.

For one, I have made all of our window treatments. And let me tell you, I am NOT a seamstress. But curtains I can do because it is basically just straight lines. I don’t even use a pattern (I mean who can read those things any way). I love making my own curtains because you have so many more options of fabric choices than the ones you buy at the store.

Second, I have been known to paint picture frames. Let’s say you have some ugly, out of style, and doesn’t really go with anything else frame. You don’t want to go out and spend another $20 bucks on a frame. Buy a little thing of paint from the craft store and paint it. I have done black on two large frames for my wall. And then recently, I did two small frames for a shelf in the appley green color I am in love with these days.

Third, would be making other stuff yourself. Again…I am not a big craft person. But I did make an art display board for my kids’ art projects. I used foam board from Joann’s, used spray adhesive to cover it with the fabric I liked, and hung it up. I love making stuff on my own, too because I am not limited by the size or colors of things in the store.

And lastly, shop at places like Old Time Pottery, Ross, TJ Maxx, etc.

So, there are my tips. Do you have any ideas for decorating on a budget? Favorite stores? Things you have made yourself?