Simple Home decor - DIY and vintage finds to decorate your home on a budget.

As a SAHM, I work at home. I understand that ‘work-at-home mom’ implies that money is made, but I still work IN my home, no paycheck…oh well. As a SAHM, I am very home-centered: I care for kids, a house, a husband, a pet, the finances, etc. My main duties are home-related. Since my ‘work’ is mostly at home, I figured I would think of my home as my office. Making my home comfortable with simple home décor makes me happy.

I like my home to be a sanctuary for my family, and I am a part of that. Since I am the primary cook, laundress, and cleaning lady, I want to have a little fun with it all. (We are allowed to TRY to have fun. I really don’t think we have to dread the ‘domestic duties’ all day long.)

During a few different nap times I created some inexpensive decorations for my home. Here are a few ideas that you can use to create a more enjoyable space in your home as you do your daily work as a SAHM in your ‘home office’.

Simple Home Décor Ideas on a Budget

FIRST OFF, Laundry room:

I know there are many moms who dread doing laundry. It’s not that I ‘like’ doing it, but it’s so easy to throw in a load and do something else with the kids. When it is laundry day I am always multi-tasking. I like that!

Laundry does take time to sort and fold, though, so I thought adding simple DIY home décor to my ‘laundry room’ would make laundry time a little more fun for me.

I downloaded and printed a vintage sign onto photo paper. Then I decoupage it onto a simple canvas from the craft store. I pre-painted the canvas cream to stick with a brown and cream color palette. I love dark browns.

Simple Home decor - DIY and vintage finds to decorate your home on a budget.

After searching Pinterest for fun laundry room sign ideas, I made a few ideas my own.

Simple Home decor - DIY and vintage finds to decorate your home on a budget.

Simple Home decor - DIY and vintage finds to decorate your home on a budget.

A few plain wooden plaques from the craft store were transformed with paint. It took time to draw on the outlines of what I wanted to paint. Then add background color. Each new layer had to dry in stages, but I like how they all turned out.

Over time I found the fun wood crate that was already stained a dark color. Plus I added a couple of antique store finds. It’s a cute vintage display.

On to the KITCHEN:

Since we move frequently, each house has been decorated a little differently. This requires some thrifty ideas, so I am not breaking the bank decorating each home. I have become an expert on using what we have in different rooms or even for different purposes to limit the buying of new when what we have can do.

These are a few ideas that would be easy to create for any home…and very cheaply!

Simple antique store finds spruce things up. These simple DIY décor items are fairly neutral and have fit in at every home we’ve lived in so far.

Simple Home decor - DIY and vintage finds to decorate your home on a budget.

Simple Home decor - DIY and vintage finds to decorate your home on a budget.

Kitchens don’t need a lot of décor. There is so much on the counters when cooking or going through the kids’ backpacks from school that you can keep things simple in this room, but still add a fun touch.

LIVING ROOM:

Originally I purchased a simple wood ‘E’ to create a crafty wall hanging. It is the first letter of our last name. One rainy day, when I was going to paint the letter myself, my son (who was 3 at the time) asked if he could help.

Simple Home decor - DIY and vintage finds to decorate your home on a budget.

Honestly, I hesitated, because I really did want to take the kids’ rest time (and my quiet time) to paint it myself. But, I decided I could always buy another E another time.

Simple Home decor - DIY and vintage finds to decorate your home on a budget.

My son used water colors to paint the E, and I loved how it turned out! Simply adding a little ribbon loop to the back of the e (with hot glue), I was able to hang the E on the wall. It still goes up in every home.

Kids’ Rooms:

I love looking through the fancy boutique kids catalogs, but my budget does not like the prices that they charge for child-themed decor. I am definitely one of ‘those’ people who spots a product and says: “I can do that for much less money!”

Here are a few things that I did to add some personalized art to the kids’ rooms.

Of course there is always painting wood letters for your nursery walls. I did this for each child-a little different colors/patters each time. It was a fun way to add art and learning into the baby’s room.

You can take the wood letter idea and add it to the homeschool preschool activities. My oldest daughter decorated a wooden A (first letter of her name) one morning as part of our letter learning activities.
It still hangs to this day on the wall of our girls’ room.

Simple Home decor - DIY and vintage finds to decorate your home on a budget.
In the boys’ room we have a cross that was painted and decorated by my oldest son. We found the blue rocks when we met up with my dad as he was traveling near our home at the time. His hotel had a cool fireplace outdoors with little blue rocks surrounding and we did not take them from the fireplace, but collected a few that had fallen on the patio and were scattered around.

Simple Home decor - DIY and vintage finds to decorate your home on a budget.
When we found the rocks, I knew we could use them for something. The wooden cross activity was it.
My son painted the cross. After it dried, he glued on the blue rocks. It’s a fun craft that has a big meaning for our family.

Master Bedroom:

Don’t forget to make your bedroom a sanctuary! We keep kids toys out of our room, and don’t let the kids take that space over. It’s our adult getaway.

Ceiling medallions are a simple home décor option that really make a statement. They dress up the space in a big way.

Simple Home decor - DIY and vintage finds to decorate your home on a budget.

I purchased 3 ceiling medallions (you can find them in the lighting section of your hardware store). They were each painted the same color of a burnt gold. I made them over 10 years ago, and they still work in every home and look great.

This simple home décor DIY was worth the time. Our master bedroom is dressed up and comfortable so we can have an in-home getaway to rest and relax.

It doesn’t take a lot of money or a lot of time to make your home special and comfortable. As a stay-at-home mom, your home is your office. I highly recommend that you add some simple home décor whether you DIY or purchase along the way to make your workspace more enjoyable.

On the hard days of being a mom, it’s the little things that will help to keep you motivated.

Homemaking tips Tuesdays where you find quick tips for keeping a clean and organized home.

What simple DIY home décor projects have you tackled lately?

Simple Home decor - DIY and vintage finds to decorate your home on a budget.