By Cheryll Gillespie

Existing tables can also be draped in fabric or if the top is badly marked simply cover with a collection of postcards, stamps, magazine covers and then cover with glass. A little creative thinking can also turn the unusual into a coffee table: A toy wagon, birdbath, trunk, wooden box, even a stack of old books. Remember that all the tables in the room do not need to match. The design police will not haul you away for using an eclectic group of end tables.

Windows coverings are often one of the most expensive decorative items in a room. Instead of custom ordering drapery, make your own. First stop is to the hardware store for some curtain rods and finials. PVC pipe, copper tubing, rebar and wooden dowels can all be transformed into stunning drapery hardware. Cover pipes with fabric laid flat or scrunched (sew a tube of fabric three times longer than your pipe), wallpaper, paint or wet cement. Cost $12

Create finials, to attach to the ends of your rodding with fence posts tops (about $3 each). Sand, paint or cement for a creative finishing detail. I have also covered tennis balls with fabric and then attached them to the end of a pole. Glass Christmas ornaments can be hot glued to the ends instead of expensive glass blown finials. For one of my favorite window treatments I purchased two mannequin hands from a second hand store display shop and simply laid the curtain rod in the hands which where mounted above my windows. Rebar can be bent on both ends to create its own finial.

Instead of using full drapery panels on your windows reduce fabric costs by just using enough fabric to give the look of functional panels: faux panels. This will save you a lot of money in fabric costs. I often buy ready-made drapery panels and line them myself. Purchasing ready-made panels is often less expensive than sewing my own and the lining makes them look like custom-made drapery and they simply hang better. Sheets that match your bedding can also be transformed into drapery.

Emer Schlosser
		About the author:
		Always a fan of words in various glorious forms – novels, dialogue, lyrics, etc – Emer translated her passion into a writing career in 2005. She has since supplied gossip on celebrities to Canadian Press, interviewed individuals from the arts for Inside Entertainment, expressed her fondness for food for Cheese Boutique’s blog, & co-founded, edited and contributed to iheartthemusic.com. At the moment she’s taking the mystery out of Green Living and providing some great tips on Home Renovation, Decorating & Design and Curb Appeal to the members of casaGURU.com. casaGURU, “the homeowner’s home online”, is a free web community that connects homeowners and local house experts.
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