Decorate on a Budget – Refinish Cabinets, Use or Remove Curtains

Decorating is always more of a challenge if you are on a budget. On a budget you won’t have as many choices as when you have money to spend. However, if you are willing to be a little flexible in what you are looking for you can usually decorate for quite a lot cheaper. Here are some tips on how to decorate on a budget.

Instead of replacing cabinets reuse what you can out of the cabinets you have. If the doors are in decent shape but the paint is peeling or you are sick of the color, think about sanding them down and staining or painting them. If the doors are shot but the cabinet frames are good reuse just the frames and only buy new cabinet doors. The new doors most likely will not match the frames and boxes, but you can paint the frames and boxes either the same color, or a contrasting or complementary color to make sure they look exactly the same or different on purpose in a good way.

Remove curtains from windows that have nice views. Windows without curtains will have a cleaner more elegant look to them. Although, curtains can add more personality to a home and they can also help to add a seasonal feel. Gauzy curtains feel summery, while heavy curtains give a room a more cozy winter feel.

Check back soon for the next blog post which will be about decorating on a budget using wallpaper, mirrors, or by covering up imperfections strategically.

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Decorating with Birthday Cake

If you or your child is having a birthday party a nice cake can really help add to the party theme. Many people buy grocery store cakes for birthday parties, but if you make your own cake and decorate it according to the party theme, people will take notice and appreciate it. It can be fun to make a unique cake for your child's birthday or even for your own birthday. As an added bonus the cake will make your home smell nice. Make sure you get a container for the cake that will look pretty and show off the cake. You can get really creative with a cake, because even if you don't have the right pan size for your vision you can always cut the cake after it cools and place it next to other cut pieces for a very different design. When you are done shaping the cake you'll be covering it with icing or fondant, which broadens the possibilities even more.

The most important thing is that you select a theme. Once you choose your theme get creative about how you will incorporate the cake into the theme. For example, if the theme is My Little Ponies, you could decorate a flat cake with ponies, or you could get creative and make the cake in the shape of a pony.

It is easy to do this as long as you have visual aids, so hop on the internet so you can find a drawing to work from. Another option is to find a pan in the right shape. You can even find kits to make cakes for kid’s parties.

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Get Started Decorating Cakes

I think always having a pretty cake on display in your kitchen is a great way to create a decoration that smells and tastes great. I thought I'd go over some basic cake making tips.

• When you are preparing your pan, try using a 2-inch wide paintbrush to paint on the shortening or butter. Then finish by dusting with flour.
• Only fill your cake pans half way.
• Let your cake cool completely and even let it sit in an airtight container for several hours or even overnight before you ice it.
• If you're making a two layer cake cut the mounded portion of the cake off with a knife so that the next level of cake will fit on top better. Even if you're just making a single layer cake that you plan to decorate a flat top will probably look better.
• Turn the cake over and brush the cake with a wide paintbrush to help remove the crumbs.
• Use plenty of icing to ice the top of your cake. Try not to let the icing spatula or knife touch the top of your cake, because this will get crumbs in your icing.
• Let the cake sit for 20 minutes after you have iced it and then smooth out the cake by using parchment paper. To do this, place the parchment paper on the cake and gently smooth out the icing.

Check back soon for more on cake making, these are just some basic tips. I plan to post several more blogs on hope to make wedding cakes, birthday cakes, and how to get creative and artsy with your cakes.

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