I love decorating on the cheap.
I love molding and the amazing difference it makes in any home.
I love the contrast of a painted wall and crisp white trim.
I love copying a $200 piece and making my own, but better, for less than $20.
I love New York City so much we got married there.
I love painting walls, furniture, the cat -- if it makes the cat look better.
I love NKOTB.
I love God and thank him daily for this life I lead.
I love you all for reading and that you come back. (It means the world to me.)
And most of all, I love my husband and children, for their complete support, love and understanding (especially when it comes to NKOTB).
---------------------------------
I started this blog in May of 2008 to share my house projects with family and friends. I never dreamed it would become what it has -- it is a dream come true to do what I do. I believe anyone and everyone should have a home they love, even though they may not have much to spend on it. You can have a lovely home without spending a ton of money.
Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.
Creativity has always been in my blood -- my family is full of artistic talents, builders and writers. I first dreamed of being an interior designer when I was 13 years old. That was after my teacher stage and before my decision to follow a career in writing.
My degrees are in journalism and public relations, and I enjoyed a 10 year career in this field. Along the way, I loved decorating our home and helping friends with theirs. When I had our son nine years ago I was inspired. He made me want to follow my dreams.
So that I did. My wonderful husband supported me when I decided to quit my full time job and pursue my dream of interior decorating. I started working with a local design firm -- first as the owner's assistant, then as a decorator.
I loved that work -- it woke my creative juices even more and I love helping people make their homes more beautiful. But as this blog grew and grew, I knew my heart was here. Since mid-2009 I have focused completely on Thrifty Decor Chick and have thoroughly enjoyed it. It is has been a blessing -- this blog, the people I have met because of it, and the inspiration I get from my readers.
If this is your first time to TDC, you can check out some pics of our home here. You can read more about our debt journey and living debt free here.
I hope you enjoy your time here and come back often!
I love that your story is on here! I actually was curious how you got started. I LOVE the new website, so easy to get around and look at everything. I love coming and looking on this and always learn something new! Thank you!
ReplyDeleteI love your blog and I visit it daily. I'm so thrill that you are following your dream!
ReplyDeleteLove so many of your ideas, and can also relate to many. I too, am addicted to spray paint. And if it sits still for too long, it just might get painted black. I was curious to know where you're located. I've been to my GW, and never seem to find the great items like you. Just wondering if it's a local thing. BTW, I'm in Atlanta. Thanks again for sharing all your wisdom!!
ReplyDeleteHey girlfriend!
ReplyDeleteJust browsing around your new blog! It's fantastic! (Isn't Shannon the best!?) Also, it was a treat to read how you got started in this awesome biz. Thanks for sharing your talents with all of us out here in blogland!
I added yours to our list of favorite blogs. Can't wait to see what you blog about next!
Layla (and Kevin!)
From one frugalite to another - kudos on the great ideas. Looking forward to reading much more.
ReplyDeleteChampe MyDesignGuide.com
NKOTB forever! You should do a project based on them!
ReplyDeleteBecause of you and a few other fellow bloggers, I am now totally turned on to spray paint! I LOVE the new blog design and lay out too! Oh...and I'm a HUGE fan of NKOTB also :) They rock!!
ReplyDeleteOMG...what is it with NKOTB?!?!?! My daughter has been to see them in concert twice this past year...her addiction started when she was 9 and she's now 27!!! Love your blog and really great ideas...can't wait to read backlog of posts and glean some new ideas!
ReplyDeleteHappy Thanksgiving to you and yours!
Hi, found your blog through SITs ,
ReplyDeleteI too love thrift stores & have one close to where I live !
Finding inspiration as I have just started "blogging"....
thanks
Beth
I love reading your blog. You are so talented and have so many great ideas. I also love NKOTB, which makes me like you even more. :-)
ReplyDeleteHi Sarah, I've been praying to God for wisdom on how to make my home clutter-free and how to improve on its decor. I truly believe He has led me to this blog! I chanced upon this blog some weeks ago and have been visiting it almost everyday ! Just wanna let you know, I love it ! Patricia (Singapore)
ReplyDeleteI'm glad I read this page 1) to put a face with the blog, and 2) because I was wondering how you got started and if TDC was your full-time job! :)
ReplyDeleteI love reading your blog. Thanks for sharing all your inspiration!
First let me thank my cousin in law cause she introduced me to this page. It is officially my new addiction, in addition to NKOTB! You have open a whole new world for me. I love to take goodwill furniture and primitize it to the max! My pour hubby has no idea what I have in store for him after seeing this blog! Keep it coming you ROCK STAR!!! Woo Hoo!
ReplyDeleteI don't have a blog, but have loved reading yours for about a year.. One day I typed in budget decorating blogs, and a whole new world opened to me... I am looking forward to your new '10 posts, and learning from them. I am a budget decorator, love re purposing and think your awesome! Keep up the good work.
ReplyDeleteSmiles..Beth
I soooooo lurve your page! And this brought me happiness:
ReplyDeleteI love NKOTB.
I love God for this life I lead.
I love you all for reading my goofiness.
And most of all, I love my husband and children, for their complete support, love and understanding NKOTB!
This ROCKS!
thx again
I just found you! I'm so excited to get working on my home. My mantel is in serious need of some attention (the good kind) and I was thrilled to see your entry all about mantel's. I can't wait to read the rest of your stuff.
ReplyDeleteI've recently discovered your blog and love it! You've really inspired me to take a look at my home and what I have to decorate with and make the most of it! Thank you so much! Also, your bio is really sweet and I love that you love NKOTB, proudly :) Your blog definitely has the "right stuff" :) LOL
ReplyDeleteAs a brand new homeowner I eagerly logged on to the Rate My Space website to find "inspiration" for my own home which is where I first came across your decorating skills and gorgeous roman shades! A year later, while browsing hrough home decor blogs I came across a roman shade tutorial and recongized that magnificant fabric! I am so excited you began a blog and look forward to reading about your many talented home decor tips/ideas! Thank you for inspiring me to continue my passion of decorating.
ReplyDeletei just stumbled upon ur blog and absolutely love it along with ur story. It is so very real and amazing that u took a chance and are following ur passion. We just bought a new house and I feel lost. Looking for inspiration here! Can't wait to read more :)
ReplyDeleteI just found your site and I love it already! Can't wait to poke around a little more.
ReplyDeleteMy sister told me about this blog, she likes the thrifty decorating aspect. You are touching on two of my favorite topics: being thrifty and NKOTB!
ReplyDeleteI hate to start this off in a sad way but I have been in mourning for a long time now after my best friend past away. Sincethen I lost interest in almost everything and no matter how hard I tried I could not find the inspiration I once found in every corner I truned daily. Until oday... Wow! I got on line today and googled: thrifty blogs and there you were! I am so happy to have found you and love-love-love your blog! I could not stop reading and searching and so on... Thank you for sharing your inspirations and great finds! Once I get out of this office I am heading to the thrift store to finish decorating my craft room that has been sitting in limbo for months! Congrats to YOU on a job well done!!!
ReplyDeleteLovely story...great website. Looking forward to updates and ideas! Thanks
ReplyDeleteWe've had our faucet with the pull out spray for about 7-8 yrs. & have never had one minute's problem with it. It is so convenient! The model we have converts from regular flow to spray with the push of a button. Great for washing fruits and veggies! The flow is controlled by the water lever where you turn it on and off.
ReplyDeleteA special feature that I like is the soap dispenser where the spray nozzle would typically be located next to the faucet. I fill it with hand soap and am so glad we have it. My experience with this pull-out system has been wonderful. I wouldn't want any other style.
:)
I want to thank you for such a great blog. Yours is the one blog that I faithfully follow. I could sit all day long and look at things you have accomplished. You are so inspiring, with so many good ideas. I just started my blog, but I dont have any followers yet. I really like the newest post- comment love. I know your suggestions will really help my blog to get some traffic into it. Thanks so much, keep up the good work.
ReplyDeleteCount me in as one of your new followers!
ReplyDeleteI have just started reading your blog. It is soooo funny! I laugh out loud as I read it and my husband and kids think I am crazy. Hopefully, I will be inspired to create something in my 'free' time. Ahaaaa haaaa! Well, at least I can dream!
ReplyDeleteJust found your blog and LOVE it!!! WTG!
ReplyDeleteShannon
Hi Sarah! I'm a new-to-the-blogging-world gal, and in my journeys tonight, I happily stumbled upon your blog! GOOD JOB!
ReplyDeleteI too am a big believer in making your house (or apartment in my case) your home, no matter how much ya got! Me boyfriend and I are big *side of the road* decorators, and like you said, I think a space can be all the more beautiful because of it!
Props to you for standing by your suburb-ian roots! It's all too often that people get affected by others opinions on where they live and what they love, and forget how much of their home contributes to who they are. I come from a town of company houses and shanties, and that is ok by me :)
Looking forward to following you! Thanks for adding your touch to the blogosphere!
xo,
Vikki
Ok. The Google gods were definitely shining down on me today! I was a little bored at work (big surprise, huh?), so I googled "cheap fall wreath" and I wound up on your blog. 45 MINUTES LATER, I've learned more about thrifty decorating than I've ever known! And I absolutely LOVE IT!!! Thank you so much for all the information you post. You've earned a loyal follower today :)
ReplyDeleteHello there Sarah! I recently retired and have more time to explore 'shelter' blogs, and being a thrift shop/repurposing lover myself, think your blog is terrific!!
ReplyDeleteI absolutely love, love, love your blog. I first came across your site through Centsational Girl and was shocked over a month later to see your blog on the Nate Berkus show. You are such an inspiration!
ReplyDeleteOMG! A fellow NKOTB lover, thrift store junkie, and craft addict. So glad to have found your blog. :)
ReplyDeleteI love your blog! Our family of 4 just moved into a small box 4 months ago and I desperately need to make it feel like home to my 5 & 8 year old children. I NEED your ideas, especially the THRIFTY ones!!! Your style is exactly what I want in my house! Thank you so much!
ReplyDeleteHi Sarah,
ReplyDeleteI am glad that I found your blog when I googled lamp shades. Your ideas are great!
I have an old chandelier that I would like to bring to life with a new shade. It is 24" and to order a shade it will cost me at least $180. Where can I find a lamp shade with that size cheaper?
Also, when shopping at Jo-Anne's store, I found these wooden rings for needle point and I thought maybe I can buy the fabric and wrap it around the two circular rings and find the interior ring part to make my shade. Any ideas about who might sell the fabric or the components?
Thanks,
Riba
I just wanted to let you know that I ran across your blog as I was looking for home decor blogs and I love it. You have inspired me!!! I make and sell Alphabet Photo Art and Precious Pedestals. I have also just started a blog. It leaves alot to be desired right now, but you have to start somewhere right? All that to say your blog has inspired me and I will be following you. Keep up the great work!
ReplyDeleteHi, I was googling ideas how to make an unfinished basement look good when I bumped into your website. I like what you did to your basement, I think I will do just the same, because I dont really want to spend a lot of money. I read your about me page, that is so cool. I've heard few stories like yours, they quit their full time job to follow their dreams, I think thats real courage! I hope one day soon, I'll find my courage somewhere to just do my dreams too like you!
ReplyDeletefm
I loved reading about you and how you are following your dreams. I loved to dream about my home and since I am not very creative, I like to "borrow" ideas from other people.
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to visiting your site more often!
Sarah,
ReplyDeleteI've followed your blog for awhile now and I don't think I've ever posted any comments. You are a wonderful and inspiring woman. Love your story, your insight, and vision in design and making magic happen. Thank you for what you do soooo very well.
~Jil~
p.s.: Love the "Lurve" and "Purtay" :)
I love your kitchen and the beadboard island. I have similar, but with Home Depot copper tin tiles for backsplash. Very warm. Island is painted (again) pesto green and now will be beefed up with corbels and a new top, thanks to you. Have you seen the use of beadboard on soffits above kitchen cabinets? I saw this once and it was a neat look, but I wonder if it would be too much with the beadboard island. What do think? Luuuuuuuuurve your style!
ReplyDeleteI just got your blogsite from Nate Berkus show and just after 10 mins of reading through your ideas...I"m so excited and can't wait to start implementing your suggestions. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteHi Sarah!
ReplyDeleteI found you while searching for ideas to build a headboard, please don't tell my buddies I'm lurking around your site!!! Great ideas and incentive to give stuff a try. We just moved into the house I grew up in, twenty six years later! It needs lots of work, but it's turning out to be really cool. We, (my wife and family)have been wealthy business owners, corporate suits and flat broke and are finding that happiness is not about the balance in your checkbook, ($8.72) or the crowd at your dinner party, (from LA/NY chic to family and friends that really care about you). Thanks for all the ideas and good luck with yor site!!!
I found your blog today and have done no workat all - just been engrossed in all your posts! I showed my husband the book nook and he LOVED it! We will definitely be copying that idea in our place! We're in the middle of renovating an old stone bakery in Gloucestershire, England so coming across ideas like yours are wonderful! Thank you for keeping me so entertained today! (And I suspect for many days to come!)
ReplyDeleteLove your blog!! Added it to our blog roll at http://epochbydesign.com/blog :)
ReplyDeleteHi Sarah, I started reading your blog few weeks ago. I must say, I love your blog, and your writings, and your home, your decor tips, and everything. hehe :D
ReplyDeleteI can't wait till I got my own place and decorate it the way i want it (the side effects of reading your blog), because i'm still in college yeaars.
Keep writing, lovely. Take care ;))
I am anxious to get to know this site! Got it on Nate Berkus show too. I also love thrift stores and GW. Have not been lucky enough to find the treasures Like you did. Will love to use your great advice!!!
ReplyDeleteGreat work on your blog, I love it! Do you also live in Indiana? I think I read that in one of your posts. I'm in Indy :) Keep up the great work, girl!!!
ReplyDeleteI was lucky enough to stumble across your blog today. I love it! I'm from Anderson, so when you mention the lumber yard in Pendleton, I knew just where you were talking about.
ReplyDeletekeep up the great work and congratulations on following your hear and passions.
God bless!
LoL it was a nice surprise stumbling across your page while I was searching for ways to make a homemade wreath. You have some awesome ideas! And NKOTB rocks! God bless and I look forward to all your future ideas so I can "borrow" them :-P
ReplyDeleteI read about your floors and say you say Indiana - hey I live there too! I am in the Indy area, I wnder if you are close to me (but not too close - I don't want you to beat me to the Goodwill stores, lol!.
ReplyDeleteI LOVE your blog!! I ran across it while trying to find easy Halloween crafts for my daughter's 2nd grade class (now that's a stretch!), and I'm so glad I found it! You sense of style is beautiful, your decorating ideas are awesome and inspiring. Fall is my favorite season, but I love Christmas too, and can't wait to see your ideas for the season. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteJust stumbled across your blog and love it! Good luck with your career and all that lies ahead for you! You are exactly what our world needs... Happy, caring, funky, creative and fair minded! There's more, but the well roundedness you represent is awesome. Thank you for the totally positive reading!
ReplyDeleteI just found your blog...it's great. My husband and I bought our first home last summer and we are on a very tight budget. We love God and I have to admit it, NKOTB are my guilty pleasure (saw them with BSB twice this past summer). I can't wait to read more :)
ReplyDeleteLove your blog, Sarah! I really appreciated your posts on picking out a couch. I'm currently on the hunt and would love to check out Arhaus. Apparently they don't have stores in Texas and I was just wondering if you went to an actual Arhaus store or if other stores carry their products? Thanks so much in advance!
ReplyDeleteAubrey
Love you blog! I am now a loyal follower! P.S. I am a big NKOTB fan as well!!!
ReplyDeleteI know I'm not original here but......I am 37-years-old and I LOVE NKOTB!!!! My sister and I actually had a frantic day recently of trying to figure out how we could afford and logistically pull-off a NYC trip for NYE to go to ther party!!! Sadly....it's a no-go but we're hoping that the high from their NKOTBSB concert this last summer will keep us going. ;) I just found your blog and love it so much. Thanks for being a designer I might actually be able to emulate! :)
ReplyDeleteI have juststarted reading your blog and wanted to tell you how awesome it is. I have not had time to look at the whole site but what I have seen is very original creative and pulls me in. Thank you so much for sharing all of this with us and you have gained another loyal reader...
ReplyDeleteI love your blog, your home, your ideas, your pins on Pinterest - so much inspiration!!! I've never thought of myself as crafty, but that's changing! I even started a little blog about adventure - I'm new to Blogland and had no idea what I was missing!
ReplyDeleteJust wanted to stop by, say hello and tell you how much I enjoy your work & finds!
Best wishes for a wonderful New Year!
Cheers!
Mary from sweetlittlebluebird.com
Looooove your blog! I think somehow we might share the same brain. As I was reading something you wrote, my husband said "that sounds like something YOU would say". MJ - YES. NKOTB - heck YES!! I enjoy putting emphasis into writing because it ROCKS and so do you. :]
ReplyDeleteReally enjoy your blog and thank you for helping me to convince my husband that I TOO can make this house better. He never believes it won't cost a fortune until I just do it.
BTW, I did the same thing with my bathroom - started a little something and just TORE IT APART. I go all the way or no way. [maybe it is the ADHD]. :]
Thanks!!!! Looking forward to more thrifty ideas :]
Tricia in TX
I tumbled onto your blog first time today, i should say its WOW..
ReplyDeleteFeels like you are personally talking to me.
I have been wanting to redo my kitchen since a long time and i feel you and your site will guide me from start to finish,looking forward to it.
You are very creative and your home is the perfect reflection of it.
Thanks
Anitha
Hi Sarah. I "luurve" your site - found it today and would love you to come over for a cup of tea and brains storm the wonders of a great lamp. Problem is, i live in australia - bit far for a cuppa. Totally like minds i think, constantly rearranging stuff i already have and picked up the best turquoise bird at the op shop yesterday. a cheap lift!! have been on your site for almost 2 hours, need to get off and feed my family. i too suffer from DOCD, dabilitating but energising no?? Cheers from down under, Sarah :)
ReplyDeleteYour blog is awesome! I enjoy making things for my home as well as repurposing older items. Thrift stores and yard sales are my thing!
ReplyDeleteGreat job!
Sylvia from sylvialovespink.com
Hey Sarah -
ReplyDeleteI'm also a Sarah! :) I've been reading your site for over a year but never left a comment. You're on the list of ladies who have inspired me to stop doing just what's in front of me and start doing what I love. Thanks for doing what you do, you make a difference!
All the best,
Sarah
Left On Main
I just stumbled upon "Thrifty Decor Chick." And I have to say that I lurve your blog and you could not get any caauuuter!
ReplyDeleteIn thriftyness...
Dawn Rene
I'm kinda new here and wanted to say you have a beautiful home. I LIVE to go to thrift stores and I'm fortunate to live in a town with many thrift stores, estate sales (that sounds baaaad), garage sales, etc..
ReplyDeleteYour home is beautiful and I enjoyed reading your story.
Your blog is awesome and so informative! I cant believe your creative ideas; they keep coming and on the cheap , my favorite. I love your coral tablescape as coral is one of my favorite colors to wear and decorate with; I'm a beach girl even though theres is none in St Louis!
ReplyDeleteI don't know you of course, but ran into your blog and I love procrastinating/dreaming here! Thanks for all of your ideas and great photos. It really is inspiring! Too bad you can't come to my house and give me ideas and then go to the thrift store and shop for me! Oh well...I'll have to pretend to look through your eyes when I'm there ;)
ReplyDeleteHello Sarah, OMG I always read you blogs, but never actually took the time to read your profile. You are so cute!! : ) keep up the good work. Im sure you have inspire many women to start their own blog including me. Thanks for always sharing your heart and home with us.
ReplyDeleteI have stumbled upon your blog and I just LOVE everything about it... especially your NKOTB obsession and Goodwill shopping! I feel like we could be great friends cause I too lurve to say lurve!
ReplyDeleteWe are working on our first home and I have been blogging about it but have very little time now that I work full time. Any tips?? You can check it out if you'd like:
twoofharts.blogspot.com
Happy Blogging!
--Molly Hart
thank you for tellin me how to do short curtain rods. I do not like a rod all the way accross the window. I have been looking and couldn't find them at all. Can't wait to get started on my diy project!
ReplyDeleteI just came across your blog today. I'm not much of a DIY person, but I'm thinking about trying to make a bench and I think your blog will be helpful. Also, I love that you love NKOTB. I love them too!
ReplyDeleteHi there Sarah! I've been lurking around your site lately...it's fabulous! After reading your "about this chick" page, I want to thank you for sharing your story. It takes a lot of courage and determination to follow your dreams and do what you love when you're not certain what the outcome will be. You're an inspiration and I'll be sure to drop back in and visit often. Cheers, Denise
ReplyDeleteNew reader here! I looooooooove this blog! I'm so inspired by it.
ReplyDeleteYour home is absolutely beautiful. I love the colors, the decor - simply beautiful!
I'm still learning how to BLOG. I started in January.
http://thepinteresthousewife.blogspot.com/
Hi Sarah! Just want you to know that your blog is an inspiration to me. I have been wanting to start blogging for quite some time but am just always so busy.My husband and I own a Bed & Breakfast so I don't have much spare time at all! I have decided that I am going to give it my best effort this winter while I have some down time.
ReplyDeleteI also love colors, thrifty-ness, design, art, interior decorating and...NKOTB!
Keep up the great work!
Best,
Jennifer
http://mydelightfulhome.blogspot.com/
https://www.facebook.com/pages/My-Delightful-Home/136784196384344
Thank you so much Jennifer! I bet you don't have much extra time! Just remember it should be FUN...make it that for yourself. :)
DeleteWas recently watching a rerun of an old Nate Berkus show - (gadzooks, WHY isn't he still on? -- I miss his show so much!! - and heard mention of your blog and visited literally the moment his show was over. I LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVED it - and I'm so impressed with you!! I too adore GW, love to repurpose, live to chase the thrifty, visit yard sales - (actually, ANY sales) - as often as possible and make my home - continually - new, different and most importantly, my sanctuary! (Plus, I love NKOTB and used to live practically next door to them in the earliest days of their careers)! So glad I found you!!
ReplyDelete