$1 Decor: Turn dollar store finds into home furnishings
January 23, 2018
With $25 provided by The Post-Standard, interior designer Lisa A. Ryan, owner and president of Smart Move Design in Liverpool, and her assistant, Rebecca Plank, combed two local dollar stores looking for items that could be turned into home decor.
“As home stagers we are always on the lookout for inexpensive decor,” Ryan said. “Having a $25 budget in this challenge showed us how far that $25 could go and challenged us to look at the different and creative ways we could use items. While we want inexpensive decor, we don’t want it to look cheap.”
Some items were rejected during the shopping trip. Sticks of bamboo were rejected as “not worth the $1. You can pick up sticks for free outside and paint them,” Ryan said.
But among their projects, the two turned a silver and black shower curtain into a table runner and curtains and a basket into a lamp.
“The options are endless,” Ryan said. ” Let’s play a little bit.”
Ryan gave a few points to consider for anyone looking to do some dollar store decorating:
“Group like items together, they make more of an impact. The lights we made out of the storage box or waste paper basket would look great if you had three of them hanging at different heights in a corner. It’s also a good way to bring light to a space that doesn’t have an electrical outlet.
“You could make larger wall art out of the black trays we used by placing six or nine together. Try different patterned paper or mirrors for the inserts.
“Creating candle holders at different heights then grouping at least three together is more visually appealing.
“Also, we used a sewing machine to make window treatments, cloth napkins, and the table runner out of the shower curtain but you could easily use iron on fabric tape if sewing isn’t your strength.”
Lisa Ryan, owner of Smart Move Design, and her assistant, Rebecca Plank, work on making a hanging lamp from a scarf and a collapsible storage container purchased at dollar stores. Gloria Wright / The Post-Standard
A bag of stones were used to create candle holders with an organic feel. Wine corks were placed in a $1 wood tray to create a trivet. Gloria Wright / The Post-Standard
Four wood trays for $1 each became picture frames and a trivet. Gloria Wright / The Post-Standard
A bag of tealights cost $1. Gloria Wright / The Post-Standard
A fabric shower curtain was turned into a table runner and napkins. A scarf creates visual interest beneath candle holders made from glassware. Gloria Wright / The Post-Standard
Two galvanized metal containers from the garden section of a dollar store were turned into wall art. Gloria Wright / The Post-Standard
One dollar bought six stretchy metal hair scrunchies that were turned into napkin rings and curtain tie-backs. Gloria Wright / The Post-Standard
A farbic shower curtain was turned into a table runner, napkins and a window treatment. Gloria Wright / The Post-Standard
Wood trays for $1 each became picture frames for art cut from a $1 calendar. Gloria Wright / The Post-Standard
A stick-on LED light and batteries became part of a hanging lamp. Gloria Wright / The Post-Standard
The window treatment was made from a scarf, the lamp from a collapsible storage container and the art from a calendar, all purchased at dollar stores. Gloria Wright / The Post-Standard
Designer Lisa Ryan created wall art from two galvanized metal containers found in the gardening section of Real Deals in Baldwinsville and plastic grass from a broken flower pot. Gloria Wright / The Post-Standard
Gluing a piece of glassware onto a candle stick can create candle holders of various sizes. Designer Lisa Ryan recommends using at least three of differing heights for visual appeal. Gloria Wright / The Post-Standard
Three glasses for $1 are easily turned into candle holders. Gloria Wright / The Post-Standard
A calendar purchased for $1 at Real Deals in River Mall in Baldwinsville became wall art. “Calendars are a good source of art. There are 12 potential art pieces,” said Lisa Ryan of Smart Move Design. Gloria Wright / The Post-Standard
A basket bought for $1 at Dollar Tree, 3873 Route 31, Liverpool, was used to create a hanging lamp. Gloria Wright / The Post-Standard
Turn a basket upside down and attach a stick-on LED light to create a hanging lamp. Fishing line works well to hang the light. Gloria Wright / The Post-Standard
