In my years of apartment living, I have often found decorating challenging. My fears of putting holes in the walls and my thrifty nature have held me back from buying décor pieces that are large or heavy. So, I looked for some creative, inspiring ways to decorate my home collage-style without putting enormous holes in my wall or bank account. I decorated my entire home from two stores: the thrift store and the craft store. Here are a few tips and tricks that I discovered.

Open your mind up to using unique pieces on your walls.

1) Open your mind up to using unique pieces on your walls. I found these vintage chafing dishes at my local thrift store and decided to use them on my dining room wall. I used some wire and gorilla hooks from the craft store to hang them in a collage along with a mirrored frame and handsome fish portrait that I also found in the thrift store. The result is a vintage-inspired look that has a cool 3D element.

2) Embrace knick-knacks Several small pieces can work together to fill a large space! For the large area above my fireplace I found a small set of shelves and tiny tchotchkes at the thrift store and arranged them in the center of this space. Then, I bought wood letters and white paint at the craft store to fill the excess space. The shelf is hung with small picture frame nails and the letters are on the wall using sticky tack.

3) If all else fails, stick to your favorite colors! I love being surrounded by calming green tones and I usually gravitate toward sage and moss colors in all my decorating. Whenever I see something in that color family that I like, I usually nab it and assume it’s going to work with something in my home. These three pieces I found at two different thrift stores and they match perfectly with the soft green embroidery in my curtains and bedspread. They are hung with small picture frame nails. Now, try some of these tips in your Camden apartment just in time for spring!