Freshen Up Your Kitchen Frugally

Well, spring is here! Time to freshen up the room that everyone tends to congregate in...the kitchen! Here's some great, frugal ideas to "spring" up your kitchen:

1. Make new window treatments. As you can see in the picture above, you can make window treatments out of just about anything! That one was made with swatches of her favorite fabric (thanks frugalmom.com). You can also use kitchen towels, pillowcases, vintage hankies, cloth kitchen napkins, etc. Let your imagination run wild! Hang them on a curtain rod, clothesline or wire. Use clothespins, napkin rings, tablecloth weights or shower curtain rings to keep them in place!
2. Purchase some small plate hangers and hang some vintage decorated saucers around your backsplash. You can vary the plates by season and if you don't have any, find them very inexpensively at yard sales and flea markets.
3. Make a rag rug for your kitchen sink. Use old kitchen towels and t-shirts for the material. Search online for how-tos on either braided or rag rug techniques. They're really quite easy!
4. Fill up old pickle, mayonnaise or jelly jars with colored water and line your window sill. Watch the light play on the colors during the day. Better yet, use tall thin bottles and add one fresh cut flower from your garden to each bottle.
5. Grow plants on your window sill. Nothing says spring and summer like live plants. If you choose to grow herbs, your kitchen will be filled with their great aroma!
6. Change out your tablecloth. A fresh, springy color will brighten up your kitchen and your mood! If you don't want to buy one or can't find one at a yard sale...make one! I have one I made from old vintage calendar tea towels...all just sewn together and the colors are amazing!
7. Recover your kitchen chairs. It's very easy to replace the covers on your chairs with fabric you have on hand, or you can make new cushions for on top of the chairs out of old shirts, pillowcases, blankets...anything!
8. Paint your kitchen cabinets. Changes the whole look of your kitchen for very little money! Don't forget to prime first and ask your salesperson for the most resistant type of paint they have for this purpose.

Whatever you decide to do, don't wait! You will feel invigorated once it's done and you'll get that creative mind turning for more projects!