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Want to decorate your kitchen but don't have a lot of money?

With a little persistence and time, you can find decorative items at yard sales for pennies! Of course, it will take a bit more work then just walking into your local Home Interiors store, but you will spend far less and end up with some unique items that will add interest to your home.

Beauty is only skin deep, ugly goes to the bone.

You can find items at yard sales that make over go with any kitchen decor. If your kitchen is country style, look for old baskets and chunky old pottery bowls and pitchers. Put them above the cabinets for a decorative display or use them on the counters to store fruits or everyday items. Look for old wooden boxes or silverware trays that you can use as decorative items - this old wood adds warmth and character to your kitchen.

Yard sale finds are perfect for decorating a retro style kitchen. You can still find many kitchen items from the 1970's and 60's in good condition. Some of these are true collectibles but many are just fun and decorative. I always look for old bread boxes, canister sets, salt and pepper shakers, napkin holders, wall clocks and other bric a brac for my retro kitchen.

If your kitchen is more of a 1940's look, you might have a harder time finding vintage items of the era, but you can come up with some good finds if you scour the yard sales and dig into those old boxes. Kitchens decorated in this era, beg for vintage linens to be used as tablecloths and displayed hanging from the stove and cupboard handles. These old linens are stamped with colorful designs and add cheer to any kitchen. Some of the state map tablecloths are quite collectible and can be very expensive in antique shops, so if you find one of those in your travels, you have a real gem on your hands!

If your kitchen is the 60's, 70's or 80's style you might want to consider a few easy, inexpensive fast improvements.

Fast Fix:

Purchase a ready-made island if you can find one that will fit your kitchen's dimensions. You'll want enough clearance all the way around (generally a minimum of 30') so appliances open easily and people can walk around freely. Absent any ready-made options, if you're handy (or know someone who is), create your own island using stock cabinets (such as a pair of wall cabinets attached back to back) from a home center. It's fine to go with a different finish from what's on your other cabinets, too. Paint the lower part of the island a contrasting color and top with laminate, butcher block, or even luxe-look granite.

As for color ' that's the fun part! Take your pick and go conservative with soft gold, sage green, or pale blue, or get crazy and paint the walls barn red, terra cotta orange, or kiwi green. Look for scrubbable paint in a satin or semi-gloss finish.

Fast Fix:

Get rid of those boring white walls!

The good news about this project is that paint is inexpensive and the walls in a kitchen are generally confined to smaller areas above, between, and next to the cabinets. The bad news: you'll have to mask off cabinets and countertops with blue tape and sheets of plastic so drips and painting mistakes won't be an concern.

If you prefer a modern or contemporary kitchen, you can find many almost new and gently used items to suit your tastes at every yard sale. Try hitting the sales in the upscale section of town and you might find some very expensive items for much less than you would pay at the retail store. You may have to look around a bit to find exactly what you want, but your resolve can pay off big time!

Sometimes you can find items at yard sales that have antique or collectible value. If you find that you lean towards collecting a certain kind of item like old pottery or vintage linens, it might be worth your while to invest in some reference books on the subject. That way you will be able to recognize a good piece when you see it. Who knows, your yard sale treasure could turn out to be a real winner!

This could be the start of something big

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