Make a bulletin board from the drawer of an old dresser. Paint the drawer, then cut corkboard to fit the inside and glue in place. Cover with pretty paper. You'll have a place to pin favorite items as well as a new display shelf! Make your own botanical prints by scanning leaves, printing, and placing in inexpensive frames. Ferns make lovely wall art—and autumn leaves are a great accent in the fall! Doll up your desk with these fun jars. Use scallop-edge scissors to cut scrapbooking paper into strips. Tape the ends to form a cylinder that fits snugly inside the jar. A pair of $4 cloth napkins gains new purpose as cafe curtains when hung from a tension rod. Switch them out throughout the year for a quick refresh. A simple tray becomes a pretty magnetic board when lined with contact paper. You could glue on wallpaper or scrapbooking paper, too. Put old wine corks to use in a clever message board. Choose a frame deep enough to house whole corks, or cut the corks lengthwise using an extra-fine razor saw (available at hobby stores).

Attach the corks to the frame backing with wood glue. Keep wet boots off hardwood floors with a shoe tray. Make your own with an inexpensive plastic serving tray lined with colorful glass beads or polished rocks. Cans and paint add clever storage. Clean and spray-paint cans in coordinating colors. Arrange them geometrically or whimsically, attaching each to the wall with a single screw through the bottom or with heavy-duty wall-mounting tape. Revitalize terra-cotta flowerpots with a coat of bright paint and some rub-on accents. We used scrapbooking stickers to add playful patterns to our containers. Repurpose an old drawer for storage that's not out of sight. Screw cup hooks into the bottom of the drawer, then hang on the wall on a large sawtooth picture hanger. It's simple to change out art when it's held in a clipboard. Amp up the impact by hot-gluing on rhinestones, fake pearls, buttons—any tiny objects that match your style. Mount two brackets to the wall and perch a favorite read on top to make a "book" shelf!

Change out the book with your mood or the season, or secure it with strong glue as a permanent shelf. Insert an air plant in an old creamer (and toy milk pail!) for teatime decor. Chipped or cracked teacups  and pots work as planters, too. Give photo mats a little flair with paint strips; they offer graduated shades of one color for a prettyready made curtains arnottsMuted purples, for example, blend well with black-and-white scenes. gracious home blackout curtainsUsing double-sided tape, attach strips to mats. cindy's curtains ipswichFor the narrow top and bottom borders, we cut out individualcurtain factory outlet cumberland

Frames Ikea (888) 888-4532; Paint chips Assorted Valspar paint strips. Drill a hole into the back of an antique box or chest. Insert a power strip then cover it with a wood shelf with holes for charging cords. Shut the lid when you want to conceal the functional aspect. A series of old frames—paint them all one color to unify the look—becomes the basis for an organizing system. sage green spotty curtainsInsert pegboard, painted cork, or wood wearing a coat of chalkboard or magnetic paint.catherine lansfield football curtains in blue Two old wine glasses and three pretty plates make for a display stand for sweets. s lichtenberg and co curtainsUse Poster Putty to secure the glasses if you don't want this to be permanent.

Break out decorative scarves for a quick and easy spruce-up. We tied scarves into a simple knot around vases and added coordinating flowers for an inexpensive centerpiece. Reimagine an old globe as a new centerpiece. Split a globe in half and fill it with flowers or other collections—we used pinecones, acorns, seedpods, small pumpkins and bittersweet. Elevate on a short candlestick or small serving dish as a centerpiece. For art that acts as a memory keeper, remove the glass of readymade frames and paint the backboard with blue chalkboard paint (this color is Benjamin Moore 2057-40 Ash Blue). Hot-glue on found vacation treasures. Label them with state names or personal notes written in chalk to identify where or how you found each item. Bring new life to an old or plain headboard with a pop of color and texture from a piece of fabric or area rug. The fabric brings together a room's color scheme or adds a pop of color. Personalize a party tray with decorative paper.

Use scrapbooking scissors to cut a circle of gift wrap slightly smaller than the tray's bottom. Laminate the circle (or ask a copy shop to do it for you). Highlight a favorite dish by adding some greenery for a fresh centerpiece. Cut green florist's foam to fit inside a wooden trough (or any dish). Cover foam with moss that's been soaked for about 15 minutes and then squeezed to remove excess water. To help the moss last longer, spray it with water every other day. Create cute circular frames using old place mats. Choose a collection of photos to complement the mats. Glue or tape a photo to the center of each mat, and use removable adhesive squares to hang the finished pieces. Create a curtain tieback with pretty gift-wrap paper. Cut paper to size, and then embellish the edges using scallop-edge scissors. Laminate the strip (or ask copy shop to do it for you), and scallop the edges wider than the paper. Punch holes at each end and, if desired, ad grommets. Use ribbon to hold the tieback in place.

A side table gets artistic with a mix of large paint chips on top. For a sophisticated neutral scheme, choose shades of beige, brown and sand. Mix in samples of techniques (like Venetian plaster) for one-dimensional texture. Attach with double-sided tape, leaving space (ours is 1⁄2 inch) between chips. Cover with glass to protect. Paint (On table) EB24-1 Chestnut. Valspar Eddie Bauer Home collection. Paint chips Assorted neutrals from Valspar Waverly Home Classics; assorted Valspar Venetian Plaster chips. Table Ikea (888) 888-4532; For fun (and inexpensive) wall art, pick up some stylish place mats. Drill or punch two holes at the top of each place mat. Connect them with a ball-link chain or string for lighter mats. Two nails at the top offer almost invisible hanging. This flea-market find—a sugar mold—makes a perfect workspace organizer. It's deep enough to store scissors, a hole punch and other office necessities. Jewelry becomes a fun and colorful accessory for the dressing table.