Image via the Southern Living Idea House Website

Since graduating college, I have taken on a love-hate relationship with home decorating. On the love spectrum, there is nothing I love more than finding the right little wooden box to store magazines or the perfect trinket to fill a shelf. However, on the hate side, it seems my post college tastes and my post college bank account have yet to catch up to each other.

Thank goodness for Pinterest and its never ending supply of DIY solutions for a gal on a budget.

So when a good friend shared tickets to visit Southern Living’s annual idea house, the wannabe decorator in me jumped on the opportunity. Each year, Southern Living Magazine selects a home and stages it from top to bottom {Talk about dream living spaces} giving guests inspiration and shopping tips from top to bottom. This year’s home is conveniently located in the picturesque town of Senoia, Georgia, just a little over an hour south of Atlanta.  I’ll let you read all about the house itself with Southern Living here.

Even though I am unfortunately not writing this from the comfort of my own restored 1900’s farmhouse, there were quite a few fantastic ideas I can’t wait to tackle myself – on a 24-something’s budget and timeline.

Curtains are such a simple way to brighten up a room and add a splash of elegance, no matter how small the space. I toyed with the idea of creating my own out of burlap for quite some time before settling on this pair I created with a painter’s drop cloth and some stenciling, but I have fallen in love all over again with this pair at the front of the home. The little details of rope as a tie back are just perfect. And with sites like this one, this is a cheap weekend project I’m adding back to the list. 

Little trinkets and collections are one of my favorite ways to add character without a single, expensive piece. These vintage trophies are fantastic. Target had a similar collection recently, while I also love the idea of a collection of old bottles  {which I also have a soft spot for} or even a collection of ceramics.

Pillows, pillows, pillows. Who wouldn’t want to fall asleep on this porch-side daybed? While my dreams of a southern porch are still on hold, there are plenty of easy pillow tutorials out there, or you are always only a shopping trip away from finds at TJ Max, or my personal favorite, World Market. 

So there you have it, I’ve fallen in love and will be adding ‘move to the country’ back to my bucket list. However, in the meantime while I’m living in the real world, these little projects will have to keep me occupied. What projects have you completed to make your house {or in my case, apartment} feel more like a grown up home?

{PS, interested in visiting the 2012 Southern Living Idea House yourself? Check out the full remodel and order tickets here and be on the lookout for the 2013 home soon}.