While eco-friendly is a trendy lifestyle embraced by celebrities and movie stars, luckily for you, it doesn’t cost much to ‘go green’ in many instances. Since a ‘green’ lifestyle embraces the budget-friendly practice of recycling and buying from resale shops, it’s easy to protect the environment and your wallet at the same time.

Recycled Decor Ideas
Think about how you reuse items you already have and turn them into decorative objects. For example, used jars or wine bottles can be used to hold fresh flowers; or line of colored wine bottles on a window sill to catch and reflect the sun. Wine bottles can also be used to line a garden path; simply dig a narrow trench and line them up side by side by inverting them upside down into the soil. An old rake head can be hung on the wall in lieu of wall hooks for bunches of dried flowers or anything you want to hang.

Old sheets or clothing can be turned into unique toss pillows for the couch or your bed. Turn an old door or wrought iron garden gate into a headboard or use it as decorative wall art with architectural impact.

Shop at Resale Shops, Salvage Stores and Flea Markets
Resale, salvage and antique or flea markets make their living from selling used goods that other people no longer want. Not only are you getting a great deal, you’re helping to keep these items out of over burdened landfills. You’ll find everything you can imagine for your home: furniture, kitchen gadgets, lamps, dishes and silverware, wall art and collectibles, vintage clothing, silver teapots, wall shelves, mantle clocks, candlesticks, yard art, table linen, and the list goes on and on. You can create a very unique look for your home by incorporating antique, used or vintage items; your house won’t have a cookie-cutter look and you’ll have a lot fun searching for pieces to accent every room.

Window Treatments that Treat the Earth Gently
Used sheets can be turned into curtains with a minimum of sewing or turn old lace table runners and table cloths into charming window toppers. Old shutters can add shabby chic charm to a window or place an elaborate vintage screen in front of window to provide filtered light with a twist of exotic mystery. Bamboo roll-up shades are a great choice underneath sheers or on their own. They’re affordable and they add texture and gently filter sunlight into a room; as a bonus, bamboo is a readily renewable resource.

Freshen Spaces with Environmentally-Friendly Paint
Paint has always been a quick, easy and economical way to change the look of any room. The next time you get ready to paint, choose low VOC paint which is safer and emits less toxic fumes than regular paint. VOC is an acronym for “volatile organic compounds” and it indicates environmentally-friendly paint. You can use it to paint your walls or your favorite piece of recycled furniture from the resale shop.

Author Bio: Metal-Wall-Art.com regularly features articles by Alyssa Davis on decorating with metal wall plaque and large iron wall decor.

Category: Home Management
Keywords: home, decor, design, wall art, improvement, remodel, budget, repair, feng shui