Please Note: There are several free lists that you may print from this page. However, you will need the proper .pdf reader to view and print them. You may download the free .pdf reader at the following website: http://www.adobe.com/

Inventory Your Current Belongings

In order to know what you will be needing to purchase for your home decor, you will need to take inventory of the home decorating items that you have now. Include on this list everything that will be moving with you. Items that you will be either selling or donating to a good cause will not go on this list.

Work in one room at a time and keep only one inventory list for each room. Start by listing the furniture and gradually work your way down the list to smaller and smaller items.

Right now, during the early stages of home planning, is a good time to start thinking about what you will or will not be keeping.

After choosing the furniture that will be kept, make a template for it in ˝" scale and slip it into a plastic pocket protector and then into your scrapbook. You are sure to find it easily when planning your room layouts.

If your budget doesn't allow you to purchase new furnishings for your home decor, perhaps you can give your old furniture a little make-over. You just might be surprised how great it turns out! In addition, you might also be surprised at how much money you'll save-money that you can use for a decorating item on your wish list!

Print Free Household Inventory Lists

Plan Your Shopping Excursions

To begin planning your room décor, a shopping list is a must-have. For convenience, I have created a Free Shopping List for you to print and fill out for each individual room.

Use the list for organizing, your research as well as actual home decorating idea shopping excursions. In addition, a well-planned shopping list will help you keep your budget under control for each room.

Refer to your priority list and scrapbook when creating a shopping list, and also...

Keep your scrapbook with you at all times!

Your scrapbook is a necessity for helping you collect fabric swatches, flooring and/or carpeting samples, paint chips, and brochures with photos of furnishings, appliances, cabinets, lighting, accessories that you want to consider putting in your room decor.

One of the most convenient ways I've found to gather home decorating ideas for your home decor, and supplies is by surfing the web.

The internet is an awesome tool to do just that! Although, you won't be able to exactly match actual colors of paint, fabric swatches and wallpapers you will at least have an idea of you choices and what fabric and wallpaper patterns are available. Some companies will even send free samples to your home in just a few days.

Have fun and don't panic you should already have a great start in finding a room's design from your scrapbook and drawings. If you need help in pulling a room together, start with a favorite painting, decorative pillow, or throw rug-it just needs to be in the style that you are going with your home decor.

Get Your Free Copy of Scrapbooking Your House Plans

If you are planning on being a "do-it-yourself" decorator and need some home decorating advice for your home decor, furniture stores, carpet and flooring centers, wallpaper and paint suppliers often have staff with design experience and can be very helpful, but keep in mind that the opinion given could be to solely for selling their product. Therefore, don't get pushed into buying anything that you really don't want.

Think over all the information you gather for your home decor,

then pull a decorating scheme together...

...before purchasing anything.

As you "window shop" jot down the name of the supplier where each item came from, its order number, model number, color choice, cost and the name and phone number of the salesperson that helped you. Keep this information together with the brochure, leaflet, swatches, etc., to prevent products from getting mixed up with others.

As you gather information, you'll want to keep everything neatly organized. It really helps to use top-loading clear plastic page protectors to keep the small stuff together.

There will be a great deal of information gathered and it's easy to forget which item goes with what room. Therefore, it's good to establish the habit of putting information away in the proper room file the same day you gather it.

Comparative Shopping

As you "widow shop", another important step that should never be overlooked, is to compare products and prices. One of the easiest ways I have found to keep product information accurate and organized, is to...

Document product information immediately.

I have designed a PRODUCT COMPARISON FORM to use for comparing one product to another. There is also a place to write down the pros and cons to help in choosing the best product for your home.

Print Free Product Comparison Forms

When you have left one supplier, jot down the information on one of the three sections before going to the next supplier. When you do this, the information is written down while it's still fresh in your mind, which also prevents two different products and/or supplier's data from getting confused.

In order to get a more accurate view of the market, I prefer having at least three different home decorating product choices to compare. I will either compare products from the same manufacturer, but a different supplier to get the best price, or I will compare like products from three different manufacturers to find the best quality for the price.

Create Design Boards

Now, there is just one more step to prepare for the next sect create design concept pages. That's right. It's a similar version of what professional interior designers use for presenting their design concept to sell their home decorating idea to a potential client.

After comparing and finalizing your choices, it's time to affix all the photos, drawings, samples and swatches onto blank scrapbook pages and...Viola, your scrapbook is re-organized. You should then have at least one complete design concept for each room.

If you are still having a tough time deciding which way to go make a second, or even third, separate design concept page for that particular room.

Perhaps, you want to have more than one option to work with if the bid for your home's cost comes back much different than expected.

It is always good to have a plan B or even a plan C. Keep each design concepts separate from others in order to prevent confusion.

Store your home decor concept pages in your scrapbook within its respective room section, then all your choices are organized and at your fingertips-right when you need them.

Okay, working with one room at a time, this is all you need to do to get started:

Heavy-duty paper (Scrapbook sized & 3-hole punched) and neatly arrange the following items:

Attach to it a photo from your scrapbook, or elevation drawing of the room you are wanting to achieve.

Affix a drawing of the Room Layout with furniture templates--make sure the room dimensions are drawn, with accurate window and door dimensions and placements.

Add samples, swatches, paint chips, photos from brochures and sketches of everything you want to put in that room.

This may be two or more page project for each design concept, but make sure you don't leave anything out.

Organize these pages in your scrapbook so that when you open up the pages, the same room faces its other page.

This way, you are not constantly turning the pages to see one complete room.

Keep from forgetting where to purchase an item by writing the following information on the back of its respective design concept page:

1. Cost and terms of purchase.

2. Product Name, Manufacturer, Order #, Model #, and/or Color.

3. Supplier phone and address as well as salesperson's name.

Now, when you are ready to make your purchases you will have all the information at hand. What makes this incredibly easy is that you will have a photo or drawing of your design concepts, which will:

Keep you focused and on task-to help prevent purchasing something that is totally wrong for what look you are trying to accomplish.

Illustrate to the store personnel/decorators what you are trying to achieve in your room, thereby eliminating the frustration of misinterpretation of your home decor.

Use as a reference tool to refer back to if repairs or replacements are needed.

Make home decor concept pages for each room that will be in your new home and keep them in your scrapbook to take with you on your shopping ventures.

I know, your scrapbook is probably getting really full by now, but just take out the pages of the room you are working with to take into the store. But, don't forget to put them back in your scrapbook when you are finished.

Decorating your home can be one of the most satisfying projects of the building phase and at the same time, it can also be the most terrifying.

If you are well organized and have a plan written out, you can do some amazing things-you'll see. Refer to your scrapbook often and stick to your plan to prevent wasteful spending.

As you pick and choose materials for your home, remember: Not only do you want to make sure that you get what you like, but you get what will work in your home. And then you will want it applied, or installed, properly so it will last, and last, and last.

Take paint, for example:

Paint should have an undercoat of primer for the paint to adhere to the surface properly.

The type of paint you purchase can affect the type of primer you use and visa-versa.

A Darker Paint Hue may require a dark tinted primer for that "One-Coat Coverage".

Paint won't cure properly if it's too cold, or too hot.

As the saying goes "Oil and water don't mix". Therefore, if you are going to use an oil based paint, then you will need an oil based primer. For latex paints-use a water based primer with latex paint.

We chose latex paint for our walls and oil based paint for our trim. Latex based paints are getting better and better all the time, and I would use nothing else on my walls. As for our trim, oil based paint looks smoother and keeps its appearance longer.

If you are going to hang wallpaper, make sure you purchase a wallpaper primer and/or wall sizing that is specifically made for both the type of wallpaper you will be using and the type of wall you will be covering. Otherwise, your wallpaper will come tumbling down.

Just remember: Make a plan to purchase what you need, research your products "Wisely", and find the best home décor products you can for your money-you will be ahead of the game.

Now, Go have some fun Decorating your Home!!!

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