[cocotbo]

I know this was touched upon in another thread, but I think it deserves it's own thread. I have a very special 3-ring binder that is always nearby. I call it my Wish Book. Whenever I'm reading a magazine and see something in it that I'd like to incorporate into my "dream house", I tear out the page and put it in a page protector inside my Wish Book. When I'm finally in a position to buy a house and decorate it my way, I plan on using the ideas that I have stored in my Wish Book.
I don't really have a filing system, the pages are just in there. Does anybody else have a similar way of saving decorating & design ideas that they hope to use someday? Maybe we could share some techniques/ideas here?

[NewYorkMom]

This is a wonderful idea, and a hobby for those that love interior decroating. I am bad myself, I just have a pile of papers I have saved, but I think now I will make a file for them. I may separate them by room, or theme, though, so it will be easier for me to browse in the future. What are some magazines, books you look at for ideas? If you haven't checked it out, Budget Living magazine has excellent design and decorating ideas and gives you cost effective ways to execute them! Their Web site is at budgetlivingmedia.com

[cocotbo]

Originally Posted by NewYorkMom

What are some magazines, books you look at for ideas?

My parents were always buying and renovating houses when I was growing up, so I learned how to do most of the work myself and on a tight budget. What I really enjoy doing is going through magazines like Town & Country, In Style and Architectural Digest and using the things I find there to inspire what I do with my home.

As far as my home goes, we have some great pieces of furniture as a base and then I go to thrift stores & craft stores for the design supplies. For instance, instead of spending thousands on an antique tapestry or even $180 on a knockoff, I just keep an eye out for tapestry style remnants at fabric and craft stores. We're big on candles, so instead on spending loads on sconces, I keep an eye out for wrought iron sconces at thrift stores. (Our library/family room is rather medieval looking but the oriental rugs and overstuffed velvet sofa soften it up.)

My notebook really just helps me keep things in mind that I want to incorporate. I never use every design element on a page but somehow the hodge-podge all seems to work together in our home.

Thanks for the tip on Budget Living! I'm going to check it out!

[sfharper]

But we save the paint chips. It's good to know what color is on your walls if you have to do touch ups. Also we moved in just after our wedding so I put our before and after pictures showing all the improvements over the years in my wedding album.