The shopping diet for decorators.

While flipping through my new InStyle, I came across a summary of a book and was completely inspired. The Shopping Diet by Phillip Bloch identifies easy ways to give old clothes new life. The examples listed consisted of changing blouse buttons to re-lining a blazer to adding/reducing the amount of ruffles on a skirt. While I am totally purchasing and trying these tips out to some of my old duds, I got to thinking about potential ideas for the home. Not only is reusing materials pocketbook friendly, it's also a way to customize your home design to fit your personal style. 

Here are some ideas to consider and any other ideas are welcome and greatly appreciated. Thanks for the idea Phillip and happy hunting!

Using cloth napkins to make a couch pillow cover.

Scrap cotton fabric (or an old dress) as a way to revamp an old lamp shade.

Creating a duvet cover out of some old sheets and buttons.

Weaving old denim to make an upholstered bench cushion 

(bonus if you have some colored denim lying around). 

photos from top to bottom: world market, posies for lulu from flickr, bed bath & beyond, gap