Other rooms in the home may be remodeled or redecorated but the bathroom is often overlooked. Even though the bathroom is small and not as prominent as the other rooms in your home, there’s no reason it shouldn’t be treated to the same decorative care. Here are several inexpensive ways to dress up your bathroom to match the other rooms of your house.

Choose a theme for your bathroom. Some people love the nautical theme for a bathroom, and you can find shower curtains with lighthouses or seascapes. Others like something more feminine such as flowers. Cartoon characters can be a good choice for your children’s bathroom. Try to find accessories and paint the walls to match that theme.

You don’t have to do a major renovation to dress up your bathroom. One way to change the look and feel of the bathroom is with paint. Instead of using a single color, why not use a wall treatment similar to what you’ve used in another room of the house? Paint the walls one color and add glaze to another and rag it over the basecoat. Don’t be afraid to use bold colors in this small space. It’s amazing how much a coat of paint or two can spruce up even the dreariest bathroom!

Even if you don’t paint, you can buy new coordinating towels to make your bathroom look fresh. Depending upon the color of your bathroom, you may be able to find several towels which will coordinate so you can transform the look by changing out the towels.

Matching shower curtain, soap dish and trash cans that compliment your towels and theme will bring the look together. There’s no need to spend big money for pre-made accessories. Consider adding items such as seashells to a plain trash can or soap dish if you’re using a nautical theme. You can also hot glue flowers or other items on them to match the theme you’ve chosen.

Rather than spending a premium on coordinating decorations, save a little bit of money by creating your own artwork for the bathroom. Use a closed shadow box with items that match your theme, rather than a painting which can be damaged by the moisture in the bathroom. You can also find non-traditional items as conversation-starting bathroom decorations.

Find an antique mirror to replace the plain beveled mirror that was in there. An old window frame can be modified by adding a mirror where the glass should be. Either of these inexpensive ideas can change the way your bathroom looks without breaking the budget.

Improve or change the lighting in the bathroom. Most bathrooms are small and dark but they don’t have to be. Place the new lighting on a dimmer so you can increase lighting while applying make-up or reduce it to create a spa-like atmosphere when you’re soaking in the tub.

Even small bathrooms deserve a makeover once in a while. By using these inexpensive ways to dress up your bathroom, you can make changes and not break your budget. Be creative and you can probably think of other ways to dress up the smallest and often used room of your house.

Maybe it’s the same everywhere, but here in the South you start seeing Christmas decorations in the stores not long after the back-to-school sales are over. You might even find some stores that have Halloween decorations, Thanksgiving decorations, and Christmas decorations separated only by an aisle. Yep, you can take care of all of your holiday decorating needs at one time and at one store.

It’s not uncommon to see outside decorations in the South. Painted deer sculptures with garland and lights stand guard on lawns. You may find Santa waving from the porch and ten foot snow globes. Don’t forget to look for the Grinch on other lawns to give you an idea of how the homeowner feels about Christmas.

One thing you may see in the South that you may not see in other parts of the country are decorated doors. Homeowners wrap their entry doors with wrapping paper. Find an extra wide wrapping paper, wide enough to go around your door, and tape it so the tape can’t be seen. If you can’t find wrapping paper large enough, piece it together the best you can. Then find a large ribbon and bow to cover any seams. If the wrapping paper is too much for you, you can also use only the ribbon and bow to give a simpler look that won’t block your being able to see out of your door windows.

Some people in the South go overboard when it comes to Christmas lights. Not only are there major attractions with thousands of lights, but some individuals will do something similar but on a smaller scale. It’s not uncommon for Southerners to drive around in a city to see the many homes that have Christmas lights.

Wreaths are popular Christmas decorations all over the world. In the South you may find Christmas wreaths with Magnolia flowers in them regardless of the fact that Magnolias are no longer in bloom in the winter. You can also find them with greenery and pine cones along with normal Christmas ornaments.

Gingerbread houses are common decorations at Christmas time. Some gingerbread houses are large enough to be placed as centerpieces. Children can create smaller gingerbread houses to decorate Christmas trees. Look online to find directions to make them out of clean white meat trays or foam board, cereal boxes, and t-shirt paints.

Even though it’s rare to have snow at Christmas in the South, that doesn’t mean Southerners don’t enjoy the holidays. Deep South decorations for Christmas aren’t really that different from other areas in the country. They may have their own Southern charm, but that’s how people in the South are, too.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
6 links spicy pork sausage, sliced
1 cup water
2 pounds frozen green beans
Seasoning salt to taste

Instructions:

Sauté the garlic and onion until tender. Add sausage to skillet and brown all over. Add 1 cup of water and bring to a boil. Now add the green beans. Cover, reduce to a simmer and let cook for about 30 minutes until green beans are ready. You may need to add a little more water about half way if it starts to get low. Season to your tastes.