Jessica Ackerman - If you have high-dollar tastes on a shoestring budget, don’t fret. There are many ways that you can dress up your walls without tapping into your child’s college fund or spending a small fortune. The tips that follow will help you to dress up your walls for less, while sticking with your love of cottage style decor. Yes, decorating your walls frugally yet beautifully is possible, and here’s how.

Although there are definitely many expensive mirrors out there, there are an equally large number of inexpensive ones. You can also make your own mirror by having the mirror cut at a hardware store, and then frame it with whatever suits your fancy, whether that's old beads from a broken necklace, wallpaper remnants, or decorative trim.

You can invariably decorate your walls “on the cheap” by using a stencil. Stenciling is fun and easy and you can stencil nearly any design as a border on the wall. From vines to grapes to other designs, you'll love the look of stenciling in your cottage style space. Add some grapes wall hangings near the stenciling to add a French cottage feel to the room. 

It's simple to make a DIY bulletin board that encompasses most of the wall. All you need is fabric, rickrack, buttons, ribbons, and embellishments. You can then use pins to tuck in various memorabilia, photos, or other items to bring your bulletin board to life. Or use magnetic paint to create a surface in the home office or elsewhere that is perfect for displaying your child’s artwork, report cards, and more. Another way to decorate your walls while keeping functionality in mind is to store a collection right on the wall, such as a quirky hat assortment.

Use old postcards to create a collage on your wall, or frame your postcard collection for a fun look. An out-of-date calendar often provides just the needed artwork for framing and hanging on your wall.