Regardless of the type of dwelling you live in, whether a small one-bedroom apartment or a large four-bedroom home, you don't have to run your checking account into the negative just to create a beautiful space. Although it may seem as if the economy is bouncing back, you may still need to be a penny-pincher for numerous reasons. Regardless of your situation, you can have a beautiful interior that is creative, unique and inexpensive. Here are some ideas to help you get started:

Getting Creative with Art

• Grab some of your old greeting cards that you've been saving with little to no words on the front and place them in a frame. These can go on the bathroom counter, on the dining room hutch or on the living room walls.

• Take last year's black-and-white (or colored) landscape calendar and create some inspirational artwork for the walls.

• Cover pieces of small blank canvas with mismatched, yet complementary patterns of fabric. You can do four of these and then place them on the wall in a square or a line with an inch or two between one another. You can also do this with regular picture frames instead of canvas to be even more frugal.

Adding Visual Appeal with Accent Pieces

• Instead of using curtain tiebacks made from metal or plastic, consider using a piece of satin ribbon in a complimentary, eye-popping color.

• Head to the flea market to pick up some bright-colored books (that you'll probably never even read) to place on your bookshelf. While you're at it, look for some plastic animals to paint with a bronze or metallic color to use as bookends.

• Take a bulletin board and cover in a piece of patterned fabric or paper. Then glue or tack flowers or pictures to it. You can even use it to leave notes to family members and to hold your grocery list instead of the fridge.

Making a Creative Movement with Furniture

• Get your hands on a vintage suitcase from an old thrift store or from your grandmother's stuff that you have packed away and use it to create an end table or a coffee table. All you need to do this is four inexpensive table legs that can be painted to the colors of your choosing, but try to make sure they somewhat match the surrounding decor and/or the suitcase.

• Turn your bookcase into a beautiful display by taking the shelves out, installing patterned or brightly-colored wallpaper along the back of it, and putting the shelves back in.

• Take an old dresser and make it new with some paint. You could take an entire paint chip card and use all of the colors to really make a statement piece. If you choose to do this, choose either the top or bottom color to be the main piece and then use the remaining colors on the drawers.

It's completely possibly to decorate your home creatively on a budget. You don't have to spend an arm and a leg to have some amazingly great décor. However, if you want a professional opinion on a room that you just don't even know where to begin with colors and decor, contact an interior designer in your area. He or she can help point you in the right direction and can even help you tie in those custom logo mats that you got for your birthday or Christmas with the rest of your home so that they don't stick out like a sore thumb.