Do you live in a rental or just want to update your old kitchen without spending a lot?  Here are some quick tips on how to update your kitchen.  I’ll use my own before and after pictures as an example.  In my case, I live in a house built in 1955 and the kitchen tile to match.  Instead of fighting the color scheme, which I did for years, I finally embraced it with a few little tricks:

 

 

 

 

• Made new kitchen curtains
  • I used a Jo-Ann’s gift card I got for something, shopped in-store and used multiple coupons in order to get the best deal.
  • I followed basic instructions like these at ehow.com
    

 

 

 

 

• Changed out the world’s ugliest cabinet knobs to these charming and vintage-looking glass knobs I found on Amazon (12 pieces for $12.99.  Fabulous price!)

 

 

Put the ugly ones in a sandwich bag, stuff it in the back of your kitchen junk drawer and change out the knobs to the old ones when you move.

 

 

 

 

• De-clutter, de-clutter, de-clutter!
  • I cleaned out all my shelves, threw out all the expired boxed and canned foods.
  • Donated old pots, pans, dishes, glasses and what felt like a billion coffee cups.  Got receipt and will get tax write-off!
  • Rearranged all my cupboards so I could put everything away and keep the counters neat and tidy.  Less clutter = cleaner lines.

 

 

• Crocheted and loom-knit a bunch of dish cloths and dish towels in the same color scheme.

 

 

Before:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After:

 

 

 

 

Added bonus I didn’t expect:  Not only do I feel like I have a new kitchen, but I actually like to cook in there, as well.  Who knew?

 

 

 

Happy Frugal Crafting!