The onset of a brand-new year brings longing for fresh, new and exciting additions to our lives…and our homes.

While you may dream of refurnishing the living room, or renovating the second bathroom, it's not always a practical resolution - especially after the financial burdens of the holiday season.

Why not turn over a new leaf this year? Resolve to redecorate using what you already have around the house, or what you can easily find at local thrift stores or rummage sales. With a little ingenuity you can have a whole new look for your home and garden this year — without all the damage to your pocketbook.

Reuse

There are many ways to reuse containers, furniture, fabric and such within the home and garden. Here are a few of my favourites:

· Can't part with your old sweatshirt? Don't! The number one way to create a new look without having to change furniture and paint colour, is to add accent pieces. In other words, change throw pillows and wall art. Turn old shirts with cool prints, or even old beaded prom dresses into great new pillow covers. Or stretch fabric around wooden canvas frames (these can be found at art supply stores for a few dollars), using a staple gun, to create fabulous wall art.

Trend tip: hang four small frames together to make one big square.

· Instead of throwing out old suitcases, use them for dust-free storage space. If they aren't the best-looking suitcases, stack them in the basement or closet. For an attractive décor trick, display antique suitcases in the living room or bedroom. To help you remember what is stored inside, attach tags to the handles.

· Do you have candles that have come in containers? Of course you do! Once the wick is burnt out there is always leftover wax around the edge of the container. You have two options here. Place the container in a pot or shallow pan with boiling water (there only needs to be enough water to cover the bottom third of the container). The wax will melt quickly. Remove the container, add a wick and let the now melted wax harden; or pour out the wax, clean the container and use it for another purpose.

· Don't underestimate the power of an old soup can! Jokes aside, lining up five soup cans (that have been cleaned and have had the labels removed) in a row look great. Use as vases, or planters (wheat grass looks especially nice against the raw metal).

Refinish

You'd be surprised how different a room can look with refinished furniture and wall treatments. Here are a few realistic and simple ideas:

· Gone are the days of tacky wallpaper. For a quick room refresher, use wallpaper to add colour, pattern and depth. Instead of undertaking the huge task of wallpapering the whole room, simply wallpaper one wall to change the décor of the room and add pizzazz. For another option add wallpaper to all the walls, but only from the floor to about four feet up (cover the harsh line from wallpaper to paint with a strip of wood molding).

· You may be sick of that bookshelf or bureau, but don't get rid of it. You'd be surprised what fresh coat of paint can do! Changing the colour of a piece of furniture can give the piece a brand-new look. Feeling really creative? Paint a pattern or picture onto it.

· Instead of adding colour, think about taking it off. Whether you sand a piece of furniture to give it a shabby chic/worn look, or sand the colour off completely, this is an easy way to revamp existing furniture. If the object is wood, think about sanding off colour and then staining. If you're sanding a metal object (chairs, filing cabinet), take the colour off completely and varnish with a clear protective paint - the modern look of raw metal looks fantastic.

· While it seems obvious, not enough people use this trick… Simply change the hardware! In other words, change handles on doors, knobs on drawers and cupboards, and light fixtures. These small things can make a big difference.

Repurpose

Think outside of the box when deciding how to repurpose your home décor. Look at an object and try to see other uses for it. Here are some ideas to get you started:

· As I've said time and time again, changing the look of throw pillows can change the look of a room, with little work or effort. Don't get rid of pillows you already have, simply repurpose them by sewing new pillow covers, or by adding trim or tassels.

· Old filing cabinets and library card filing drawers are great storage pieces. Store craft supplies, sweaters, toys and more within the modern-looking metal pieces of furniture.

· Old towels and bedding can be repurposed to make bedding for your pets. Simply line a basket with the old material.

· Old boxes you have lying around can be covered in fabric or paper to use as display boxes. Shoeboxes are the perfect size to hold photos.

Have any old baskets hidden in storage? Show them the light! Baskets can be used for lots of purposes around the house. Fill a basket with toilet paper rolls in the bathroom, or slippers at the front door. Fill it with soil and plant a herb garden in the kitchen. Use it to store magazines in the living room. The possibilities are endless…

· Do you have old doors, windows, frames of stained glass, shutters in your basement? Bring them back upstairs! Polish them up, and using wire and screw-hooks, hang them from the ceiling to a desired height. They look beautiful hung in front of windows, and when hung low in a room, can help to separate the room's space.

· You can change the function and look of a bookshelf/entertainment unit with fabric. Simply make curtains for the furniture, and the piece can now act as extra clothing, shoe or knick-knack storage in a bedroom.

· While this may sound odd to some of you out there, old curtains can be sewn together to make beautiful duvet covers. Odd, yes, but you'd be surprised how nice this looks.