QUICKER FIXER-UPPERS: HOME CECORATING UPDATES TAKE JUST A LITTLE MONEY, TIME AND IMAGINATION

Decoupage can transform an ordinary box.

A plate can become a decoration with decoupage.

A plain vase can show character with fabric decoupage.

Being stuck inside on cold winter days can offer the opportunity for easy home decorating updates.

"This is the season when we stay in more," said Jane Curl at Witness Designs in Cape Girardeau. "If we're going to be home, we should make home more comfortable."

Quick decorating fixes are possible at little or no cost with just a little thought and imagination.

"If you are locked inside, so to speak, you might start looking at your rooms and rearranging furniture pieces," Curl suggested.

Furniture can be shifted to create conversation areas or so the television and audio-visual equipment is more functional.

Small changes can make a big difference. For example, tabletop accessorizing can be done by rearranging items you already own. For example, place antique books or books you enjoy in groups of three or five, with some laid down and other standing up. Add accessories like decorative boxes or photographs.

Bring out throws or quilts that have been passed down in the family.

"They are not only functional for curling up in front of the TV," Curl said "But they can be a design statement. They can be an accessory on a sofa or chair and will change the appearance of the home."

Also new accent pillows can give rooms an inexpensive new look.

"I think plants always add a lot of personality," Curl said. "They liven up the home and are very inexpensive."

Along the same lines, consider purchasing or making silk or dry floral arrangements to change a tabletop.

"I guess even though it's still cold people are thinking about spring," she said. "Flowers can be used all year round to warm up the home and make it feel alive again."

Take a look at the bathroom. Since the room is small, big changes won't cost as much. Consider purchasing oversized towels and coordinating pictures for the walls.

Since the Christmas decorations have been put away, take a look at the mantel. Consider leaning a picture against the wall rather than hanging it. Add a unique floral arrangement and a grouping of different candlesticks.

Go through closets and look for things that have been stored away which can be dusted off or updated and used.

Alice Whittaker at Hobby Lobby said today's craft kits make updating items easy and almost fool-proof.

Decoupage, popular years ago, has made a comeback. Whittaker said the new technique is much easier.

Before putting away all the Christmas decorations, consider setting aside pretty wrapping paper or greeting cards for decoupage. Cut part of a design and decoupage it to the top of an old box. Or use fabric to recover and decoupage an old vase or lamp base.

Worn or battered pieces of furniture can get a new look with a coat of paint or two. Painting kits are available to give tables, chairs, ceramics or glass the look of marble, tortoise shell or even inlaid wood.

"A lot of the guess work has been taken out of it," Whittaker said. "Even a beginner could do it."

Stenciling can give furniture, accessories or whole rooms a new look. Again kits and how-to books make the process easier than ever, Whittaker, said. For those afraid to open a can of paint, try rub-on stencils.

One or two new pieces can also make a big change in a home's look. For example, a unique antique item can be the basis of a whole room make-over. "As soon a you place something somewhere, something else has to move," Curl said.