Last week I wrote about some cool camping-related items from the UsedOttawa website. Well, I’m still browsing. It’s been non-stop really. As some of you might already know, my family is venturing into a big home renovation. I’ve given myself the title of “chief decorator and ideas person” and so I’ve been scouring UsedOttawa for some great finds for our home.

There are a few things on my wish list (like a great big stove, and a money tree) but right now I’m trying to focus on thrifty and cool bedroom furniture ideas for my tween daughters.

At the moment I’ve got my eye on beds like this one:

… and turning them into something that looks like this.

That link goes to a website called Pinterest. Are you a Pinterest user? Pinterest is my other addition (besides UsedOttawa of course). Pinterest is a virtual inspiration board, and the cool thing about it is its social-media type features. You can share your inspiration boards and peek at other people’s. It’s a neverending magazine, with no beginning, middle or end. It’s a buffet of eye candy, so trust me when I say that you can spend many hours submerged in there.

Want to see more of the kind of thing I’m loving on Pinterest? You can see some of my “boards” here. (Don’t say I didn’t warn you about Pinterest’s addictive qualities.)

So here’s my plan. I’m going to comb UsedOttawa for great stuff, and then use Pinterest to nail down some colour and fabric ideas for those UsedOttawa finds. It’s a match made in heaven.

Although Pinterest has thousands of great examples of design and bedroom decor, there are also lots of links to DIY tutorials like this one for distressing furniture. (Check out the after photo! I think that’s something that’s actually within my grasp.) Woot!

Tell me, where do you find inspiration to decorate? Is it in a magazine? A store? Or somewhere else? More importantly, are you on Pinterest and UsedOttawa? What kind of things are YOU looking for?