Victorian articles on home décor appealed not only to the creative-minded but also to the budget-minded. Magazines offered a host of tips on decorating one's home with inexpensive materials and hand-made items, often using discarded products that might otherwise be wasted. The Victorian lady with a bit of imagination could contrive a waste paper basket or a flower-pot from a discarded tin, or a basket from a collection of pine cones. Though one also starts to wonder, from the number of articles on how to make things like wall pockets and decorative baskets and such, whether friends of such creative types didn't perhaps begin to dread Christmas...

Brackets, Shelves, Mantels, etc., by Mrs. C.S. Jones & Henry Williams (Household Elegancies, 1875)

Shelves and brackets of carved wood, false marble, and natural elements such as leaves, pine cones, seeds, etc.

Picture Frames, by Mrs. C.S. Jones & Henry Williams (Household Elegancies, 1875)

Elegant frames of straw, carved wood, faux carved wood, coral, beans and corn, pine-cones, barley, leaves and many other elements.

Shades and Screens, by Mrs. C.S. Jones & Henry Williams (Household Elegancies, 1875)

Patterns and instructions for lamp shades, fireplace screens and privacy screens.

Wall-Pockets, by Mrs. C.S. Jones & Henry Williams (Household Elegancies, 1875)

Wall-pockets were a popular Victorian craft project, and designed to hold papers, books, needlework, magazines, gloves, sponges - you name it!

Work-Boxes and Baskets, by Mrs. C.S. Jones & Henry Williams (Household Elegancies, 1875)

Instructions for a variety of baskets for needlework, toiletries, keepsakes and more.

Home-Made Rugs (Demorest, 1879)

Some Pretty Umbrella Stands or Waste Paper Holders, by Lida and M.J. Clarkson (Ingalls' Home Magazine, 1888)

Spools in Decoration (Ingalls' Home Magazine, 1888)

Articles for the Toilette Table (Needle & Brush, 1889)

A bag for hairpins, hairpin receivers, comb and toothbrush cases, and more.

Chair Decorations and Cushions (Needle & Brush, 1889)

Decorated Easel (Needle & Brush, 1889)

Decorated Thermometers (Needle & Brush, 1889)

Ways to decorate a thermometer meant to be hung indoors to measure the temperature.

Draping a Mantel (Needle & Brush, 1889)

Fancy Frames for Mirrors and Pictures (Needle & Brush, 1889)

Fancy Lambrequins (Needle & Brush, 1889)

Fans, Adapted to Use and Ornament (Needle & Brush, 1889)

Jewelled Ware (Needle & Brush, 1889)

How to create items in a jewelled rococo style.

Lambrequins, by Lida and M.J. Clarkson (Ingalls' Home Magazine, 1889)

On the Table (Needle & Brush, 1889)

Ideas for a table runner and decorated tiles (as trivets).

On the Writing Desk (Needle & Brush, 1889)

Ideas for items to craft for the writing desk, including pen-wipers, blotters, blotter-holders, and a paperweight.

Practical Paper Pockets (Needle & Brush, 1889)

A variety of wall-pockets to store papers and magazines.

A Pretty Clock-Case (Needle & Brush, 1889)

Sideboard and Shelf Drapery (Needle & Brush, 1889)

Tables and Table-Covers (Needle & Brush, 1889)

Wall Decorations, Calendars and Screens (Needle & Brush, 1889)

Gesso Work, by E. Crossley (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1890)

Old Tins and Their Uses (Girl's Own Paper, 1890)

From flower-pots to bottle tidies, it's amazing what one can do with old tin cans!

Ornamental and Useful Knick-Knacks (Girl's Own Paper, 1894)

Some quick and easy craft projects, including how to make a basket out of paper.

Cloissone: An Easy Mode of Decorating Items for the Home (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1892)

Fancy Flowerpots (Girl's Own Paper, 1894)

Pretty Lamp Shades, by C. O'Conor Eccles (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1895)

How to make a chrysanthemum-shaped lamp shade.

Some Home-Made Effects (Girl's Own Paper, 1895)

Ideas for dressing up a fireplace mantel.

Star-Drift Work, by Pamela Bullock (Girl's Own Paper, 1896)

"A simple and effective way to decorate shabby furniture, old boxes and picture frames."

How to Contrive and Decorate a Coffer or Linen Press, by Fred Miller (Girl's Own Paper, 1899)

What to Do With a Butter Tub, by Fred Miller (Girl's Own Paper, 1900)

How to turn a butter tub into an attractive pot or planter.

Pretty Yet Inexpensive Furniture (Girl's Own Paper, 1902)

Tips on creating some lovely small pieces for the home with simple tools and supplies.

Screens with Shelves: How to Make and Decorate Them, by Fred Miller (Girl's Own Paper, 1902)

See also:

• Hand-Made Furniture

• Interior Decorative Painting & Stenciling