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Do you remember your first place? When my husband and I first got married, we lived in a one-bedroom apartment that had two closets and a living room so small my husband could stretch out his arms and almost touch both walls. In a word, tiny.

Even though there were times we felt we were tripping over each other, we often got compliments on how nice and (surprise!) even roomy our place looked. It wasn’t until we  crammed in 20 people for parties that our guests would realize they were actually in a crackerbox.

Decorating small spaces isn’t hard, it just takes a bit more strategy. Instead of just making decisions based on what you like, you have to think about how everything will affect the space, meaning how much it looks like there is.

One common thing I see a lot of people do is cram big, bulky furniture into a room that screams for sleek lines. Just because you had two armchairs in your old living room doesn’t mean you need two chairs in your new, smaller one. And if your round dining room table with 8 chairs makes it hard to walk through your dining room, it’s time to pare down to a rectangle table with 4 chairs.

Dark colors are another way to instantly make a room feel smaller. When it comes to creating the illusion of space, it’s all about light. You want light, airy colors on the walls. Window treatments should also be light and airy, to allow more natural light in.

And the easiest way to make a room (any room) look larger? Simplify! That’s means taking a good, hard look at all the things you have in the room and asking yourself if you really need it all. What things are just collecting dust? What things can be better used in another room? The fewer knickknacks and accessories you have, the more open the room will feel.

So even if you don’t have the most space, there are ways to make the most of it, and make your house feel more like a home, less like a shoebox.

I’ve told you before how I love find new ways to use ordinary things I have in my home. Today I’m going to share a few more with you, though I can’t claim credit for them. These are things I’ve seen in magazines, on the Web, even in my friends’ homes - and I just couldn’t wait to try them in my home.

The first is using a toothbrush holder as a flower vase. Use a toothbrush holder with a covered top that has four holes in it. Stick a flower in each hole and voila, instant flower arrangement. Of course, before you try this you’ll want to make sure all of the dried toothpaste is scrubbed off the holder.

The next idea is using wineglasses as candle holders. Using glasses with a thick wall, place votive candles inside. Use sand or very small pebbles to create an earthy bed for the candles to lie in. The look is interesting, elegant and romantic.

One unique idea is to use binder clips to display photos or postcards. You can either stand the clips on their metal legs and insert the picture into the clip, or have the clip lying flat-side down with the pictures in between the metal legs. This has a very modern look to it. You will want to use smaller pictures, as large ones would fold over.

And you know those bulletin board squares you usually use to tack up notes or bills on? Repurpose them into jewelry holders. Decorative push pins add some glamour, and then you can hang up your necklaces, bracelets and earrings.

So there you have it, just a few of the creative ways you can use everyday items. Cheaper than buying the real thing, and you’ll feel so decoratively clever, even if the ideas did come from a magazine or website. I won’t tell.

Happy decorating, Amy