Tips from Home & Garden Television programs (www.hgtv.com):

••Building a desk, shelves or closet doors is an inexpensive way to get your clutter out of sight. No matter how well your place is decorated, organization is key to showing off your great designs.

••Create a dramatic focal point in your bedroom by building a headboard. It grounds the space and sets the tone for the entire decor. Headboards are the perfect combination of form and function. They can be created out of any imaginable material, including hardwood with wrought iron inlays, illuminated acrylic and fabric panels.

••Save tons of money by sewing your own pillows, window treatments or bedding.

••Rugs pull the whole room together, adding warmth, color and design to a space. Get creative and make a rug, or head to your nearest carpet store and ask to see the remnants. You also can save money by buying smaller versions of your chosen rug and putting them together to form one big rug.

••The "Design on a Dime" experts consider the ceiling the ''fifth wall.'' Paint it, add beams or install a fun light fixture that continues the design upward.

••You can make a space bigger, brighter or better without spending a fortune or tearing a room apart. Make windows look taller by mounting draperies high on the wall or re-center an unbalanced room by moving the curtains and hardware a few feet to one side. You also can make low ceilings look higher by placing furniture vertically, so the eye follows the line up.

••Designing a room around a destination can be a lot of fun, but good design demands restraint. When decorating with a theme, keep it simple.