*Editors Note: Check your lease agreement for specific guidelines for your situation.

Decorating walls seems to be a huge dilemma for some home decorators, but it need not be. Here are a few quick and easy ways to dress up your walls, on a budget!

The most common mistake most people make when decorating their walls is to sprinkle things around just to fill empty space.

Solution: Draw an imaginary rectangle on the main focal wall in the room you wish to dress up. Fill that rectangle with a grouping of related art, such as portraits, plates, or clocks. This makes a stronger impact for the room than the "sprinkle" effect.

If you have dozens of different sized frames and pictures, tie them together by painting the frames all the same color. Black gives an elegant touch to any style décor. White is very fresh, and a bright color can be found in a contemporary design.

*Consider using stencils to add detail and design to your walls. It’s easy, relatively fast, and inexpensive. Pick up a simple design to wrap around windows and doors, or to add detail to your painted "frames" around your wall art groupings.

Finally, look at unconventional items to use as wall art. A weathered piece of driftwood accents over a doorway, or an old wooded box can hang as a curio cabinet. Simple wooded blocks can be attached to the wall as candleholders or display shelves. Your children’s christening dress can be hung as memory art, or you can frame a piece of the maternity dress you loved while you were pregnant with your youngest. Use your imagination!

Decorating walls doesn’t have to be daunting, just use these easy ideas to get you started!