When I received my official license last September, I thought I wouldn’t be able to drive well into being 16 years old. At the time, the only available car was used by my older brother, who had no inclination to share his chariot or a bus system at his school. Therefore, when I blew the candles off of my birthday mochi, any thought of a car was noticeably absent from my mind.
That changed about a month and a half later when my father’s coworker was selling her old Mini Cooper—Sparky, she called it. I fell in love with Sparky as soon as I entered her garage. Sparky’s smooth red body with white stripes was beautiful; her key chain with vintage charms filled me with joy as I twirled them around my fingers.
Immediately, my Pinterest feed was seized by all things car decoration, from steering wheel covers to cherry-themed keychains and a little green tree air freshener. Alas, my nominal, minimum-wage paycheck just about covered my gas and savings account, so my dreams of making my car the epitome of my Pinterest board were highly limited.
Fortunately, over the past almost five months of driving Sparky, I have found many affordable ways to make her interior the most aesthetic environment possible.
1. DIY accessories
My car decor Pinterest board (named Sparky) is full of mirror ornaments—many of these being intricate, handmade works of crochet. While these certainly are works of art, they are a little too far out of my budget, and therefore, I have had to find other ways to decorate my dashboard. One easy way has been through my own crafts. Currently, my mirror holds a stack of ribbons and necklaces that I found around my house. If you don’t have these things lying around, you can find them at Michaels for a fairly cheap price and a possibly more polished look.
2. Affordable trinkets
Though a good majority of my Sparky board is full of costly Etsy products, it’s very easy to find more affordable ones on Amazon or at the mall. I got my Lego Batman keychain at the Woodland Mall Lego Store for just over $6. I also plan on investing in a Sonny Angel Hipper, which can be found at Woodland Mall or online for $5-$15. These cute accessories can be placed on your rearview mirror, or turning signal, or can also be lobotomized with a trusty silver eye screw to add to your keychain charm collection.
Additionally, I have found cute and affordable air fresheners for under $10 on Amazon. These detachable flowers add an appealing detail to my dashboard while also providing a fresh scent to poor Sparky, a victim of my pungent softball equipment.
3. Stickers
While it seems a simple recommendation, stickers on your dashboard, visor, or mirror can be a very charming detail. A friend of mine has a small sticker reading “passenger princess” on her passenger seat’s visor mirror, which I find very endearing. I like to put them on the non-mirror part of the visor. Stickers can be found for a good price on Amazon or at any local grocery or craft store.
Though it might be hard to achieve your Pinterest board on a budget, these small additions may help you personalize your space in a simple but endearing way. I’ve found that all of these ornaments have not only counteracted the softball stench, but given her a cute new interior with decor elements I’ve even posted to my Pinterest account.
