Colorado-born Morgan is a grad student, full time employee, and bourgeoning jewelry designer. On top of all that, she’s a serious crafter and decorates her Berkeley home with her own handiwork.

Paying her way through grad school hasn’t stopped Morgan from decorating her home to her liking: she crafts most of her decor to cut down on costs and amp up style.

“Why pay $100 for something that I can make myself?,” she asked while touring me around her North Berkeley bungalow.

Her collected home is rich in sentiment (think: a velvet quilt made by her grandma, an award-winning quilt-maker out of Wyoming) and brimming with natural beauty (there are always fresh flowers somewhere in the house).

Join me on this tour of Morgan’s cozy Berkeley bungalow for inspiration on decorating on a budget.

On her photo collage:

“I’ve had a lot of the photos for a long time. Some are prints that I made in my printmaking class in college; kodak pictures that I took when I was in college of my friends and family; a few from a stationary store in Seattle. The ones from the stationary store — the french press print and the butcher’s cut — they’re supposed to be wrapping paper but I really liked how they looked.”

On her bed:

“I have the world’s comfiest bed. The mattress is so comfortable, I have a white duvet color that makes me feel like I’m in a hotel room.”

And yes, she crafted the woven wall hangings over her bed — are you surprised? Check out this tutorial on how to make your own.

On her style quirks:

“Putting things in 3s and 5s is a style choice and I’ve come to realize I have a lot of things in threes.”

These cross stitch frames appropriately hang in her bathroom above the toilet. Make your own following Jezebel’s DIY guide or check out this and this ready-to-go wall art on Etsy.

On adding life to your home:

“I always have fresh flowers in my apartment. It makes me really happy. I like having living things around me; water them; see how they change. Some of my succulents I’ve had for 6 years. Every week I either get fresh flowers or eucalyptus: I have eucalyptus dried hanging in my shower and have another dried in a vase in my room. It’s just a little gift to myself every week.”

On living alone:

“I like to do things on my own, I like to spend time by myself. I look forward to coming home and cooking in my apartment, I talk and and sing out loud to myself in my apartment. I laugh out loud to myself at things that I think in my head: I think them in my head, then laugh out loud — if there was a hidden camera, it would look crazy but it’s really fun.”