Recession special: Redecorate your apartment for under $10

Looking for a cheap way to refurnish your apartment shelling out big bucks for new bean bag chairs or a few freshly woven macrame plant holders? Charlie Kratzer might have just the answer. The 53-year-old used $10 worth of Sharpies and magic markers to turn his boring cream-colored basement into a wonderous work of fine art featuring dipictions of George Seurat's Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte, Blenheim Palace, the Cornell Law School -- where Kratzer received his JD -- as well as William Shakespeare, The Marx Brothers, Kratzer's dad, Star Wars' R2D2, Rocky and Bullwinkle, and Sherlock Holmes.

Kratzer began the project mid-wall with The Salon by Picasso. Soon he'd covered the entire basement. Kratzer chose his subjects -- from Winston Churchill to Joan Crawford -- based on his love literature, art, and popular culture. It just goes to show -- perhaps more appropriate than ever in these rough economic times -- that a lot can be done with little more than a few bucks, a bit of creativity, a few obsessions, and your own two hands.

To see a cool 360-degree view of Kratzer's basement click here.

Previously > Annie Leibovitz's financial woes due to be queer?