Kristan Cunningham's style of do-it-yourself design has never been more relevant, or in demand than it is now. With less money to spend and more free time at home, design enthusiasts are taking on projects themselves and looking to designers like Kristan for tips on the easiest and most budget friendly changes they can make to their homes.

"The biggest bang for your buck will always be paint. It may take a weekend, but a space can be entirely transformed for under $100," attests Kristan. "And don't underestimate the power of rethinking and rearranging the things you already have."

It's intuitive thinking like this that caught the attention of Home and Garden Television, who in 2003 named Kristan the host of their new show Design on a Dime. Kristan knew it was sink or swim, and she was determined to be successful. "I encourage people to learn as they go along because that's exactly how I did it. First week on the job, I had the boys show me how to use a chop saw and by the next week I was making projects that incorporated miter cuts."

Soon after Design on a Dime wrapped, Kristan was approached by television personality Rachael Ray to join her new syndicated talk show. "I knew immediately that I wanted to work with Rachael Ray. She launched her television career making dinner accessible, affordable and fun. That's exactly my approach to design." In 2006, Kristan became a Rachael Ray content buddy, providing clever, easy and affordable design solutions to viewers. She was an immediate hit with fans of the show.

Kristan's work with Rachael Ray has led to a variety of other projects. She designed a pop-up restaurant for an event Ray hosted with President Clinton, participated in Hollywood Life Magazine's "Young Hollywood Home", assisted at numerous Habitat for Humanity builds and designed a wedding for 40 brides in Houston's Minute Maid Park. The people she meets on each project become like family to Kristan. "I love the comradery that forms on a jobsite so, after hundreds of them, I still cry at the end of every single project."

In 2009, Kristan joined a new family when U.S. furniture retailer, Raymour & Flanigan, asked her to become a design consultant, providing tips and advice to customers. When asked her opinion on a worth while decorating splurge Kristan's quick to answer. "Good white sheets. I value my sleep time immensely and it's worth every penny to wake up deliriously happy thanks to delicious bedding. The white part is important because it's classic and bleachable, which is imperative if you make a habit of eating in bed and sleeping in mascara. I do both."

This year Kristan has partnered with AOL's new home and garden website, Shelterpop.com as a key expert in home decorating. She also released Punch! Weekend Project with Kristan Cunningham software with over 100 minutes of simple step-by-step video tutorials.

All of Kristan's endeavors have one common goal, teaching clients and viewers to "Live a Little Lovelier". That's what Kristan has been striving for since her childhood in West Virginia. "I knew from the time I was a young girl that I wanted to be a designer. So after school I moved to LA and started out assisting designers and running showrooms until I landed my dream job with a renowned kitchen design firm in LA's trendy Design District."

It's from there that her career expanded into television, books and the Internet. But with all the success Kristan has achieved what makes her happiest is simple. "The best part of my job is when people tell me how proud they are of their work. But what's even better is when they tell me they had fun doing it. That is when I know I have made a difference in someone's life."