When I was pregnant with my little girl, I imagined the grandest, most beautiful, elaborate nursery for her- complete with a one of a kind crib, exquisite bedding, and a chandelier.
WELL. That didn’t happen. Let’s just face it- I didn’t have the money to throw a few thousand dollars and my beautiful dream nursery. Thank you pinterest for both inspiring me, then crushing my soul by showing me things I can’t have, like the carrot dangling in front of the horse that can never be reached. In fact, I didn’t even have a few hundred dollars to put into a nursery. So I came up with my own dream nursery on a budget, and I don’t think it turned out half bad! In fact, I think it is kinda cute 🙂 (Maybe I am biased? Oh well, I don’t care!)
My only complaint is never having money to do what I want is that in our rental home, we are kinda stuck with the plain walls and floor, or I would have changed that in a SNAP! But hey, you work with what you’ve got, right?
So first I had to find some inspiration. At my shower, I was presented with this BEAUTIFUL, hand-sewn baby quilt from one of my really sweet friends, Carla.
I loved all of these colors together! The orange, lime green, cherry pink, and light pink. Using this kind of style for color inspiration, I went from there and added pink and orange polka dotted sheets, and a green bumper to my crib. (Which I would have gotten hand me down from KSL, but have AWESOME In-laws who purchased this beautiful crib and changing table combo from Target!)
Over the crib I hung the little flowers and bird which I hand painted. They are actually hooks but I have not hung anything on them yet. Yes, I know my baby is almost two years old now and I still don’t have anything on those hooks. The photo makes it a little difficult to see the white bird in the middle there, but let’s face it, I am just not an expert at fixing photos or anything like that, hence the imperfect photo here 🙂
Then to add some personality and “baby flair” I sat some of our favorite stuffed animals. The old style Mickey we actually picked out on our honeymoon thinking “someday we will give this to our first child!” Who knew that would be less than a year later?? Hehehehehe.
Over on the opposite wall from the crib I have re-used my old standing dresser from when I was growing up. It is still in great condition! How did that happen? If you need a little dresser or something I definitely recommend trying to re-purpose some of your own older furniture, or going to garage sales and consignment shops to find something. You save a TON of money and often will find unique items no one else would have! A great way to add personality to a nursery.
I just sit her stuffed animals in a basket in the corner. She has so many of them, but she absolutely loves her “babies.” Against the other side I have a little stool that I actually found at a convention I selling at with the Urban Mommy Boutique. One of the other vendors was willing to barter with me for it. Best thing ever! It is one of my favorite items in her room! Plus I love the green, it just matched so perfectly!
Another fun way to add a little pop of fun to your nursery for super cheap is by getting name blocks. You can find the unfinished blocks for extremely cheap- as cheap as 50 cents a piece depending on where you go! Or if you are not a DIY-er and want the finished product, I also sell custom lettering in my shop. If you don’t see any available, just message me and I am MORE than happy to make a custom order that is ready to go, just for you! (Sorry for the sales pitch, but I do make some cute letters for a reasonable price!) These ones were actually made for me by my cousin who owns Sophie’s Treasures. I love them!
I also had to add just a few girly things like the pink diamond and the pink piggy bank! (It is never to early to start teaching to save money, right?) The Momiji Doll is one of the most unique items we put in there. They are beautifully-crafted “message” dolls. When I first had Sydney, my grandmother mailed a Momiji Doll down for both me and Sydney. This one still has the message tucked right inside for her, so she always has a piece of her great-grandmother (Gigi) with her!
The other thing that is great about having a baby is that you are suddenly qualified to enter like…..a million different contests, drawings, and other miscellaneous things that offer free products. I entered a drawing on instagram through Oilo Studios and they were giving away prizes from different American based companies. I ended up WINNING!! (What? Did that actually happen? It still feels like a dream!) And I got this fantastic alligator growth chart from Numi Numi Designs. Easily one of the most exciting things in my little girl’s room! And best of all, I saved money because it was free! So if you are looking to pinch some pennies and still have cute stuff, don’t rule out contests! They are not always the best bet, but every once in a while you will get lucky! I sure did 🙂
I keep most of the toys stored in the closet, and at some point I will do a post on keeping them all organized because it is truly such a hassle! Little land mines everywhere if you don’t have a system! Overall this room was absolutely simple and cost next to nothing. As I add more things I will be sure to post them and keep you all updated! I also have a few more ideas on creative ways to save money with nursery/bedroom design on pinterest, if you are also looking for insperation! I guess all that really matters is that the inhabitant is happy with the living space, and what can I say? she adores it! Go Mom! (Don’t mind the hair-do. #MessyHairDon’tCare )
