Nursery Decor, on a Budget!

Hello, friends!

I really wish I had this blog a year ago when I was preparing for and decorating Jade’s room. I had SO much fun creating personal touches to add to her room decor. Did you know that babies are expensive? Did you just laugh out loud? If so, you must be a parent!  But still, we didn’t have a lot to spend to get her room ready for her. Even though her room has been done for quite awhile, I thought I’d share my 2 cents about nursery decor, on a budget! But first, here’s a few pictures of what her room looks like.

I really wanted a peach and mint room. I decided to paint the walls peach, with accents of mint and gray throughout the room.

I just couldn’t cut that little peanut out of the picture! She counts as decor too, right?

The adorable tree picture above this shelf was a gift from the hostesses at my baby shower. All the guests used their thumbprint and signed their name as the tree leaves! I love how it turned out.

My favorite part of the room, the dresser! I’ll go into more detail on that in a minute.

This teething rail guard on the crib is amazing. Not that she’s using it yet, but is it weird that I’m actually excited for her to? Mainly because I made it and for cheap! It’s just fleece cut and tied on. I used this tutorial at Jane Marie Photography. Incredibly easy! I saw a cute rail guard that matched my bedding that I wanted to get, but for $30! No thank you, I’ll make my own for $5 instead. I still need to make ones for the crib sides, but I’ll cross that bridge when we get there. I fear that will be way. too. soon.

Ok, so the dresser. Isn’t it pretty?

 I had seen so many cute colored dressers on Pinterest, and I had to have one. I got onto Craigslist and found an old sturdy wooden dresser for $50. I brought it home and got to work! Since I was pregnant and really didn’t feel like putting any time or energy into sanding, I found this amazing primer. No sanding required!

It’s called Zinsser Cover Stain Primer, and I found it at Home Depot.  If you were being lazy like me, seriously use this primer. Just be careful, it’s oil based so it’s messy. Use a brush you can throw away, there’s no point in trying to save it! I think it was $8 for the quart. Well worth it!

I decided to keep the old looking handles, as I thought it gave the dresser character. This minty dresser probably cost me about $65 total (with paint and primer), which is FAR less than some I’ve seen for a few hundred! And because it was old, it’s super well made with sturdy wood, which I wanted since it also doubles as our changing station.

Finding cute wall art can sometimes get expensive. So, why not take advantage of free printables on Pinterest?

 I found a couple sayings, a couple Bible verses, and some butterflies that I printed on card stock. Then, I went to one of my favorite places, Goodwill, and found these 7 frames. I spray painted them all white and, voila! Wall art that cost a total of about $18. The spoon on the bottom was a gift, and it has Jade’s name and birth date.

Jade’s mobile is a little different than most mobiles. We didn’t really have a “theme” or “animal” per say for her decor, so we decided to have a few butterflies around the room.

 This was actually a wind chime that I found on clearance at TJ Maxx, for only $7.99. Score!  It had bells hanging on the butterflies, but I took them off. It was originally a copper color, so I painted the chains and ring silver, and  the butterflies mint. We used a sturdy hook in the ceiling to hang it from.

Jade loves to touch the butterflies when we’re getting ready for naps. Who says a mobile needs to play music and wind up/rotate? As long as it’s visually interesting, it still gives the baby something to look at!

I love this wall art hanging above her crib because it’s so simple. Can you guess where the frame is from? Yep, Goodwill! This frame has gotten a ton of use – we used it in our maternity pictures, and I use it to take Jade’s monthly growth pictures as well! I just spray painted it white.

I had also found a pack of three new canvases at Goodwill for $3, so I used one and found this gray chevron fabric to cover it with. I then cut a “J” out of cardboard, and wrapped it in pretty mint yarn. The orange butterfly I found in a 4 pack at Michael’s for $2 on clearance. Not only was it easy, but it’s cute! (And cheap!)

I am in love with these gorgeous coffee filter flowers! They were really cheap and easy to make, too. Coffee filters are under $2 for 200+, so you really can’t go wrong. I followed this tutorial from U Create to make them.

Then, I painted the inside of a mason jar with mint paint, and added a piece of leftover chevron fabric to make it a little more exciting. I also glued on one of those cute little butterflies! this probably cost me $3 to make, since I had most of the materials. The little tray was a Goodwill find, too!

Banners are amazing and easy decor. And, they’re super cute! I made these using a free banner printable from Shanty 2 Chic. I printed the letters out on a peach colored paper, then cut larger triangles in a pretty gray fabric to glue behind. Clothes pins from the Dollar Store are a great way to hang it from twine. I added another one of those butterflies for a little extra excitement, and done!

I just used wooden push pins to hang it on the wall, and tried to cover them a little by tying a bow with the twine.

Books are another great decor item for cheap. Chances are you’ll get plenty for your little one, so stack them flat for a more fun way to store and display them.

Have you seen those beautiful Pottery Barn wooden ruler growth charts? They are amazing, but spendy. I think I saw them for $60! I really wanted one for Jade’s room, and I had the perfect little wall to put it on. However, I wasn’t about to pay that much.

SO, like any good DIYer, I made my own! You can find the tutorial to my growth chart here and make your own, too!

There are so many ways that you can decorate a nursery (or really, any room!) on a budget. It just takes a little creativity and time, but in the end, it’s so worth it! I think it makes you appreciate the room more too, because it’s  your OWN handiwork! Maybe someday Jade will appreciate it too. 🙂 Hope you all have a great rest of the week!

Do you have any nursery decorating tips for a budget?

(To see more fabulous kid’s room decorating ideas, visit HERE!)

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