Nursery Décor on a Budget

Baby Boy #3- Nursery

I am kind of cheap, cheap as in very thrifty.  Last year we (as in ME, but my husband stood next to me so I will give him a tiny bit of credit) gave birth to our third son.  By the third, things are a little bit different.  You’re not freaked out as much on buying all the latest and greatest new baby gadgets and reading all the baby books; instead you consume yourself with wondering how the heck you will wrangle all these kids together on a Disneyland outing without any help from your husband who works too many hours. 

At the last minute, we decided to work on a nursery (unlike the one we started at 5 months along with #1).  We took a vote and everyone decided on a “Robot/Planet/Rocket” theme.  After some searching a found an adorable crib bedding set from Target (cheap), but was quickly disappointed when I realized it was sold out online and in the store.  Thankfully, my sister and mother hold the title of “Queen of the Thrift Stores” and came across two brand new sets (Target sends their clearance to local thrift stores ALL the time) and two canvas pictures.  Score!

I then went to Craigslist (my best friend which I would marry if it were legal) and searched for some accessories like an Ikea green rug, chairs, and a mirror.  My sister found me a perfect solar system mobile from Pottery Barn which was a big hit with my older boys too.  And then the search began to find something that would fill the side wall.  After a lot of late nights on Pinterest and Etsy, I decided to get the boys to help out.  They drew pictures of robots (my middle was only 3 years old at the time, so I printed a robot on cardstock and he colored it).  I then framed them with Ikea cheap frames and hung them on the wall.  I think they are perfect (and cost pennies to make):

Artwork created by Big Brother 1 & 2

One of my last items I found was a cute little sign/poster (bought off etsy) that filled a little open space by the closet:

Bought off of Etsy

The total for the whole nursery was well under $100 (we already owned the crib & dresser which has been passed down from each kid).  It may not be magazine worthy, but we love it.  So needless to say, a piece of cardstock and some colored pencils is a great way to decorate a room for cheap while keeping your kids involved.  Another idea is to have your kids paint a canvas.  If you don’t want to spend much money on a large canvas, buy an ugly canvas picture at a garage sale, thrift store, or dig it out of a trash can on trash day.  Put a layer (or two) of base color paint over the ugly picture and it will be ready for you to create something new. 

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