I've posted a few times about crafts I've done for the nursery (the pearl monogram and butterfly mobile), but haven't shone it in its entirety--so I thought I'd pop it up.
We were interested in outfitting our baby on a budget, and I think the whole room cost about $650 bucks, furniture and all. We lucked out and found a pretty crib and dresser on Craigslist in an off-white for $200. They were like new--not a scratch on em!
I love reading (I'm a librarian and a novelist to prove it!) so when I saw the adorable faux-chalkboard sign at TJ Maxx for $20 bucks, I snapped it up. The frame is a standard sized one from Michaels and I just painted it white.
I love reading (I'm a librarian and a novelist to prove it!) so when I saw the adorable faux-chalkboard sign at TJ Maxx for $20 bucks, I snapped it up. The frame is a standard sized one from Michaels and I just painted it white.
I made some other chalkboard-looking art to go in the corner above the rocker, but it appears I didn't have them hanging when I took the original photos. They hang in the corner above the rocker--you can just see them hanging on the wall behind the "M". I found a grouping of four tall and narrow picture frames at Goodwill for $12. They were a fake-light-wood color and the pictures were of these crazy-bright colored animals. I painted the frames white, swapped out the pictures for some of my own making, and voila! The pictures are simply silhouettes printed onto white card stock and cut out. I painted some other card stock with chalkboard paint I had on hand, "seasoned" it by rubbing chalk on it then erasing (so it looked like a "real" chalkboard) then glued on my critters. I picked things that meant something to us--giraffes, bears, chickens, and butterflies. Overall, dirt cheap and I like it, and the baby likes the nice contrasting designs. I'll try to update with better pictures when I get the chance. **UPDATED BELOW** |
Last--but certainly not least--the closet! This was the smartest thing I did to baby-girl's room. It's amazing how much STUFF babies require, and it's all crazy sizes and weird little odd-ball things I had no idea how to store. Enter the fabric bins! The two long shelves you see at the top, and the clothing bar, were already in the closet. I added the four half-shelves on the left. They're simply this kind from Home Depot: |
They're cheap, light-weight (important when you're installing at 8-months preggo), and adjustable. As she gets bigger (and her clothes get longer!) I can take out shelves in just a few seconds.
The cloth bins are from Home Depot as well, only $7 a piece, and in nice baby-friendly colors. I think the shelves cost something like $80, and the bins were $84 + tax, so I think this final project was just under $180 and took a Saturday morning to install.
So the crib and dresser were ~$200, the closet ~$180, the rocker was ~$180 (Sam's club), the mobile was about ~$20, the sign and frame ~$30, the fabric hamper $25 (Baby's R US), the pictures ~$12, and the "M" supplies ~$10, for a total of $650 (ish) Not bad considering a lot places charge $600 just for a crib!
The cloth bins are from Home Depot as well, only $7 a piece, and in nice baby-friendly colors. I think the shelves cost something like $80, and the bins were $84 + tax, so I think this final project was just under $180 and took a Saturday morning to install.
So the crib and dresser were ~$200, the closet ~$180, the rocker was ~$180 (Sam's club), the mobile was about ~$20, the sign and frame ~$30, the fabric hamper $25 (Baby's R US), the pictures ~$12, and the "M" supplies ~$10, for a total of $650 (ish) Not bad considering a lot places charge $600 just for a crib!
Click thumbnails below for full image: