Decorating on a Budget

I have to say that over the years I have found that many things come with patience. I think that being successful in frugal living also comes from being patient. As I look at what some of my friends and family have, I'll admit that I do get jealous. But then I remember that their stuff isn't important. The square footage in my house doesn't give me worth. And if I am patient, we can have nice things in our home too. I have chosen not to charge anything and everything I want when I want it. Instead, I have to be patient and trust that the Lord will provide.

Now before I get all preachy, I do want to share that being frugal doesn't mean that you can't have nice things or a home that doesn't make you look homeless. I actually think it is better not to have lots of stuff. It is just more stuff to break, clean, keep track off... I could go on. SO here I want to share with you how we patiently worked on my oldest Love's bedroom so that it could be happy and cheerful just like my little one.

We started by letting her pick the color. I bought the paint at Wal*mart and the planning began. I started by trying to come up with items that we already had or things that I could make myself. So I used a painting that I had made while I was pregnant for her as the first decoration. Now I am no artist, so please don't make fun of me. I made it with love and thought it went well with the rest of the room. Homemade decorations can be much cheaper than already made items. A painting similar to this could have cost over $20, but I made it for under $5.



This decoration was an art kit given as a gift to my daughter that we then put together. She and I both agreed that it looked so nice it should hang in her room. If you couldn't tell she loves fairies and butterflies.




Here you can see homemade curtains. We have strange shaped windows here. So regular curtains didn't fit and a valance alone didn't seem quite right either. So we bought cheap sheer curtains and used ribbon that was in my cupboard to tie it up in this cute design. There was no sewing involved!!!




The butterflies on the curtains came a few months later. The center butterfly was on top of a gift given to my daughter for her birthday. And the two on either side were found at the Christmas Tree Shop my grandmother who thought that they were perfect for her room. We actually got all of these butterflies about 2 years apart from each other. So I patiently had to wait to see this idea come together for her curtains.

We also looked through clearance for anything that might help. At Joann Fabric we found these cute butterfly hooks. The were less than a dollar, but at the time they were ugly!!!! I had to paint them and get wire to use as antennae.




All of the furniture is "re purposed." The bed frame was mine when I lived at home with my parents. Her dresser was found on the side of the road. I'd take a picture, but I haven't refinished it yet...

The bed spread was bought at Wal mart for around $25. I didn't have a sewing machine when we found this blanket. She and I both agreed that it was perfect for her room and decided to splurge at the time. I am still patiently waiting to get the money to either buy fabric or buy an already made bed skirt.




I guess my point is that #1 You can have a nice looking home with little money. #2 Patience is key. Putting this room together has taken my Love's entire life. She is 4 and a half. So it doesn't happen over night. Be patient and keep your eyes open for treasures in disguise. They are everywhere.