How to: Nursery on a budget 2

Cont ... Fourth tip: SEW IT

I know my friend is a great seamstress, but there are really easy tutorials on how to make your own crib skirts if you are novice like myself. Like this one. You can make pillows and all that jazz.

My only "resourceful" type tip is to think about what you are using for fabric. You can go get pretty cute fabric for around $2 but why not shop the house first? I have recovered stuff in my old clothes, a great scarf I was never brave enough to wear, old blankets, tea towels, whatever I feel like. Some of my favorite pillows had a previous life as a napkin. Or I've always thought about making a baby changing cover out of those great table clothes in Home Goods. If they can stand up to messy food maybe it would be able to stand up to other types of messes- haha.


Finding cheap fabric doesn't mean you have to recover everything in your old clothes either. There are also great newly purchased ideas for fabric as well. If you have a shorter window in your room you can take one curtain panel, cut it down the middle, sew a hem on the cut edge, and make 2 curtain panels for the price of one. You can even turn sheets into curtains for your window. Places like Ross and Home Goods have great prices on nice bedding. You can use the fabric for so many different things.

Fifth tip: ART

I like simple art, and I think that even goes further in a nursery, to have those simple places for your eye to rest. And art I can make at home with some paint or on my computer is gravy. Here are some of my favorite kid proof art ideas:

1- You could totally make simple art on your computer in word with colors to match your nursery. Look at Etsy for great ideas like this. If you want it to have some texture get some grainy paper and then put a really, really thin layer of white washed paint over it. (Or what ever color of wash you want). I did something similar like this for cheap art in our mast bedroom.

You can do this for any words or phrases you like really. I want to do something similar to this with a nursery rhyme my grandma always use to sing to when I was young. Pick quotes that means something to your family. To give it an extra kick, modpodge some fabric or paper on some matting and cut it to size.

2- Temples- At the last GC they mentioned having a picture of a temple in your child's room from and early age. I liked this temple print on Etsy for a babies room. To replicate something similar on your own, print out an outline of your favorite temple on your computer (if you can't find a picture on the web of just the outline, then you can change your printer settings just to "outline"), trace the outline onto a paper or canvass, and then just paint the rest of the negative space around it.

3-Embroidery hoops- Find a 20% off coupon for Michael's or Joannes and pick up a few embroidery hoops. Stretch some cute fabric in it, glue any excess fabric in the back on the inner lining of the hoop, and you have a very cute art installation. You can even use fabric you already used in the room, or again, whatever you have lying around the house.

source found here, with how to.

4- Chinese Lanterns and Tissue Pom Poms- I love it when people use a grouping of Chinese lanterns and tissue paper pom poms, hung at different heights, as a kind of crib mobile. Go to World Market for cheap Chinese Lanterns in a wide variety of colors and visit Martha Stewart for tutorials on pom poms. Sewing a banner also seems to be big lately (I've made a few paper ones for holidays and parties and they are super simple.)

5- Don't want to make it yourself but still need free art? Google free printables for children and find great prints like this. Or visit a website like this.

6- Don't want to make if yourself and have an extra $5-20? GO TO ETSY! I love that place. In the very least, it is great for inspiration (as you can tell from #1 and #2).

Sixth Tip- KNOW WHERE TO SHOP

We all know to go to Ross, Homegoods, Marshalls, etc. They are great and I am so glad Las Vegas has so many of them to choose from. But, there are those little shops that are out of the beaten path which have some of the best deals. Here is my list of where to go.

Antiques:
Charleston Antique Mall 1109 Western Ave.
Not Just Antiques Mart 1422 Western Ave.
Antique Mall of America 9151 S. Las Vegas Blvd.

Second Hand:
Salvation Army 4001 West Charleston Blvd. & 360 N Stephanie St, Henderson
Goodwill 9230 S Eastern Ave # 130, Las Vegas (the one on Stephanie and Warm Springs kind of stinks)
Freecycle

Local finds:
Retro Vegas 1211 S. Main Las Vegas Blvd.
JJ Draperies 1321 South Commerce St. (I think this is it. There is a shop down by Main and Charleston that has upholstery fabric all for $5 a yard. It has moved so many times I am having a hard time finding it lately.)