When I caught my four year-old gazing longingly at PBK and Serena & Lily catalogs, I knew that something had to be done about her boring bedroom. Both of my girls love color. They are girly, but not too girly, so an all-pink room wasn’t going to do.
Here’s what we came up with on our very (very) small budget:
I already mentioned that I did a lot of the ‘shopping’ for the room in our basement storage area. It was fun to work with things I already owned.
I really wanted new duvet covers for the twin beds – something simple and mostly white, but with a colorful trim that matched a color in the Chiang Mai headboards. I could have just bought some bedding like this from Pottery Barn, but I figured I could save myself a few hundred bucks and just get creative with a pair of all-white duvets we already owned and some turquoise single-fold bias tape.
The sewing is not perfect, but the result is honestly better than I expected. I like the punch of color in the sea of white bedding.
While I had the sewing machine out, I added a few yards of dark purple ricrac to the bottom hem of my cheap Target bedskirts.
I bought this cute little french nightstand at a vintage shop a few years ago. It’s seen better days and badly needed a paint job.
I went with turquoise again and trimmed out some of the moulding details with white paint.
Michael’s had a bunch of the Martha Stewart collage frames on clearance a while back and I finally decided to do something with the two that I picked up. It was fun looking at pictures of butterflies with my girls and picking out shapes and colors to mimic using vellum paper.
The lamp was $18 at HomeGoods, and while that price included a nice shade, it was badly damaged in our move (see before pic), so I had to buy a new shade at Target. I’m loving clean parchment shades these days.
On the opposite wall from the twin beds, I reused a large frame and a piece of sheet metal to make a chalkboard. Here’s the before shot…
I mounted it low on the wall for easy kid access and also hung some freshly painted galvanized buckets filled with chalk. The floor pillows are from HomeGoods and Target. Above the chalkboard, I hung a metal butterfly wall sculpture thingy from Target’s clearance aisle. It was all black metal when I bought it a few days ago, but I (shocker) decided to paint the butterflies.
Years and years ago in college, a roommate gave me a paper star chandelier. It’s been in storage for a long time and I’m so glad I thought to dig it out for this project.
The colors weren’t right for the space, so I painted it white and now I love it in the room.
The star hangs over a striped slipper chair we found just sitting in our basement when we moved in and some framed pages from a favorite children’s book, Brundibar.
Also from our storage supply was this white mirror I bought a very long time ago at Nordstrom (well, really, Last Chance for all you AZ natives) for $20.
The old paint finish was a little too shabby chic for my taste, but I decided that yellow would be just the right pop of color for the above the dark brown dresser (which we can’t paint). In this picture you can also see what the white star looks like when it’s lit up. It’s the perfect night light for my girls – my two year-old calls it Twinkle-Twinkle.
The little pink lamp on the dresser used to be green. I found it at a thrift store for $0.50 and used a small brush to apply some glossy pink paint. Good as new.
I also found the embroidered linen table runner at the same thrift store.
The room’s not completely done yet – I still have some finishing touches to make – but I like the progress that has been made since last weekend.
It looks great, I love it!!
You are really talented. I enjoyed seeing the creative ways you turned this room into something wonderful for your little gals. Nice job!
what kind of piant did you use for the lamp and bedside table? I have been painting some pieces lately and the paint just doenst want to harden! VERY FRUSTERATING!
The room looks fabulous by the way!
Wow! The room looks fantastic! I wish I had your creative, do-it-yourself talents!
Amazing!!! Love the bright colors and the headboards – what a creative room to wake up in every morning!!!
Looks AWESOME!!
Absolutely gorgeous! Thanks for all the details of where you got everything. It's great to see a beautiful room made with low-cost (or no-cost) items. I love all the color!
Amazing!!! Those lucky,lucky girls:-)
I love this room! If I had girls this bright, girly color scheme is exactly what I envision. You're good!!
I LOVE what you did… It makes me what to go & re-do my kids rooms! The head boards are beautiful! The little side table is perfect!!! I cold go on & on… LOVE IT! Thanks for sharing. Your girls are very lucky to have a creative & talanted mom like you!!!!
XOXO, Alexandra
The room looks so good!!! YOu are so talented. I could look at your ideas all day. You inspire me to finish my kiddies rooms!!!
WOW what a great job! I love the valances…did you make those?
What a great room!!! You are so talented! Every time I stop by your blog, I learn something new and am inspired. Thank you!
I also love that you did it all on a budget! But I have to say that I'm jealous of your basement – what great finds you have down there! Can I come shop??? ;-)
This is fabulous! To second someone else… your blog is the new domino! Finally! :)
Keep up the fabulousness!
Those are two lucky girls! I love that you have taken the time to explain every step and that you made these changes economically. I think your projects have an accessibility that I don't see on other blogs and I really appreciate it! You make it seem like good design is very manageable with a little bit of patience and time. Thanks for sharing.
I love the whole room and that you painted everything! Will you come and do my daughters room???
I absolutely love this room for your girls! The headboards, the duvet, that nightstand, the lamps.. so much fun in that room!
it's perfect Jenny! I would be quite happy there myself! LOVE the rick rack trim on the bedskirt. and I have the same paper star — got in college, but haven't had the heart to toss it.
What an amazing, thoughtful transformation! I love all of the little touches – from the tape on the bedding to the trim on the bedskirt, the frames, the butterfly wall thingy, the chalkboard, the colors! It is all terrific – great job!!
WOW! As soon as I saw you had posted more on your girls' room, I was literally clapping my hands in excitement to see the finished results! It looks amazing! I absolutely love the color combinations! I am a big fan of your blog and look forward to seeing more of your creativity!
This room is just FUN! I love it!!! And it's so grown-up for little girls, which I think is wonderful. I can't get over how cute it is!!!! Well done!
Stunning! You absolutely inspire me every time! You are the DIY queen!
I love the colors & your innovative cost-saving ideas! Love your blog & thanks for sharing.
So many awesome things that you did to improve your girls' room! We're expecting a second baby in the next few months and I love the way you made the room comfortable for both your girls.
You are seriously AMAZING. I am speechless at that transformation, while not spending much. Wow. Wow. Wow.
FABULOUS!!!!! Oh my gosh, just amazing. I love all the little details. You are such a true talent that I look up to. Bravo!
so so darling! I love your creativity. I'm just wondering where you find the time to do it all, you're amazing!
Okay, I don't even know where to start.
First, love the blog!
Second, how big is this storage space and how do i get one?!?
Third, you make me not feel bad about buying things I find on clearance and love but have no idea what to do with them.
The room looks great. Thanks for all the good ideas!
Good heavens, I should say you love it! Am so glad you demo'd the bias tape thing – I finally found my dream white comforter cover at Homegoods ($30!) but it needs a shot of color and I'm going to match it with some fabric I bought earlier this year for our headboard. Fabulous! Thank you sooo much for sharing. This is so sophisticated, but little girl accessible!
WOW-so stinkin' cute.
Well, I'm jealous of your basement. I'm not sure anything in my basement could produce anything nearly as cool on a budget. Very, very cute! What is the larger painting hanging above the bed on the left?
FANTASTIC!!! What lucky girls! So many great ideas here…thanks so much for sharing!
I can't believe you put this all together in just a week! Love your trimwork on the duvet covers and the valance, the chalkboard, the nightstand, etc, etc. Great job!!
Insane!!! You are so TALENTED! What a dream room for your girls.
Fabulous! You are so talented! Thank you so much for sharing this with us…
Oh my word – this is INCREDIBLE! I'm sure your girls must be absolutely thrilled with their room! Thanks so much for sharing – it's truly an inspiration!
Too Cute! Everything is so different from the typical little girl room. I love it! If you have a chance, you should stop by another wonderful blogger's page http://www.isabellaandmaxrooms.blogspot.com She created a nice room for her daughter as well.
Are you kidding me!?? You are absolutely ridiculously amazing!!
Love ya! Carolyn
jenny they must love it! It's gorgeous!
Lucky girls! All your personal touches make the room fantastic.
Thanks for sharing, love the room! Especially all the painted furniture/mirror/etc. Do you have any tips for what paints work best on ceramic items (it looked like the green lap you painted pink may have been ceramic?)
Gorgeous room!Enough said.
ahhhhhh i am speechless! i adore everything in this room! your little girls are so very lucky! you have made their room a dream room for a little girl. i LOVE how you are so creative & do everything inexpensively! it is amazing!
wow Jenny!! love everything!! so much! i may have to copy that duvet idea with the tape border on top. genius– i love it!
I am 31 and I would like this to be my room.
Jenny! It looks fab! I've been waiting for two days to look at this. Then of course today I'm out most of the day and missed the reveal when it first happened!
I love all of it!!! Your little ladies are so lucky! It's beautiful!!
It is STUNNING! LOVE, Love, Love!
you have the gift.
I LOVE this. Your decorating talent is simply amazing. I can't believe that this was done on a tight budget. With an unlimited budget, most people couldn't pull off such a classy look. Your blog is addictivee!
This is absolutely gorgeous! I just saw this on the SCOOP. You did an awesome job.