confessions of a budget decorator....

Not sure if I am anticipating a new baby or starting to nest...but this weekend we accomplished some car shopping, cleaning the house from top to bottom...I even washed all the laudry and cleaned in the same day.  Then yesterday we worked more on the project list which included cleaning up and making some curtains.   

We are going to tell you a bit about the curtains...

you know when you get that idea in your head and you have to have it...but then you remember: Oh I am on a budget and 70 dollar curatain panels are more than I have spent on the entire room...  I still had to make the idea work.  So I went on a internet search.  I found some samples and had them sent to me.  a little extra...but I learned the hard way...you have to know the fabric you are going to work with before you spend money on 5 yards of the stuff.  I made my decision pretty quickly...and calculated it would cost me about 28 dollars for the material I needed.  lot better for four panels than 280....for sure.  I also determined these curtains could be moved to various other rooms in the house...if we decide to change things up after the baby grows...or they could stay...cuz who doesn't love grey on grey. you can do anything with that...so we went for it. I am so glad I did....

we found the shelf above for free...the frames all over the room for 50 cents or free (99 cent white spray paint at Lowe's is fabulous and transforms anything) and then the bedding was borrowed and repurposed from great friends.  the embroidery hoops were painted with that fab spray paint as well and then used fabric I already had....from the quilt.  We made the subway art with paint I concocted from red and white I already had and a painting canvas that came out of one of the frames I used in another room....oh wait I did have to buy a paint pen for touch up for 2 dollars at Hobby Lobby...I made the framed subway art and got the other for a steal on Etsy...yes another fabulous place to support local and homebased bussinesses.  

Oh before I get to the quilt...the chair...if you haven't been to the Repurpose Room in Warsaw...you have to go check it out...they get new stuff in all the time...and if you don't go often or watch their facebook page...you could miss out...I got this Chair (after waiting months) for 20 dollars...it works perfect and the baby and I will spend many nights their as she wakes up and grows.  

Ok...so the quilt...I have sewing for the past three years...making blankets, burp cloths and dresses/other clothing for little people...so I had accumulated quite the little collection of fabric...I had no rhyme or reason to the quilt other than I picked pink, turquoise, bright green, and yellow as my colors.  then I went through my stash and found enough fabrics in those colors and cut squares.  then I laid them out in a pattern on the floor and sewed them together.  the great thing about scrap quilts is you just use what you have.  I will be using the same fabrics when I bind the quilt as well...so no additional money spent...I did however find all of it at a discount over the three years...and had to buy some thread, the batting and I am paying to have it machine quilted so it holds up better to the wear and tear of washing with a baby toddler.  This quilt is big enough for a toddler bed...even will cover most of a twin...so I am excited to have her use it for a while.  :)  

So If I totalled my bill for this room, it would be as follows:

Wall paint: the reject bin for 10 dollars

Chair: 20 (actually 18 cuz they didn't charge me sales tax)

Shelf: Free (paint 2.80)

7 frames and embroidery hoops for : 1.50+1.25= 2.75

bedskirt and bumper: free from friends (fabulous friends I may add)

owl: $1 at a thrifty store

crib: free from my fabulous mother

pillow in chair, frames, to hold subway art on shelf : brought from another room

Pink Subway art : 2.00 (and I still have that paint pen for other projects)

pompom and latterns: 7.00 (supplies)

Curtains: 30 dollars with tax.  used thread bought for quilt too.  

Quilt: batting, quilting and thread (i have no idea how to figure in the scrap peices) : 62.00

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grand total would be around:  135.55.  Not to Shabby I must say to redo an entire room for that. 

 I am using baskets in an armoire on the other side of the room for laundry and on the shelves to hole baby essentials.  then inside will house the changing table and reusing baskets I already have to store and hold clothes and diapers in there as well.  

Now today to clean out the closet in that room and make it into our home office...since the baby took the office...we have to find a way to make sure we can still house a printer and hold my bussiness materials that are still going to be needed as she grows up.  :)  thanks for taking a ride through my decorating confessions.  :)