Decorating Your Child's Room on a Tight Budget

Parent's love to give the children the best of the best, but don't always seem to have the type of budget necessary. I have found some resourceful ways to decorate a child's room using less money. The key is to shop wisely, and don't go crazy buying things that have no use whatsoever. Don't get me wrong nik-nacks are fine, but buying 200 nick-nacks is a little wild.

Here are some tips before getting started with this project. You may find some of these that aren't your style, so improvise.

Shopping- Before you get started you should get a local newspaper. Not only will you find sales at stores but you may even be able to go cheaper. Check the for sale listings, as well as where the local yard sales are. You may also find thrift stores, such as Salvation Army, and dollar stores useful for this.

Painting Tools- I always recommend buying the craft paints at your local walmart, they are fairly cheap and last quite a while. If you are going to be using stencils, instead of using household or craft sponges, use make-up sponges. They are actually the best I have used yet, plus they are a dime a dozen.

Using Recyclables- what I mean with this is, look around the house for stuff you have not or will not use, and try to convert it. Old wire hangers, nylons, gift wrap, etc. are good things to look for, I will explain later how to use these things.

Now you are ready to begin your project

Tip: Prepare the area an lay down an old sheet , to avoid spills, before you start.

The Dresser- I ended up finding one of these at a yard sale, but you can get them anywhere.

First you want to paint it your base color, I used pink. Then I used the stencils I had picked out, butterflies and flowers, if you have a girl. Take the sponges and dip them in the colors of your choice and lightly dab over the stencils. You can scatter the images or do a scene. If you choose to do a scenic design, make sure to plan it out first.

Painting Tip: The less paint you use on your sponges, the less it will smear, so try dabbing on a piece of paper first.

Organization- You can get shelve, plastic bins, or anything along those lines anywhere cheap. I would suggestion your local dollar store or Big Lots.