Home decoration: unique and inexpensive nursery ideas

Designing a room for a newborn does not have to be expensive. Follow these directions for a designer nursery with minimal cost.

Crib:

Get crib from a relative or second hand store. Make sure it passes all safety standards. Clean it thoroughly and make sure no cleaning agents are left behind. Now you can paint it to make it look new again. Paint the entire bed white, and then sand it lightly to distress. Next, paint the in details like lines or knobs in blue for a boy, pink for a girl or a combination of pastel colors for the unknown. Give the entire bed a coat of polyurethane when done.

Dresser:

Get this item used or from the second hand store as well. Chances are you will get a much better quality that if you purchased it new as so many dressers fall apart these days. Paint the dresser to match the bed. Then change out the knobs for decorator knobs or dip the existing knobs in paint and let dry. There are many specialized knobs available these days in all shapes and colors. You will want a low dresser that has about six drawers with three on each side.

Changing table:

Purchase a changing table pad only. It should have a curved top from which the baby cannot fall. Attach it to the top of your dresser with Velcro. Use one of the top drawers for diapers, wipes, lotions and other toiletries. Purchase terry cloth covers for the changing pad to match your decor.

Bassinet:

Since these are only used for two to three months, it is very easy to borrow one or get it free. Remove the hood and store it in a closet. Next, drape it with a large pastel colored sheet or piece of shimmery fabric and then put the mattress in on top of it. This will create a bassinet lining and bed skirt in one. At the bottom of the bassinet tie knots in the four corners and tuck the ends under the bassinet.

Chair/ extra bed:

Every nursery needs a place to sit and cradle the child. This item does not have to cost a cent. Of course a glider would be nice, but if you do not get it free, then do not bother. You can put a twin-sized bed in the corner and pile it high with pillows on all sides that touch the wall (to mimic a day bed). This will make it comfortable and great for nursing or soothing your child. Such a bed is great in case the need ever arises for someone to sleep in the room with the child. In addition, the child will eventually move to this bed. You can also take any spare upholstered or rocking chair; refurbish it with paint, fabric and pillows for comfortable seating. A chenille throw blanket in colors to match the nursery will do wonders for an old chair. You will need to have a footstool if you use a standard chair. Keep in mind that the child will need a stepping stool in less than two years to reach the sink, so purchase one that will also be good for this purpose. In the meantime, you can Velcro a cushion to the top of it. You can purchase an extra chenille throw blanket and use it to make the cushion cover as well as extra pillows covers for the room.

Wall decor:

To give the room a fantasy feel, purchase paint in several colors. Get a gallon or two of sky blue depending on the size of the room. This is for the ceiling and upper walls. Purchase 1 gallon of very pale blue paint. Make sure it is noticeably lighter than the sky blue color. This is your background color. Purchase a quart of silvery white for clouds. You will also need two shades of green. Purchase of gallon of the lighter color and one quart of the darker shade. Also, purchase one quart of brown paint for your trees.

Now you are ready to make the background of a mural that will work for any theme. (Practice this process on a piece of paper with crayons to get a full picture before proceeding.) Draw a scalloped line around the room about three feet from the ceiling. Make sure the points in the scallops are pointing down. Paint the area above the line, and the ceiling sky blue. This is your sky. Eighteen (18) inches below the scalloped line, draw a second scalloped line. This time make sure the points are facing up. Paint the area between the scalloped lines white. These are your clouds. Draw a wavy line two feet from the floor and paint the area above it the pale blue. This is your background. Finally paint the area beneath the line green for the grass. Use the lighter of the two green colors. Next, draw a very simple tree in the corner by making a two-curved lines to form the trunk add a large scalloped circle on top for the leaves. Paint the trunk brown and the treetop the darker shade green. For a large room add more trees.

Now that you have the base for a mural, you can proceed in several ways. You can buy wall clings or animals, or vehicles, or any other item that fits your theme and arrange them on the wall. You can find wallpaper remnants (ask you local wallpaper store for partial rolls) and cut out characters and arrange them on the walls. If you are brave, you can rent or borrow a projector and use it to project characters onto the walls, which you would then trace, and paint. However, in my opinion, the smartest thing to do is to leave the wall as they are for a peaceful relaxing background and wait for the child's personality to dictate the direction the room mural will go.

These tips are just guidelines to spark you creativity without draining your pocket. Remember to keep your eye open for bargains when designing your nursery and keep as much money as possible in your pocket.