Do it yourself kids theme bedrooms: ballerina furniture, crafts and decorating

Countless generations of little girls have grown up in love with the ballet. Adolescent girls everywhere dream of effortlessly pulling off a triple pirouette on the tops of their toes in front of live musicians and an adoring audience. For parents with a budding ballerina in the house it's remarkably effortless to make your daughter very happy and design a beautiful bedroom for her with a ballet theme.

Begin with her bed. You can either make or purchase a wooden headboard in the shape of a tiara or ribbon. If you don't feel comfortable working with wood on your own, make a trip to your local hardware shop. There are a lot of places that will create a custom headboard for you. Many little girls find a canopy on top of their beds irresistibly charming. A canopy reminiscent of a ballerina's tutu can be easily made with a few yards of tulle fabric. If she has a four poster bed, hang the fabric over the bed in between the bedposts and then gather the tulle to the bedposts with twine. Cover the twine with a pretty ribbon. If the bed has no bedposts you can still create a canopy by nailing a few hooks to the ceiling. Place the tulle on the hooks and then let the fabric drape over the bed.

Tulle can be used on other furniture in the room. Wrap it around a mirror and add rows of pearls to make a mirror she'll love. If you can sew, make a ballet skirt for a desk or a chair. Another good addition to the bed is fabric with a ballet theme. If you can't find a bedspread you like sew one yourself. If you don't sew, considering purchasing white bedding and adding in a ballet design later with a little fabric paint.

Paint is actually a very good way to add a dancing touch to the room. In addition to the bedding purchase a plain white wooden chair and draw a ballerina on the back or ballet ribbons on the front. If you aren't particularly artistic a great way to pretend you are is with the use of a stencil. Ballet themed stencils are widely available in many craft stores. Stenciling is a painless way to add painted detail to a room. A very pretty addition to any room is a border of pink Pointe shoes either just below the ceiling or at dado height all around the room. All you need to do is place the stencil where you want, tape it down and then color in between the cut out lines. This is a great project to work on with your daughter because she can help you. You can also do a reverse stencil. Paint the wall pink and then use the color white for the stencil.

Once you're done with the bedding and the furniture you can start decorating the walls. Get a few simple framed prints of famous ballerinas and hang them up. Buy a few in different sizes and create a grouping above the bed to serve as a headboard. A number of major ballet companies sell signed copies of toe shoes worn by dancers. Use a nail and hang the shoes up somewhere where they can be easily seen. If you child is a dancer or has attended dance performance create a collage of her experiences. Cut out parts of the playbills, a few ticket stubs and perhaps a picture or two of child performing. Arrange these materials on a matte and then add a preservative. Frame the result and you have a personalized artwork that your daughter will have for the rest of her life. With a little imagination and some hard work you and your child can work together to create a bedroom that is truly an expression of her fondest hopes and dreams.