my dream nursery (on a budget!)

When I found out we were pregnant with a little girl, the very first thing I did was start a pinboard for all my nursery ideas. I loved designing Ty's nursery, but there is definitely something different about decorating for a girl. I just wanted to make it the sweetest, girly-est, most princessy room, without it being TOO bubble gum pink.  I also knew that since I had become a stay at home mom, I had a budget this time.  I set my budget at $200 (excluding paint) and started to get things together.

The first thing I fell in love with was fabric from Carousel Designs.  This was the feel I wanted for the whole nursery... shabby chic and a little floral.  I spent the first of my budget on this fabric and my sister made me the most beautiful crib bumper and pillow.  I also used this fabric for some wall art that surrounded her name above the crib.

The next thing I KNEW I had to have was a crystal mobile. I was inspired by this Bless our Nest crystal mobile tutorial.  I just wanted to incorporate my fabric and the floral theme so I added the flowers to the wire hoop part at the top.  This was a labor of love and took me a while to complete, but I am absolutely in love with it and made it the focal point of the room.  It's my FAVORITE! 

I ordered her name for above the crib from Etsy and painted it to match other pieces in the nursery. I knew I wanted it to be script and her whole name, not initials, mostly because I wanted it to be different from what is SUPER popular now (those pretty wooden monograms).  I saw the idea on Pinterest to use cross stitch hoops to display fabric on and they are very cheap at craft stores. I think mine were less than $3 a piece.  The other two fabric swatches were free samples from Carousel Designs, so cost me nothing. YAY!

My other favorite find for the nursery was this shabby chic mirror.  I found it at our community yard sale for $5 and it was black and dingy. A little bit of Annie Sloan chalk paint and some distressing and it became the perfect accent piece for over the dresser.

I also reused Ty's changing pad and just bought a pink minky cover for $5 at an online yard sale.  The two glass vases that I used for her headbands on the dresser were some that I had in my attic.  I was inspired by hurricane glasses that I had seen online, but didn't want to spend the money since I had something so close.  The floral topiary is something my mom had in her attic that just so happened to be the perfect fit for the style of the room (SCORE!). 

The shelf and table next to our glider were both pieces we had and I just used the same Annie Sloan chalk paint that I used on the mirror to make them all match. This was a little extra work, but I am not a painter and this is the easiest paint to use for furniture if you are lazy like me. You don't even have to sand before you paint! I love it!

The other thing I knew I wanted for her room was a glass lamp.  I searched and searched and did not want to spend more than $30 on it.  I thought this was impossible after a while because I was unable to find anything less than $50, but alas TJ Maxx came through for me! This gorgeous lamp cost me $24 and it's exactly what I had in mind! 

Some of the other small pieces that we used in her room were baby shower gifts, like the personalized bow holder and her princess night light. 

 I bought these frames and painted them to match the furniture.  The baskets that I use to hold diapers, vase on the white shelf, and other frames were things that I already had. I cannot stress the importance of going through things you already have and looking at it through a different lens to see if you can re-purpose it! This strategy helped to keep me close to my budget.  

After all was said and done I exceeded my $200 budget, but only by about $40, so I call that a win! Here is the breakdown:

Crib fabric: $46

Chalk paint: $19/ pint (this goes a very long way!)= $38 total

Mirror: $5

Frames: $0.50/ each= $1

Changing pad cover: $5

Lamp: $24

Crystal mobile: $60 total

Cross stitch hoops: $12

"Elena" wooden name: $40

GRAND TOTAL: $240

Woohoo! And I really have my dream girl's nursery to rock my baby to sleep in every night. My favorite part is that this room is something she can grow into because nothing is overly "baby" about it.  

You can check out my inspiration board on Pinterest here: love home: nursery