I love interior design. You may not know it when you walk into my house most days since it's usually strewn with toys, laundry baskets full of ready-to-fold clothes, piles of books, and more. But I do really enjoy decorating and designing a room. We rent a very small two bedroom house with no garage (so no storage space) so I have a two-part challenge when it comes to decorating. One involves making things work in extremely small spaces and the other part is sticking to a very strict budget. I'm sure if I had more money to spend our house would look quite different but because we keep a very tight budget when it comes to more frivolous things like home decor, I have learned to be very creative. It actually makes it more fun because it adds more of a challenge in finding good deals, using things we already have around the house, and learning to make certain things by hand instead of buying them.
In general, I think my aesthetic leans toward the eccentric. I like to use a lot of colors that don't necessarily match particularly well on the color wheel, a mixture of different fabric designs, earth-tones and things from nature, antique and interesting curios, etc. My husband thinks I have a bit of old lady in me when it comes to style, if that tells you anything. I guess I'd have to agree.
When it came to decorating Em's room I wanted to use this pink Little Red Riding Hood fabric I found on Etsy as a starting point. It was really sweet and girly without being too babyish or obnoxious like some children's prints. Just the right amount of whimsy and just right for my little Em. :)
My sweetie pie :)
Fabric I chose as the theme for the room.
I ended up using the fabric and some other fabric I bought at the craft store on clearance to make her quilt for her bed, her pillow case, and another little throw pillow for her chair. The batting ("filling") for the quilt was an old thrift store blanket and the pillow forms were from two that I had around the house that I no longer wanted. I also made her two fitted sheets that matched her quilt. Fitted sheets are ridiculously easy to make and I love that I was able to make her a matching bed set.
Total for the quilt, 2 fitted sheets, and two pillows: a little less than $60 (most of the cost was for the Etsy fabric).
Reading spot. Her chair was a birthday gift and the wicker bin is from Target.
Her bed was a hand-me-down from her cousin. Thanks uncle Matt and auntie Bre!
These I made out of muslin and felt and then I filled them with dried beans.
Mr. owl I made out of scrap wool from a couple old blankets that I had purchased from the thrift store a while back for some other project.
I made her mobile out of felt, filled them with stuffing and hung them around an embroidery hoop that I bought at a thrift store. The beads were on clearance at the craft store and were actually the most expensive part.
Total: $7
More embroidery hoop art made with left-over fabric and thrift store hoops. I found the mirror at the thrift store as well. I'd like to eventually paint it red but I haven't gotten around to it yet.
Total: $6
Grandpa made her an amazing toy box to store all of her toys when not in use. We bought her kitchen set along with all the pots, pans, and food to go with it for an amazing deal on craigslist last year.
The shelves were another thrift store find as was the book. Emery got the forest animals as a Christmas gift a couple years ago and they seemed to fit right in here.
Total: $4
All in all it was pretty inexpensive and a lot of fun.
Next is Declan's room!
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