Baby Girl Nursery (On a Budget!)

I’m 39 weeks pregnant and SO READY to meet our daughter! When we found out we were having a little girl, I was shocked, to say the least—and so was the rest of our family given the running streak of 5 grandsons and 0 granddaughters! I’m still not really sure what we’re going to do with a girl and all the stinkin’ cute dresses and ribbons and bows we now have, but I’m sure we’ll figure it out. 🙂

I myself have never been into the super frilly-girl-pink-and-glitter-everywhere kind of style, but I was still excited to put together a nursery that would be distinctly feminine (and to clear out the spare room that had really just become an over-cluttered junk room). I also wanted it to be something that our daughter could grow into—nothing over-the-top baby-ish.

And of course, I wanted to do all this without spending much money. Ideally I would use mostly things that I already had. Well, the room is all ready and we’re just waiting for the little HolloLady to arrive. I wanted to share with you the finished product and also some of the ways I was able to save money but still end up with a room I absolutely love!

Check out some of the room’s different features below!

 

Old Frames, Card Stock, and Gifted Family Members: All my floral prints are actually just sixty cent pieces of card stock I got from Michael’s (with a gift card—booya!). The 8×10 frames I got from Wal-Mart for $2 each. The beautiful “I will praise you…” print was done by my super-talented sister. She has a ton of really cool prints and designs available on RedBubble, so you should definitely check her out. Lastly, the frame around the print was one I actually already had but wasn’t currently using. It was black at the time, so I just painted and distressed it (using my tried and true Vaseline method, which you can check out here!).

Gallery Wall: This is one of my favorite parts of the room! The only things on this wall I paid for are the three 5×7 frames ($1 each), the floral prints (a couple pieces of $0.60 card stock), and the letter R ($1.50 at Hobby Lobby). The other frames I already had, and believe it or not, about six months ago someone gave me a can of purple spray paint and something in my heart told me I’d need it someday :). The “LOVE” canvas I already had in my craft supplies. I just used painter’s tape to spell out the word and then big brother B actually helped me paint over it. He was excited about making something for baby sister’s room!

Lastly, the “Fearfully and Wonderfully Made” print and the “She is clothed in strength and dignity” print were free downloads I got off of Pinterest. I arranged all the frames on the floor until I found a design I liked, and then just started putting holes in the wall. I like how it turned out!

Hanging Shelves, Mason Jar Vases: I did two hanging shelves (one on either side of the window) and got both from IKEA for $6 each. The mason jars I already had but wasn’t currently using them for anything. I also already had the purple and white spray paint to paint them with. The flowers I got from Michael’s with a gift card I’d saved from Christmas.

The black cube shelves and purple storage bins were the only things I really “splurged” on. I didn’t have a problem with that though because they’ll last forever.

Crafty Friends: It pays to have crafty friends :). Two of my friends threw me a diaper shower, and one of the activities at the shower was a headband making station. So not only do I now have a ton of really cute DIY ribbons, bows, and headbands, but the holder for these was also made by one of my friends! I thought it fit in perfectly with the rest of the room.

Crocheted Rug: Not going to lie, I was super excited and proud of this one! I crocheted this rug out of old t-shirts that had been taking up space in my closet for years. They were sentimental shirts (from high school, college, summer jobs, etc.) so I couldn’t bring myself to just toss them…but I also never wore them. Enter….t-shirts turned rug! I will confess, I didn’t have a ton of purple shirts, and so I cheated a little and bought some purple fabric from Hobby Lobby for a few bucks and made it into “t-shirt yarn.” Fun fact: one yard of fabric goes a long way when crocheting. I love the end product!

Other Furniture and Such: The crib was actually B’s, but he upgraded a “big boy bed,” so we’re able to reuse it as well as the crib sheets and such which were already gender neutral. The black rocking chair was one that I found on one of those buy and sell Facebook sites. I sold my beloved Cricut (tear) and used a portion of that money to get the chair. The purple pillow was one I already had (random), and the blanket I crocheted using yarn I’d purchased with Hobby Lobby gift cards I’d saved from Christmas. The storage bin we’re using for clothes was actually a bin I used in college, and the curtain panel was $5 at Wal-Mart.

I love the finished product and am fully aware that this is the cleanest and cutest it will ever look. 🙂

Alright, baby girl…any time you’re ready, feel free to make your grand entrance!

-Mary