How to Save Money on Nursery Decorations

Preparing a room for your baby's arrival can be extremely expensive. Retail stores often charge high amounts for nursery decorations, but there are ways to create a perfect space for your new baby without spending every last dollar in your checking account. Always on a budget, I was forced to use my imagination more than my wallet when coming up with nursery decorations for my children. I realized that expensive does not always mean better, and that often times you will enjoy the nursery more after putting a little thought and time into coming up with original decorative ideas. Four creative and inexpensive decorating ideas are listed below.

Tip 1: Make your own wall decorations.

Creating your own wall decorations can be simple and a lot of fun as well. You need not be an artist to design your own murals and pictures for the walls of your nursery. Stencils are a cheap and easy way to decorate walls and require little or no skill to use. Look online for stencils that coordinate with the theme of your nursery. Another idea is to create your own artwork to frame or hang in groups around the room. This can be done by cutting out characters or images from gift bags, printing out free coloring book pages from the internet, or even displaying children's place mats in your nursery theme on the walls. There really is no limit to the ideas you can come up with when it comes to wall decorations.

Tip 2: Make your own rug.

Most craft stores sell kits for decorative rugs in many different designs or themes. Most of these rugs can be created with little skill or effort. While generally not as sturdy as standard area rugs, they are solid enough to handle the limited traffic of a nursery. These rugs can be used on the walls as well as on the floor.

Tip 3: Create art out of shower invitations, photos, and cards.

A lovely decorating idea, and one you will want to hang on to even after your baby grows up and moves out of the house, is to create a framed display of mementos of your pregnancy and your baby's entrance into the world. Make a collage of your baby shower invitations, cards you have received, newborn and pregnancy photos, wrapping paper from your baby gifts, and even ultrasound photos, and frame it for hanging on the wall.

Tip 4: Mix and match with clearance items.

Every item in your baby's nursery does not have to be specifically created for the nursery. Instead of buying curtains in the theme that matches your baby's crib bedding, look for coordinating curtains on clearance at your local store. This same idea applies to bumper pads, diaper stackers, and lamp shades. If your theme is farm animals, for example, buy curtains in a solid color that matches the colors in your bedding. This will save you money in the future as well, as these items can be used later in other rooms or for your toddler once he or she grows out of the nursery.