Decorating Kids Rooms: Budget Tips from Our Readers

I recently redecorated our kids' bathroom in a rubber duckie theme. While shopping for a picture to put on the wall, I didn't see anything worth the money to buy and had the idea of checking out the web for ideas. (You can check www.webshots.com for many ideas) I printed a picture off of the web of a rubber duckie (you'll find pictures of everything) on my color printer- regular paper, too- and put it in a cheap silver frame I got from Target on clearance- looked even better and way cheaper than any from a store! -- Stephanie from IN

To decorate my daughter's nursery with a Peter Rabbit theme, I found a calendar for about $10 and used the 12 pictures (one for each month) as wall decorations. I also purchased large wicker baskets a craft market (3 for less than $20) for blankets, towels, sheets, bibs, burp cloths, and small toys. I also got plain wood shelves and picture frames that I decorated myself with craft paint. -- Kelly from NY

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I have a tip for decorating a kid's room in Blues Clues. My son's room is so cool my husband takes our house guests to see it! I still can't believe I did it. the entire room of course is blue (blues clues baby blue). Then I cut out regular cleaning sponges to make a big paw, then I pasted the pieces on to card board. I then dipped the paw into paint and made it look like Blues walked around the room and got into bed. Then above the bed I outlined a paw with construction paper. It is huge and out lined it onto the wall. Inside the paw I wrote Blues Clues. It is easy because it kind of looks like a kid wrote it. Looks authentic. Then I made simple squiggly  circles to match the comforter. I also drew free hand the shovel and pale and the soap. But it turned out ok. My kids love the room. Good luck! I am soon making this room a play room and working on a Thomas the Tank Engine room. UGH! :) -- Sherri from GA

Does your child have a lot of keepsake or collectible stuffed animals, dolls & such that they don't really play with, yet you don't want to part with? Install a keepsake shelf! This shelf is installed at the very top of the wall of their room - for instance over their closet. It will rest roughly 10 to 12 inches from the ceiling. The shelf should be the entire length of the wall. Using L brackets on the side closest to the ceiling will hide them from sight. You can beautifully store keepsake items and collectibles where they can be appreciated, but not create clutter. -- Kathy from TN

A great thing I do with some of those adorable baby outfits of my daughter's that I want to keep is to find cute stuffed animals or dolls in the size for the outfit, and then they decorate her room. This way I get to see cute outfits that she wore when she was tiny, and have those memories of her wearing them. Another thing to do with a really special outfit is to frame it and hang it on their wall. You will always have this keepsake. Just use a frame larger than the outfit (a shadowbox works nicely), cover the back of the frame in a neutral color fabric and pin the outfit to it, this is an adorable way to keep a treasured item. -- Kristina from IN

Sew baby blankets together end to end to make a larger blanket or bedspread for your older child. 

My husband and I bought a house last year and every room needed painting badly. We found an orange cart at our local Home Depot store that sells "Boo Boo" paint for $3 a can! There's nothing wrong with it, just that someone had it mixed and didn't like it. I also found every color that I wanted to paint with. -- Karen, NY

An idea for saving old baby clothes, especially dresses and rompers, is to stuff them and make pillows out of them. I got this idea from a magazine and they really do make charming pillows. I also put them on dolls and teddy bears with a few small little alterations. -- Diane M.

As a renter it's difficult to decorate. I found something that works for my family though! I wanted to spice up the kid's bathroom, so I bought two cute, inexpensive shower curtains. We hung one and cut out the fish in the other. We then used Elmer's paste to stick the fish to the walls. When you have to remove the picture, all you have to do is pull and wipe with a wet rag. Beautiful results and only as permanent as you want it! -- Melinda from NV

We didn't have much money to spend on decorating our son's room.  So I picked a theme and found what I could on sale.  You can find the wall stick-ons for just a few dollars (I think I paid $4 for a package).  I found that there were a couple of walls that still needed something.  So I bought some cheap fabric and cut out letters of the alphabet and his name and that filled up the walls that were bare and it made his room very cheery.  You can find just about any pattern of fabric to match any theme and not spend much at all. -- Rene from TX

I found an affordable way to decorate my baby boys room that he can grow with. I had white walls to begin with, so I taped off several large circles about seven around the room in different areas on the walls. then I painted the outside of the area sand. I removed the tape while the paint was still wet and painted in baseball stitches in beige. It is not harsh because of the light colors and so cute for baby boys. I spent about three hours on his room but it is a small room. -- Melissa from TX

I didn't want to pay $40 for a lamp to match my child's room decor, so I took a plain lamp and shade, and did it myself!  I cut out designs from some wrapping paper I got at my baby shower and glued them on the shade with modge podge.  Then I glued a ribbon around the top and bottom edges. It is cuter than the store-bought one!! -- Kristi from TN

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Here's a very inexpensive way to decorate a baby's nursery. I had so many cards from my baby shower and then again when my daughter was born. I cut out some of the bigger pictures and put them on her walls with double faced tape. I saved the back so she would know who sent her cards but she loves to look at the different pictures on the wall and it's easy to move them or switch when you get new ones. -- Mary from PA

My child adores big trucks and equipment.  I could not find anything for his walls, so I printed pictures from a program I had on my computer.  Then I went to the local retail store and bought inexpensive frames and painted the mattes to match the colors in his room.  Now we have really cute, inexpensive prints for his room that didn't even cost $6.00 apiece. -- Stephanie from CO

I often use sheets to make anything from curtains, pillows, duvet covers,& bed skirts...Wal-Mart's Jubilee brand twin flat sheets are only $2.96 !!!! You know how many pillows that is?? ...LOTS!!! :) AND you can NEVER forget paint !! a gallon at WalMart is about $12..get some tape strip off the walls and paint every other one..so charming, easy AND cheap!! -- April from VA

My son was a big Orlando Magic fan and wanted his room done in a basketball motif.  I did splurge and buy some Orlando Magic wallpaper border, but other than that, it was on a real shoestring.  I painted the walls royal blue on the bottom half and pinstriped them with a white paint-pen I got at the hardware store, it looks like a grease pencil and the lines look like chalk, but it dries completely impervious.   The top half (above the border, I left white.  We pulled up the cruddy carpet and I put down wood-parquet-style peel-and-stick that I got on sale.  Originally, the plan was to buy about 10 squares of solid black and blue tile and make a "key" (that's the area under the basket to the free throw line) and hang a Nerf-basketball hoop over it, but then I found a basketball hoop-laundry bag at a garage sale.  A black and blue reversible quilt and solid sheets for the bed.  The window treatments were valances made from some blue and white pinstripe sheets I found at a garage sale, threaded through some of those plastic poufy=curtain makers from the Dollar Store, which I bought 20 years ago and use over and over again.   Hung up his NBA posters.  Painted the bookcase blue with the leftover wall paint. When he was little, I had made a set of plaster letters spelling out his name... I painted them blue, striped them, and added silver stars to match the Orlando Magic theme.  Now, at 15, he wanted something more teen/sophisticated.  We actually let him paint his room black and he's hung up his rock n roll and movie posters, a black and white quilt set I got really cheap on eBay, and the tiles are all wood now. I wish I'd put linoleum in my kids' rooms when they were little.  It's TERRIFIC. -- Rani from FL

Small quilts (like the crib sized ones) look great on walls.  Hammer small pins in through the corners and they won't come down or show how they are fastened. -- Stephenie from MN

We recently purchased a home that needed the kitchen repainted. I have left over paint about the color of a toy block. In my youngest son's room, I found a blue on clearance at Lowes ($5 - gallon). I plan on painting his room blue and taking the leftover toy block color and with a roller makes toy blocks on his walls. after all is dry, I will take other craft paint and in each block put a letter of the alphabet.  My oldest son likes fire trucks. I plan on painting one wall red and on the other white walls stamping a fire truck border. I have not been able to find a fire truck stamp but have found the items needed to make it my self. I found on clearance a flat sponge designed to be used as follows: trace your shape on it and cut out. Once you cut out, put it in water and it will expand to the size of a regular sponge. Next, I will glue on the backside some thick foam. This is like a chunky stamp. In this, I have not spent nearly the amount if I would have purchased actual wall paper border. -- Deb from OH