When Ella was little, we never really had the funds to give her a decked out nursery. The same was the case with Ezra. They’ve both had special blankets, cute wall decals, and sweet little kid’s furniture, but that’s about all. Now that they are getting older, it seems like it’s time to give them something a bit more special.
So, I’m thinking it would be fun to do a room makeover as part of my kiddo’s Christmas. We are becoming more cramped for space with clothes, toys, etc. Ella has expressed enthusiasm about sharing a room with Ezra, so we’re thinking about transitioning them by giving them a fun new room. It still won’t be incredibly fancy, but I think they’ll love it.
We’ve been looking at different options for bed sets and would like to go with a bunk bed. Tim was considering making one, but I think that purchasing a basic wood bunk bed would work great for now (and cost less). Ella can sleep on the top bunk and Ezra can transition to a big boy bed on the bottom bunk with the railing we used for her. They are both little enough that I think this will be a very fun Christmas surprise.
I went to a service activity at church recently where they made quilts using two sheets. I loved the simplicity of this idea, especially for a basic sewer like myself. I’ve made more traditional quilts before (like the enormous one on my bed), but I simply don’t have the time our space to dedicate to that type of project. I thought this would also be fairly inexpensive, but sheets are surprisingly pricey (especially when you’re looking for something specific).
I want their blankets to be a bit enduring, so I’ve decided to avoid character sheets. Pony/horse sheets are surprisingly difficult to find (and expensive!) so I decided to go with this sheet. It would be more practical to go with something in primary colors to “match” his sheet, but she loves pink! I am still undecided on Ezra’s sheets because I found a set I love with planes, trains, and trucks, but it’s a bit pricey. I’m praying I’ll get lucky and they’ll be a Columbus Day sale or something new will pop up on Ebay. I’ll use plain colored sheets for the opposite sides.
Other than that, I am a bit undecided about what to do with the rest of the room. ShopKo has thermal panel curtains for sale and I think that would be a wise choice. I think I might also go with yellow paint to go with both blankets, since they won’t match each other (I know this would make some moms crazy, but I don’t really mind).
Here’s where your ideas come in: How do I decorate the rest of the room in an affordable way to incorporate both kid’s styles? Framed art work? Decals? I’d love to hear your thoughts!
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You could always pick out a primary solid color from the pink sheet and use it as the flip side, that way, it would ‘match’ his if folded ‘down’. Looks like there are red apples on the trees there, or something else red. K hasn’t gotten a real nursery yet either. We’re waiting on.. I dont know what to paint and then hang stuff. I just have stuff in boxes waiting to go. I would say don’t try to match too hard, if it’s a combo room, it’s a combo room. It’s going to be covered with toys and stuff, anyway, right? At least part of the time.
I’m not sure what kind of quilts you are thinking of making (tied vs. machine or hand-quilted), but you can also buy two lengths of fabric and sew them together to have the same size as the sheet would be. You would probably have an easier time finding fabric you liked either in a local store or online.
Have you also tried looking at a thrift store? I just found a darling red and white checked sheet at Value Village for $1.50 that I’m going to cut up and use for material to make things for my little guy.
Some of my favorite craft blogs with decorating ideas for kids are:
Prudent Baby(www.prudentbaby.com),
MADE (www.dana-made-it.com),
Make It and Love It (www.makeit-loveit.com), and I am Momma Hear Me Roar (www.iammommahearmeroar.blogspot.com). All of these blogs have awesome ideas and tutorials for DIY decorating projects. They’re a feast for the eyes!
I don’t really have an idea since I am in the same boat… my 2 share a room as well… boy 5 and girl 2… they could each have there own room however, they love being in the same room together so, we let them.. The room is very baby though with blue yellow and rubber ducks so I would love ot make them a duo room boy one side girl on the other… I’ve been thinking about one corner decked out as a fire station and the other corner 2 walls as a city street with girly flowers and whatnots… I think it would work out great… but, we’ll see..
I really love the green in both as well! Natalie has a yellow room that I love – with the bright “tropical”?? colors (yellow, aqua, lime, orange, etc).
I don’t think they need to match either … although I LOVED the idea above about the city … super cute!
Post pictures!!!
You should check out Holly over at @504Main if you don’t already follow her. She is very creative and has little ones of her own. I bet she’d have some ideas. I will tweet her about this, too! I wish I was more creative, but I’m not. I do love the bunk bed idea, though—so fun!!!