DIY Nursery (on a budget)

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Now I know Aria is a good 10 months old right now, and we are just barely finishing her nursery. Don't judge! We really slacked off. To be honest her room is the only room done in our entire house. So finishing her nursery has inspired us to finish the rest of our house.

When decorating a nursery you do not need to break the bank. From the moment I found out I was pregnant I had two plans for the nursery. A Cars nursery if it were a boy and a Little Mermaid if it were a girl. The minute we found out we were having a girl I set out to find Little Mermaid decor.

First go out and find things on sale in craft stores. They don't have to be the right color as long as they go with the theme, you can paint anything! This boat shelf was blue and tan. So I grabbed some coral paint and went to work. That "dinglehopper" was a copper fork intended for kitchens. Nothing a little spray paint couldn't fix.






Next the bedding. Of course I needed Ariel sheets for my little mermaid. It came with the adorable quilt, and sheets. I am actually pretty surprised at how soft the sheets are! I love all Disney Baby products they are so cute and so fun for little ones. The Nemo ball has been amazing to have for Aria. She loves it.




Then I wanted to dress up her very plain crib. I wanted to give it a more "princess" vibe. So we made a faux canopy for her bed. I just grabbed some fabric from my local craft store and grabbed some sea shell coat hangers. The thing at the top is actually a shelf, we turned it upside down and hid the hook for the fabric behind it. You don't even have to use the decorations for what they are originally intended for. Get creative.




Her walls looked a little bare to me. I didn't have it in my budget to purchase art, so I went through my scrapbook paper. I used my cricut to cut out the seahorse and the anchor, and the Be You sign was paper I already owned. I modge podged the paper onto canvas (pack of four) that I got for $6.

The Mermaid sign above her bed was a gift at her shower. It means even more to us now, because the amazing women that gave it to us passed away.


Window treatments are not always necessary. We actually only got them because Aria's nursery was getting so bright and hot during the day she wouldn't really nap. A good way to save money on curtains (they are so expensive) is to use painters drop cloths and fabric dye. Grab a sewing machine fold and sew where they hang off the curtain rod. It is so super easy if you are looking for a good way to save on window treatments. Make them "custom".



Now for the dreaded changing table. We looked for what seemed like a lifetime for one. They are so stinking pricey. In my opinion, not worth the bucks. I guarantee 90% of diaper changes happen just on the floor. Especially when it's 3 a.m. and your child is hungry.

We decided to find a dresser and use it as our "changing table". It cost us nothing for the dresser, and the white wash paint was dirt cheap. I wanted it to look distressed,worn and damaged. Ariel's grotto doesn't have fully restored furniture. So neither will Aria's grotto. Plus it offered more storage. and more space.


I knew we were going to need a lot of shelves for books. Aria had a million books before she was even born. Now it's getting way out of hand. But a child can never, ever have too many books. But shelving again can get expensive and bulky. So we did the rain gutter shelves. It was super cheap, we got the rain gutters from a hardware store. You install them with dry wall screws. They are pretty sturdy and strong.

I then wanted to add an extra touch to this wall by adding a quote. I was going to just do vinyl but I loved how it looked I didn't want to ruin it if we had to move in the future. So I found this wood pallet at a wood store on clearance for $3 and I used the paint I used for the boat shelf to finish it off. I used my cricut to cut the vinyl. I love how it turned out. Get crafty!



Last but not least we have a little bath tote for her bath gear. We have it on her changing table so it's easy to grab and go. It has her wash cloths, toys, and soap/lotions. I highly recommend this for every nursery. It makes bath time so easy. You can get these bins at the dollar store. 

Did you find the hidden Mickey in the room? How are you decorating your nursery? Any fun tips to keep things under budget? What cute Disney Baby products caught your eye at your local Walmart? 






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