Lets face it.... no-one has a billion dollars, especially those of us with kids! here you'll find some great money saving ideas to create the perfect bedroom for your child on a limited budget, that WILL stand the test of time!  I am a mother of 2 and a freelance artist specialising in affordable Nursery Decor - Here are some handy hints for getting it right without spending the grocery money!

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Choosing a theme and colour scheme -  Kids grow quickly, their wants and needs change.  When picking a theme for your decor, don't choose something that will date quickly as you'll want to change it, when they outgrow it, costing you more in the long run.  My advice is to break it down to basics - colours that is!  This is most important for the "big ticket" items - bed linen (sheets, quilt covers, lamps, rugs, wall decor and art) and nursery furniture.  Choose a colour that they can have as a newborn but also a 6 yr old!  Try to steer clear of the really baby specific colours of pastel as they won't be babies for long.  My tip - pink, orange, purple for girls and blue, green, khaki for boys.  These colours never change, no matter what season or what age group!  If wanting something unisex to cater for the kiddies to come....- navy,green, red or white is always a good choice, and can easily be passed through to the next child even if he/she is the opposite sex to the first.  These basic colours can be mixed with pink and purples or khaki's  and blues within cheaper items - ie wall art or curtain ties without breaking the budget.

An example - Unisex bedroom, main colours is RED (sheeting/curtains/floormat etc), nuetral toned furniture BIG TICKET ITEMS

                            Add a boys twist - blue and white checked sheets or curtain tie backs and some inexpensive Handpainted wall art - maybe some safari animals in navy, red and white tones or some transport themed paintings - the sky's the limit.

                            Add  a girls twist - add pink spotted sheets or candy pink striped ribbons as curtain tie backs and some bright fairy or princess themed artwork in bright reds, pinks and oranges and you've changed the room with little expense.

The idea is to keep the big ticket items in the basic colours and then add your personal touches (bright colours and patterns in artwork or wall hangings) using cheaper alternatives.  that way if they date, it hasn't cost you a lot!

Choosing the right Artwork

Handpainted artwork is something to treasure!  Something personal and unique and also something you can  pass on to your kids.  As I mentioned previously, choose a general theme, don't be too specific to a character or theme.  My suggestions - safari or farm yard animals, transport themed, fairy's, princess's, flowers - these they can have as babies but still have interest in as older children.  Again keep your colours fairly non age specific - its all well and good to have a lilac teddy bear painting at 3 weeks old, but at age 4 all you'll here is "I don't like it, it's for babies!"   Most importantly, make sure the artist uses NON TOXIC paints - some paints can be harmful.  Find an artist who can custom design - match to your existing decor and someone who has an idea of kids and their needs.  There are lots of artists out there painting nursery decor/ wall art who don't even have kids - when you've watched Finding Nemo 150 times, and someone asks you to paint a fish, in my opinion you are the right person for the job!  Finally make sure what you are paying for is NOT just a print of an artwork or a peice of printed fabric stretched over a canvas (this you can do easily yourself). 

Art for Development and Stimulation

Art is a fantastic medium to stimulate your childs senses and get them interacting with you as a baby and communicating sounds and concepts as they grow.  Shapes and bright colours in your babies room help them learn to focus and stimulate the mind.  As they grow, they'll point to the images, you can help them make the sounds, point out the feature - ie ears, nose, tail etc providing a simple and easy  way of interacting with your child (great for dad's!).

Come and visit me - Rachael Zelensky Original Artwork   Go To My Ebay Store

Feel free to come and visit my store where you can find loads of fantastic childrens artwork at affordable pricing.