Jadon's New Room

I am very excited to say that Jadon’s big boy bedroom is done!  I’m so excited to share with you all that went into this month long process.  (Okay, maybe not all… but I’ll be sharing a lot of the details.)  I didn't really have any good before pictures of his room (I was shocked, but it's true...).  The room was your basic nursery: crib (converted to toddler bed), dresser, changing table, bookshelf, small nightstand, and glider with ottoman.  The space is very tiny, approximately 10x10.  In the end, with bunk beds and all, we actually think the room looks bigger than before!

This room redo obviously had to be a thrifty one, and I think we were pretty successful.  So, after a month of acquiring furniture via family members, thrift stores, and Craigslist; hitting up A.C. Moore with 50% off coupons; scouring the internet for bedding deals; several trips to Home Depot; and a lot of late nights spent painting and crafting we have a little boy’s bedroom that our little boy loves! 

New Furniture

With the exception of his bookcase, every piece of furniture in Jadon’s redone room is new to us.  It was a somewhat eclectic blend of pieces that, through some major refinishing, all amazingly look like they go together.  The bunk beds (that we got from my parents and are the same ones my sister and I slept on) were not refinished, but here are some pics of the other pieces of furniture.

Before & After Pics

 

I found this nightstand at a thrift store in Presque Isle, Maine for $8.  After minimal sanding, a new paint job, and a brushed nickel drawer pull it looks great!

This bookcase had been in Jadon's room as is.  It was a bookcase that belonged to my in-laws originally.  After some sanding and a couple coats of paint it looks like a totally different piece of furniture.

The dresser for Jadon's room is a story that I'll keep brief.  We thought we were getting one for free, but it didn't work out.  So, we stopped at a thrift store in New Hampshire and found this little beauty (sarcasm) for $5.  To be honest, I pretty much looked right past it, but Andy liked it and the price was right.  We weren't sure what to do with it, but the more we thought about it, the more we realized it would probably work for Jadon's dresser.  It had a drawer that was falling apart, and another drawer was missing a big piece, but Andy did a little magic and we ended up with 3 sturdy, good-looking drawers and a shelf at the top.  The 2 baskets hold Jadon's socks and underwear.  New, brushed nickel knobs help to match the piece to the nightstand.  I love it! 

This bench was our CraigsList find.  We realized we were going to have some extra space in the room that really needed... something.  After a couple of days of watching CraigsList for anything that could work, we found this bench for $10 - and get this, it was already blue, almost the same exact shade that we used for the other furniture!  Perfect! 

Walls & Windows

The wall color is the same as before – a super pale, neutral yellow.  I definitely did not want to paint the walls after they were just painted 2 years ago (almost exactly).  I also kept the valances the same because it was easier, cheaper, and they still went with the color scheme in his room.  So, no new changes with his walls (other than the removal of a bunch of scuffs and marks… Thank you, magic eraser!). 

Bedding

The bedding was a big deal for me.  I devoted a lot of time to shopping around, comparing prices, and just worrying about bedding.  I knew what I loved, which was way out of my price range, then I knew what I liked – which was still out of my price range.  (Keep in mind everything had to be multiplied by 2 since we have bunk beds).  So, I played the waiting game.  I kept my eye on what I liked and watched for a really good sale.  Well, the best sale was still not a good enough sale price to fit in my budget, so that didn’t happen.  Then I got looking elsewhere and suddenly found a bedding set (online from Kohl’s) that would work.  I liked it, it was versatile enough to last for a long time, and was still out of my price range.  So, once again, I watched it.  Then, at just the right time, it went on sale, I also had $20 Kohl’s cash, and a coupon code for free shipping!  When it was all said and done, I spent $70 for 2 complete bedding sets (comforter, sheet set, sham, and bed skirt)!  The wait was worth it.  I love getting a great deal!

He loves laying in his new bed!

Wall Art & Accessories

What to put on the walls?  This is always something that I find I mostly have to wait until the furniture is set up and then just kind of feel it.  (This used to drive Andy nuts, but he’s come to learn that this is what I need to do.)  It ended up all coming together really easily.  I re-used a few things that had previously been in his room (simply because I could not bear to part with them yet), made a new wall hanging, and used some vinyl wall decals (LOVE!).  

A few things that were re-used from the nursery: a poem written by my mom with two child's prayers on either side and a shelf with pictures from when Jadon was born, some of his baby Red Sox gear, a baby bank, a ceramic baby bootie, and a musical snow globe given to him by his Great-Grandpa and late Great-Grandma.  Not ready to put any of these things away yet, so they had to find a spot in the room.

I don't consider myself especially creative or especially crafty, although I'm working on both of these things.  I got a little inspired and created this custom wall hanging.  The frame was purchased from the Christmas Tree Shops for $10 (4 - 8x10 frames mounted together).  Check out how I made this from a previous home pick.

Vinyl Wall Decals

Most of the accessories that are in the room he already had - a painted wooden truck that he got from us for his first Christmas (that I painted), the lamp, and the letter blocks that spell his name.  My wonderful mother-in-law gave us a cute truck photo frame that works perfectly in the room.  I bought a little blue canvas bin for some of his toiletry items and a under-bed canvas storage bin for his "next size up" clothes - both bins came from Target.  I also purchased 2 baskets from the Christmas Tree Shops for his dresser for $5 each.  I've seen pennants for kids' rooms in several places online and thought it'd be cute for Jadon's bunks beds - especially since they have not been refinished... ever.  It covers some of the blemishes in the wood.  It was a cheap, simple project that added a lot to the room. 

I found several tutorials on how to make a felt pennant, but ultimately ended up doing my own thing.  I bought my felt, cut the triangles in the size that I wanted, stitched the edge to thread the triangles, and then threaded them with some jute that I already had.  Then I tied it tight to the posts of the beds.  So easy, so fast, so cheap!  Because I had the jute already, it only cost me the price of the felt - less than $2!

The Finished Product

So, drum roll please… here is the finished product.  I’m sooooo happy with it!  And, more importantly, so is Jadon!  Much thanks goes to my hubby for all of his carpentry skills needed with the dresser and installing all the knobs and handles, and yes, he did also pick up a paint brush so I didn’t have to do all of that painting by myself.  In the end, this total room redo (which included multiple pieces of furniture, mattresses, bedding, paint, wall art, accessories, etc.) cost me just over $200.  I’m thrilled with my thriftiness, especially considering we gained an extra place to sleep people in our house.  This is a room that will easily grow with Jadon for the next few years, and the higher priced items (mattresses and bedding) will last even longer.  So that was the road to Jadon's big boy room, and now here is - DONE!

 

~ Carrie ~