Description: Tips for decorating your child's bedroom on a budget.

Decorating kids rooms on a budget can be challenging, to say the least. However, there are plenty of ways to create that dream domain for your little (or big) one, without sacrificing the college fund!

My first suggestion when decorating for children is, DON’T DO IT WITHOUT THEM! So many parents decorate for the way they envision the perfect room, only to have it backfire on them during the unveiling! Let the child become part of the process, and they will not only love the room they helped to create, they will have learned some valuable life tools as a bonus.

The next step is to organize. Kids are much more likely to keep their rooms picked up if there is a little bit of order. Cardboard boxes covered with contact paper, fabric drawstring bags made from scrap fabric, and zipper style bags(not with babies or toddlers!) can all go a long way toward keeping things in their place. It’s also not a bad idea to label drawers and storage areas for the little ones…it helps them to remember what goes where. If they are too young for reading, draw pictures.

To start the decorating process, the first thing to do is to come up with a theme. Even if it is just a color scheme (although with kids, it seldom is!) it gives you a blueprint. Remember to ask for your children’s ideas here. Give them your guidelines, and then let their imaginations flow. You can then narrow it down to two selections, and help them decide which is best! Some great themes for kids rooms include garden, jungle, space, cowboy, trucks and trains, fairies, teddies, favorite animal, letters and numbers, cityscape, farmyard...ok, I could be here all day! You get the idea, try to use your child’s natural personality to direct you.

How to do this all on a budget? Apply your chosen theme, then try these ideas...

1. Paint. If you can’t afford to or don’t want to paint the whole room, add a colorful painted border, use foam stamps to stamp a theme design, or stencil around windows and doorways.

2. Add depth to your wall design. This gives a fantasy feel to the room. Use contact paper or craft foam cutouts, paint a simple mural over the wall, tack felt flowers in your “garden”, decoupage computer cutouts onto the wall…you get the idea.

3. If you can’t afford to buy new bedding for the whole room, consider using sheets to make some pretty easy changes. Flat sheets can be purchased at discount stores for just a few dollars in several great colors, and can be used to easily create duvets for existing comforters, simple curtains, and custom pillowcases. If you don’t sew, you can use iron on fusible tape. Purchase the heavy duty variety.

4. Finally, add some personal touches. Make a simple throw pillow with their name in fabric marker, create a sign for them to hang on their door, or simply pick up some dollar shop frames and let them hold family memories close to their heart.

A word about teens rooms. This is one of the most common questions I hear from parents, “How do I decorate a teen’s room?” The answer is simple...however they want! Ok, within reason folks. I still feel parents should place conditions on how a room is decorated, it is your house, after all. For instance, my rule was no black walls. (And no permanent anything without approval!) But the fact of the matter is, teens either want a very adult room, or a room that is totally not what any adult would want! The truth is, they won’t be happy with anything less.

So within reason, let them call the shots. Just make sure you can close the door when company arrives...

Kathleen Wilson is an author, national columnist, and editor of The Budget Decorator newsletter. Find more free ideas, free ebooks, and her free newsletter at http://www.TheBudgetDecorator.com.

Choosing the Right Colours for Your Kids' Rooms
Teen Room Decorating Ideas
How To Decorate Great Kids Rooms with Little Cash

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