Re-post

Decorating


This word alone scares and, frankly, annoys me. To get a look that's not completely tacky or that says "Hi, I'm super cheap" you need money and devoted time. I don't know how you feel about it, but decorating makes me groan. I know that if I am going to get the "look" I want it will be expensive and time consuming. I am a stay at home mom with a husband in school so how I make a look work is Do-It-Yourself style or bargain shopping. Mind you, if I chose to decorate my rooms the styles I really wanted, we'd be broke and have more consumer debt than is worth a few cute accessories. Although I do wish I could walk into a store, see a bedroom set, with all the bells and whistles, and walk out of the store with it. Ya know? I have plenty of pictures of perfect rooms that hopefully I'll be able to recreate in my own home someday. Until then, it's 50% off sales over a period of months at Hobby Lobby to finalize a vision of creation.
It's finally time to move my son into the spare room with a big-boy bed. I got really excited about the prospects of having a cutely decorated room. I decided on a vintage airplane theme. CHAH! I don't think anything exists in this department because vintage airplanes are not sports, cars, or the newest release of some action/disney adventure movie. So, it's been quite the adventure trying to come up with frugal vintage items and decor. Thus the groans! The online world is crawling with amazing things, "if" you have thousands to spend on creating a vintage airplane bedroom for a toddler. Still, I pulled out some old paint left over from the living room (a nice wheat color) and began painting. I shopped around and found a few vintage airplanes to hang from his ceiling, all on sale brand new (real vintage would cost an arm and a leg). Next, the bedding. Okay, I knew the colors that would work. My old stuff from college is not something my boy would want to grow up with, so I was stuck shopping for bedding. WalMart, NOPE. Stores at the mall, NOPE. I hate shopping toddler appropriate bedding and being limited to camping, cars, sports, and High School Musical....c'mon! I finally found some great finds at Target that would match the wall color and would be muted colors to go along with the vintage airplanes. However, the bedding sets were like $99.99! One quilt with the perfect pattern and array of colors was over $100. Whatever! He's a toddler... Am I being too picky?! Should I go with the plain blue and white stripe set from WalMart for 45 bucks? (The two beds we own are queen size, so that's the size/price range I am buying for) Well, I let a few months pass...he slept in the crib while we transitioned through holiday sleep at relatives, and then I broke down and checked Traget one more time because he is SO ready for a bed. It was like a ray of light shown from above down the clearance isle. There, on the second shelf were the comforter sets I had seen months earlier! 30% off!? WOW. But, I saw a king size set for cheaper than the queen. I knew if I asked the store people they would give me that whole BS story of "Things go on sale based on need to get rid of it and quantity etc..." So I didn't ask...I kept hunting. I went down the next isle. Found the same comforter set in king size cheaper than the one on the other isle. I had already shoved the queen size one in my cart thinking $69.99 is better than 100 bucks so I really should get it. I decided to look at accessories to see if Target had anything other than cars and sports (NOPE), but what that isle did have was the exact comforter set for 50% off in the queen size. Yeah baby! The hunting for a bargain worked! The colors were what I was looking for too! So, after many months we've moved him into his partly decorated, airplane themed, big-boy room.
Decorating? Can I just groan instead!? Anyone else with me?