Kids Room Tips - Decorating Kids rooms on a limited budget.?

Decorating Kids rooms on a limited budget.?

I am decorating 2 rooms. One is for a 7 year old girl and one for an 11 year old boy. The girl likes Bratz, Hanna Montana, Barbie, and Disney princess'es. The boy likes wrestling. I have a very limited budget and there rooms are VERY large at 17' by 17'. I have furniture for both rooms and some accessories. My biggest problem is what to put on the walls. They have a lot of wall space and no picture seems big enough. I was thinking of doing a mural on one of her walls, but what about him? He is very picky. We are doing this as a suprise so we can't ask them. We are doing it that way becuase we think it will end up being cheaper. Please any tips on decorating cheap will be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance for your time! Thank you I have already been to the opps paint a hundred times. I have lots of colors for her room. Nothing for him! Hes the hard one. You all have such great ideas! Thank you! Jam - love the uppercase site! Shannon - Went to get the paint today Chip- Thanks for the site Smlgirl - thanks for realizing that I had the girls room figured out. LOVE the skateboard shelves idea. I WISH I COULE GIVE YOU ALL THE BEST ANSWER!

Public Comments

if you are thinking of painting I would recommend looking at the 'oops paint' at home depot or lowe's. it usually about $5-$10 per gallon. great discount. have you seen any wall decals? all different cartoon characters and images for boys and girls. and what's best is they are removable so the kids can rearrange them every now and then.
GO TO WWW.UPPERCASELIVING.COM CUSTOMER LOGIN ID 133701 TOKEN camp IT IS SSOOO COOL I JUST DID OUR BATHROOM AND BOTH GIRLS ROOMS. IT IS VINYL WORDS OR SAYINGS YOU CAN EVEN MAKE YOUR OWN. I DID HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL IN BIG 12 INCH LETTERS THEY ARE SO CUTE. A FRIEND DID OHIO STATE BUCKEYES.... I BOUGHT STUFF OUT OF THE CATALOG FOR MY LITTLE ONES ROOM. IT APPLIES IN MINUTES, DOES NOT DAMAGE YOUR WALLS BUT STAYS ON AS LONG AS YOU WANT IT.
Check on freecycle or thrift stores to try and find a wrestling mat. If he likes 'professional' wrestling try to find some thick rope and hang it with swags down one wall - like an wrestling ring would have ropes. A wrestler might work out with some weights - so again check freecycle for weights and a weight bench. See if you can find 4 posters of wrestlers and hang them in a straight line down one wall. Next see if you can have a picture of your son blown up to poster size with lettering added saying something like (Sons Name vs Godzilla tonite 9:00pm. Tickets on sale now!) Use the colors from the mat as accent colors throughout the room. If you can get a set of lockers they would provide great storage for all his gear. Check this link for other ideas: http://www.bhg.com/home/Decorating-Kids-Rooms.html For the girl don't worry about building a theme based on Bratz or Hanna Montana, etc. Her favorites will change very fast and then all your hard work will be in vain. Something like this: http://www.bhg.com/bhg/slideshow/slideShow.jsp?slideid=/templatedata/bhg/slideshow/data/ThemedRoomsForKids_01202004.xml&page=11 is cute and whisical and works with wathever her currect favorite is. Or paint her walls in sherbert colors - lime, orange, & yellow. Make the two end walls the same color and the other two walls the 2 & 3 rd color. Paint all furniture white. Find a bed n a bag set in the same sherbert colors. Paint bird houses in these same 4 colors (3 sherbert & white) hang on one wall. Paint whimsical flowers etc on the same wall and then a few random ones on other walls. Be sure to paint one on the top of the wall overlapping onto the ceiling. Something like this:http://www.bhg.com/bhg/slideshow/slideShow.jsp?slideid=/templatedata/bhg/slideshow/data/ThemedRoomsForKids_01202004.xml&page=5 Last but not least: http://www.bhg.com/app/decoratinggallery/item.jsp?itemid=/templatedata/bhg/dg-room/data/TR_silhouettesteenroom_12102003.xml&list=true&sponsorid=&_requestid=281786 Bu tyou don't have to do all of it, just eh pillows and feathers and the lines indicating motion. Hope some of this helps. Most more importantly have fun! :0
There is a paint that turns into a chalk board it is really cool , you can do a really cool frame around it with cheap crown molding the thin stuff. it would probably coast you 20.00$ if that , and then you get the paint that turns into a chalk board so the kids can actually color on it and will erase. they come in like 4 different color's and the kids love it. especially when friends are over. And you can leave messages on the wall for the kids everyday . like chores , or to do list's , or just special messages. And then you can create a really cool bookshelf around it and a shelf with baskets for the chalk and books , and have like a sitting area for them. Another thing Kids love to play school , so I'm sure that both kids will love it. Just an Idea. that can cover a small space on the wall or you can do a whole side of one wall.
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Sounds like you already have your daughters room pretty much set. For your son, its easy. He is interested in one particular thing.... Wrestling. Find out which one he likes... WWE, WWF, ect. I dont know the correct initials but I know there are different groups. My fiancee used to be a referee and Im trying to learn all that stuff. Stencil the letters and colors of the one he likes. Another Idea. Posters of the Wrestlers. I know Walmart sells them. Price range from $3-$5 Buy 2 or 3 of them. I wouldnt even frame them. Put up a Large metal strip across the wall (use flashing - home depot- or metal sheets) and magnetize the posters to the sheets. The metal is more of a masculine, industrial feel. Of course this all depends on the furniture. Also you can keep it simple. Use skate boards for shelving, wrestling masks, or use the geometric cling on wall stencils (linens n things, bed bath & beyond), Or use black and a different bold color. Rearranging furniture too can make an impact. Have fun