Thursday, May 6, 2010

sage's nursery on a shoestring budget.

with four weeks {or less} to go, we've finally completed the nursery.  we still have to hang a few paintings, but other than that it's ready for lil' miss's arrival which makes this mama's heart happy.
total spent on entire nursery {including everything*} = $154.
*everything = all furniture, bedding, spray paint, curtains, rods and tiebacks, frames, lamp, wall letters... everything you see pictured and then some.  things not pictured: white toy box, rocking chair, canvas paintings, birdhouse hairclip holder.  













ways to keep things cheap:
match mismatched furniture with a can of spray paint.
settle for used.
use things from around the house - repurpose them to fit a nursery.
you don't need half as much as you think you do.
make things.
it doesn't have to be perfect.

{many people gave us things and we are so very grateful for their generosity!}

we are ready for our sage to arrive!

belly shot @ 36 weeks.




{sidenote: thank you so much for your sweet and encouraging comments on my last post.  your willingness to pray for me without even being asked just rocked my socks off.  thank you from the bottom of my heart!}

carissa

97 {comments}:

carissa @ lowercase letters said...

test

Aly @ Analyze This said...

Adorable!! Sage is going to love her room, I just know it! :)

You are glowing in your picture! You carry so well :)

Mrs. Hesson said...

Look at you go! It looks absolultey precious. I think she's going to love it. :)

And you look amazing, mama. Almost there!

Kelli said...

Her room is adorable! I love how all of the pieces come together. And something else adorable...you. What a cute picture!

Farmgirl Paints said...

Carissa first of all you are adorable!! Seriously by 36 weeks I looked like a beached whale and my face was so swollen that my nose was flat. So jealous of how cute you still are! Sage's room is perfect. Can't believe you pulled it all together on $154...wow:)

The Shiny Pebble said...

You look so adorable! And the nursery is just perfect. You are a smart and stylish cookie. I wasted so much money in my son's nursery that never got used. Now that we are at the new house I am being much more selective on the "needs" of his room.

Summer said...

Um will you come decorate my house?!?! Sage's room is beyond presh! LOVE IT! I love the birdie designs from Target I have seen it before and thought it was so stinkin cute! Love the pom pom idea and girlie I am with you on the furniture I think it adds meaning and character! We took Kelcee's nursery dresser and we are gonna paint it and make it into a big girl dresser for her big girl room :0)

You look so pretty as usual! Sage is almost here eeeeek

xoxo
Summer :)

Heather said...

Her room is so sweet! I'm sure she will love it. It looks like you really have a knack for these things! What's even cuter is your belly! I pray that you'll stay comfortable throughout this last month!

Heather

Kimberly said...

You did such a great job!!! its beautiful! and you look beautiful too!!

Chloƫ said...

you're so creative! my husband and i don't "plan" on kids until after he finishes law school but these kind of posts make me want a baby now. :)

LeAnna said...

You are completely adorable! Sage's room looks amazing, way to go Mama! Love the birdie bed set, you sure got a steal on that!

Jennifer said...

Aww... every last bit of it is adorable. What a precious room. Beautiful belly shot! :)

Marissa said...

Aw! That is one adorable nursery!! SO cute!! Sage is gonna love it :)

Jen said...

love love love. baby sage will be so happy there i'm sure. it really is darling.

Candace said...

It looks fabulous, and it makes me ready for another baby simply so I can decorate! No baby soon though.

Cara said...

You look beautiful! I love your little baby bump and wow, seriously, some unbelievable advice for shoestring budget nursery building! Thanks for the tips when needed in the future! Heheh.

xoxox

brookesbabble said...

AMMMAZING!!! WOW! When I have a baby I am coming to you for lots of help on decorating.... It looks so great!! Way to go!! So happy for you that it is done...Sage will love it!! Look how cute you look with your little belly! So happy for you :)

3 Blessings said...

It is so adorable! I love it and all your money saving tips.
Blessings,
Amy

amanda said...

cute cute cute...just loads of cute. of course if you don't like the word cute...insert an appropriate word! :)

Laura@Cowboy Boots said...

sooooooooooooooooo stinking cute! love the tissue ball idea. too bad you don't live near me..i had a ton left over from my bday! haha

everything is perfect and ready for sage! come on baby!!!

i thought you were using the liberty buckets???

and btw you look fantastic at 36 weeks...that's what i look like at 5 months! haha

Design Darling said...

now you already know i love the pom poms (how great that your bff made them for you!) but you've seriously outdone yourself here. a whole nursery for $154? carissa, you rock! baby sage is gonna love it :)

Molly said...

Can you come help me re-do our family room for that cheap? Pretty please :)

I ADORE Sage's nursery, its so dainty and beautiful, yet simple. You did a wonderful job! And your picture, amazing! You look fabulous momma!

Adventures of a CrAzY LaDy! said...

This looks AMAZING! You did an unbelievable job! I am so impressed - I'm even more impressed by your budget!!! I'm sure your sweet pea will love her new little room!!!

Anne said...

Your nursery is beautiful! You are an inspiration- doing all of that for such a small amount of money, and it looks great!

Linds said...

That is SUCH a cute nursery! I get scared about using used cribs, but will probably have to resort to that for this next one, as my first will only be 19 months... too early to switch to a big boy bed.

Diana Mieczan said...

Wow...you did an amazing job! I adore the diaper boxes and the name on the wall...You look glowing and beautiful!
The best stuff always come the cheapest...you only need to put your heart into it!
Great job! So cute!
Have a great day :)

Mrs. Jennifer said...

Can I come live in your nursery?

Kelli @ RTSM said...

The nursery is adorable. The changing table and all the pink bins turned out so cute! And I am seriously in love with the pom poms! I need a little girl just so I can decorate with some:)

Natalie Catherine said...

i LOVE the bedding...i had my eye on some at target that were on sale..but i am trying to pace myself with the new nursery redo! haha. it has come together so perfectly! and you look adorable. as always.

Reese Ray said...

Oh my word I cant believe youre that far along and look that good. Youve got a great belly that's not all crazy looking like mine was. haha! And I love the room too. Youve done a GREAT job with everything! Its funny because we got Weston's crib stuff on sale at Target for $26 too! I still need to do some work in there but I just cant justify spending tons of money on it so its a work in progress still. But good job. You will be a mommy of 2 soon, how exciting!! :-)

Meg Fletcher said...

LOVE IT! I love doing a lot with a little! I love the green and pink, and that changing table was a steal! Cute cute cute!

leigh ashley said...

that's adorable!! and you look fantastic!!

Lane said...

LOVE sweet Sage's room! You did a great job and I am so impressed with how inexpensively you were able to do it. Way to go! :) Ellington's room is also green and pink. I love the color combo.

Denise said...

Fantastic job!!!!! It looks great!

Kristin said...

WOW lady. You are mucho talented. LOVE the poms. Can you come do my nursery when I finally convince the hubs to have #2? AH ha ha!

Anne said...

First of all you look great at 36 weeks! Secondly, I LOVE the nursery. I can't believe you did it for so cheap and it looks awesome! I am so impressed.

Lauren said...

I love it all!!!!! So cute!!! I love pink and green together - precious!:)

You look amazing!!!!!!

Lindsay said...

Oh, how sweet!! It looks FABULOUS.... and so do you, Carissa. :-)

Kristin said...

Hi Carissa! What a great job you did. I'm such a huge fan of pink and green (and Rustoleum for that matter!!). Love filing away great decorating ideas, so thanks for sharing!

Ashley said...

So excited for you guys!! The nursery looks amazing. Cant wait to meet Sage.

Debbie said...

The room is adorable as are you pregnant! You look like you stuck a tiny basketball up your shirt is all, so cute!

Marcie said...

Love the color scheme. You look great.

xo
Marcie
www.lemonsandlaundry.blogspot.com

jamieliz said...

Love your blog (a daily read sneaking a minute from work!!). The nursery is adorable! Congrats on finishing it up!

Jocelyn said...

That room is so stinkin adorable! Love the bird theme and looks great with that wall color. You did awesome! Finding ways to reuse items is fun and who doesn't love spray paint??? You are definitely glowing and gorgeous!

Jessica said...

Shes gonna love it! You look amazing by the way!

Bekah said...

LOVE the nursery. SO adorable. What a great place to grow up in! And the color schemes, beautiful. And how much money you saved: brilliant. Wish I was so spendthrift, haha.

I'm so excited! I'll keep you and your family in my prayers as the big day draws near!

Love,
--Bekah

Barbie said...

What a beautiful nursery! I cannot believe you only spent $154. Love the belly shot!

Kelly Marie said...

Sage's room is beautiful!! & you look amazing (: I love the idea of typing bible verses and putting them in frames!!

Annie said...

i LOVE the entire room!! everything about it!!
you look amazing lady!! you have that glow for sure!

partialemptynester said...

You are definitely my kindagal!!!! Love it, love it, love it! A room that looks great and stays within budget is a room to enjoy :)))

And you, btw, look amazing!!

Hannah said...

Sage's room is so adorable! (have I ever told you that I think that name is darling?) And what great savings! I love the whole designs--the bible verses in the frames and the little bird is probably my favorite part.

And you look great! :-)
--Hannah

Ashley said...

oh and thanks for grabbing my button. I feel so honored! lol

junghwa by amy stewart said...

Thank you for sharing the nursery! I love seeing how you made it so lovely without spending too much money. So crafty!!

tea said...

The room looks lovely! Good job! :)

Lori said...

You look FABULOUS! I am jealous... what a gorgeous pregnant woman!

Oh, and the nursery is so cute :)

Teresa @ Grammy Girlfriend said...

Love, love everything you did.....A beautiful nursery....Stop by and check out my Mother's Day Giveaway.

Katie said...

You are almost there! You look great and still smiling! Y'all must be so excited! PS I knew you were crafty, but I love what you have done with Sage's nursery. I have been looking at furniture online... your post probably saved me and the hubs some money. (now, I am headed to the thrift store) Thanks girlie!

Sarah loves it all said...

So adorable! I love seeing rooms that didn't cost a fortune! It's so refreshing to know that other people out there don't have tons of money to spend decorating a room. It's possible to do it for cheap! Love it Carissa! Lucky Sage!

Ashley said...

I LOVE LOVE LOVE it!!! It is almost exactly how I decorated Emma's first room :)

Okay...so question... do you have an address where I could send a few things? I have a few birdie decor things that have been sitting in the closet for about a year. So... let me know if there is somewhere I can send them :)

Wild and Precious said...

nursery looks way awesome!! way to go sweet little mama!

Mrs. Buck said...

that nursery is adorable - and I love the name Sage!

littledaisymay said...

Her room looks great and so do you :)

cait said...

oh this is just adorable! love your personal touches...makes it that much more special for her! I also love how you re-purposed things...amazing!

Nadine said...

I LOVE IT! It's precious!!! You are just beautiful! You are such a pretty preggo!!! :0)

Shelby Bukhenik said...

This nursery is GORGEOUS and I am beyond jealous at the price of everything. We definitely had to spend more and I am sure it won't be a cute as this. I think a personal touch is always so nice anyways! You've inspired me to think outside the box for the rest of the decorations though!

You are so tiny, I can't believe how huge I look and feel now haha!

Carrie said...

It's beautiful! You've done an amazing job and I love that it's simple! She will grow into for several years! I love things that can be reused and items that are given to you...they can mean so much more and make you think of that person :) You look so adorable! Take care...thinking of you!

Rachel said...

That is the ultra chic baby room! I love it. And I'm trying not to covet such an adorable room. I think I could do just fine in that room...the colors...the baskets...wait...the bed is too small. hee hee hee

Truly. The room is amazing. I love how you shop. If you were closer I'd meet with you and we'd hit the sales, and the back racks at Target.

Fabulous job!!!

Rachel

Rachel said...

And I must say that you look AMAZING. Truly AMAZING. And I can truthfully state that fact since I have been pregnant SEVEN times. (for all of you reading this fact, please now pick your jaws up off of the ground. hee hee hee)

Cute picture. Adorable. And one to be treasured.

Crazy Shenanigans said...

Awwwww! Love love love the nursery! Congrats!! How exciting!

Christina said...

I can't help but say this, you are adorable! And what you did with so little is amazing. It's perfect! So exciting that the time is drawing so close!

Lindsey said...

way to go on that nursery!! that is awesome!!! You look so cute too!!! i love taking old things and giving it a new life with some spray paint! Yay!

Gwen said...

Cute nursery. Such a good idea to put the light weight poms over the crib. Wouldn't want anything heavy falling on Sage!

Karisa Tells All said...

the room looks great! And so does your belly! Is rustoleum just a brand of paint? I'm planning on redoing my room this summer and I don't know how to paint furniture yet.

Becca said...

I LOVE LOVE LOVE her precious room! I cannot believe that is all y'all spent in there! The only thing that would make it any cuter is if sweet Sage was present!!

PS YOU LOOK FABULOUS!

Design Apprentice said...

you're such a ray of sunshine I'm sure you've received the sunshine award before. Wanted to let you know I bestowed it upon you today, on my blog. I have no doubt Sage is going to be born giving off that same contagious sunshine!

chelsea rebecca said...

first off, you are insanely cute!! i love baby bump pictures!
second, HER ROOM IS ADORABLE!!!
i love the poms! and the little birdie!!

best nursery ever??
i think so.

Debbie said...

You did great with her room! It's so, so sweet. She's gonna love it! :-)

You look great, you're in the home stretch now. Hang it there!

Megan said...

Beautiful, Sage will love it! You did a great job and you look great! I'll be praying for you, not much longer until you get to hold your baby girl in your arms! :)

Dandelion and Grey said...

WOW... I am SO impressed on how you created such a BEAUTIFUL room on such a small budget! That takes talent. Wonderful job-- Sage is going to love it!

You look adorable, Carissa & I'm wishing you the best for the remainder of your pregnancy! xo

Mama D.'s Dozen said...

Definitely my kind of decorating!!! I found a really cute blog last night. Supposedly it was about budget decorating. Ummm ... the gal just re-did her little boys' bedroom (changed from nursery to little boys' room). She was so proud of herself; she ONLY spent $1,000+ on the room. Not quite what my budget has in mind. When we move can you imagine if I spent $1,000 per bedroom to decorate. (I don't think that even included any new furniture, it was just the "decorating" part.)

Love your ideas ... love your style ... can't wait to "meet" Sage.

:) :) :)

ReJOYce! said...

Looove Sage's nursery! Good job! You look adorable! Have a Great Day!

Hattie said...

Love it! Girl you rock on a budget!!! Your 36 week pic is beautiful. I'm one of those "fat" pregnant women. You know the ones that carry all the weight in there face and hips, but you look amazing! I can't wait until Sage gets here. Hope y'all have a great weekend and I hope you have a wonderful Mother's Day!!!

Tawny said...

If you would have NEVER said that you were on a budget, I seriously would have NEVER know! Everything fits so perfectly. What a sweet room, your little bundle will love it! How could she not! The baskets turned out perfect!

Q, La, and Gooner said...

You are by far the sweetest and cutest women ever! You look so good at 36 weeks; isn't the female body amazing!?

Great job on the budget! That is so awesome! It looks so beautiful and darling. I can't wait to "meet" her.

LindseyRockers said...

I love the nursery and your blog! I have had such a fun time poking around and am totally inspired. definitely your newest follower!

www.hosuemadehome.net

Amanda said...

*gasp* I LOVE it! Great job Carissa! I totally want you to decorate my house one day. :)

myletterstoemily said...

hey sweetie!

you look adorable and super tiny. how have
you managed to not look like the beached
whale i always resembled?

sage's nursery is too cute! you have done a
marvelous job decorating it.

i just came over to wish you happy mother's
day and to remind you to not read my post
tomorrow.

Alely L. said...

awwww....you look beautiful pregnant. happy belated mother's day! i'm trying to catch up on your blog. i'm so far behind.

♥ Noelle ♥ said...

what a sweet girls room!! you look so beautiful too!!! i love to mix n match pieces and white spray is becoming my new BFF ♥ lol:)

FirstComesLove.Then said...

They nursery is super duper cute!!! I love it! Your crib and changing table are super similar to mine! i found them both at garage sales for cheap! $4 for the table and $35 for the Jenny Lind crib. Can't beat that:)

Great job! I'm loving:)

robyn michelle-lee said...

this is SO inspiring! i love the design and your resourcefulness! i just came across your blog, and i love it! and your bump is adorable!
all the best to you and sage! xoxo. (i love her name!)

Trina said...

Love it! You did such an awesome job and on a great budget!

danielle said...

i LOVE the nursery. and LOVE your baby girls name! how fun!

Fancy Pants said...

You look gorgeous at 36 weeks! She's almost here!!!

Carissa said...

MY NAME IS CARISSA GRAHAM!!!

Leigha said...

So sweet!

Mandy said...

You have done such a fantastic job decorating! This makes me want to have another baby just to decorate a nursery! LOL

Your friend needs to do a step by step tutorial on the poms. They are awesome!