Decorating Thrifty... 20 Ways I Saved!

This is my daughter's bedroom decor. I call this room's design "Flutter Bunny". It's a mixture of butterflies and bunnies, mostly in purple. Want to know how much I paid? Practically nothing. Intrigued? Keep reading!

Ok, here's the Rundown ;-)

1. Butterfly Wings on the wall- (actually the kind meant to wear on Halloween... which I did take them down once and use them for a costume). These were trash picked. Yep, you heard me right. Straight from a dumpster. What can I say? Lucky find!
2. Bed, nightstand, dresser, box spring and mattress bought on Craigslist in one listing for $80. The best part... the bunny was already painted on the headboard!
   
3. Lamp Shade- Bought on clearance at Babies R Us. It was a splurge at the time for $12. I later regretted it, and therefore decorated my own lampshade for my son's nursery.
4. Lamp- handed down to me from my little brother's room.
5. Ottoman- handed down to us from my brother. I used to to keep my daughter from rolling out of bed at night. We couldn't afford a bed rail at the time. It was ugly, so I laid a quilt over it that was mine when I was a baby.
6. Adorable Bunny Bedspread- This was a random Easter present from an Aunt. It was totally random, but I quickly yanked off the quilt that was there when this appeared in the mail!
7. Throw pillows from my bed when I was a little girl.
8. Butterfly wall hanging from the Dollar Spot at Target.
9. Curtains- This is one of my favorite deals! I found this crib skirt on clearance for $1!!! Then I cut off the cute side sections that hang down, folded the fabric under, and stuck them straight on the trim with thumb tacks! :-)
10. White flowers- Left over from our wedding.
11. Bed Canopy- I purchased this at the $1/pound Goodwill Clearance center in Columbia SC. Because it was super lightweight, it probably cost less than $2!
12. Purple quilt- Made with love by Grandma and given as a baby present.
13. Purple Lamp- Purchased from Goodwill. It cost $7 for the lamp with the shade.
14. Another quilt- Made with love by Great Grandma. It is covering some seriously ugly garage-style plastic shelves with toys underneath.
15. Easter basket- My mom gave this to my daughter for her first Easter. It was really big, so I just use it in her bedroom to hold her Beanie Babies.
16. Really cute trash can- I have 3 of these. I found them on clearance at Gabriel Brother's for $2 each. They're great for holding toys!
17. Quilted bunny- Made for my by my mom when I was little.
18. Ugly chair- Handed down to me by my brother (along with the ugly ottoman beside her bed). Both are covered with quilts.
19. Adorable quilted clock- found on clearance for $2.99 at Hobby Lobby. They have great clearance!
20. Little butterfly- I made that little guy from a coffee filter, watercolor paints, and a clothes pin.

It's very important when you're trying to save money to make do with what you have until you find the right deal on what you're looking for. I didn't go out and buy a bunny quilt. I was using what I had until a good deal presented itself. (Or a free deal in that case.) I'm very persistent to find things on the used market rather than at stores, and I try very hard to work with what I already have. After all, it is in my superpower oath that I am to defend the dollars of our family! :-)

You can see my other decorating posts here. Thanks for stopping by, Shabby Nesters! For anyone who's interested in more thrifty decorating ideas, stop by the Shabby Nest Today to check out Frugal Friday's Linky Party! :-)

*Updated to Say* I totally forgot! The little white table beside the chair was a curb find. When you find something on the curb you want, remember this: It's only embarrassing to take it for as long as it takes you to stick it in the car and drive away, but then you get to keep it forever! And if anyone asks, you were just looking for boxes. Or your retainer ;-)