You may have seen my Facebook Live yesterday where Brian challenged me and my opinions on wanting to paint Elliot’s room a light pink because she is a girl, but it’s not because of her… it’s my chance for that paint color. I want a light pink room really bad and maybe it is because in our current house our kids rooms are rather gender neutral. Sure, Elliot’s has some blush pinks, but the wallpaper, furniture and rug are totally gender neutral. So clearly gender neutral nurseries or kids rooms are trending, especially for people who don’t find out the sex of their baby (HOW DO YOU PEOPLE HOLD OUT FOR SO LONG???). So for those of you who were requesting another budget friendly series – here you go, a gender neutral budget nursery.Art Above Crib 1 | Art Above Crib 2 |  Even though colors shouldn’t be gender specific (and I’m sure I’ll get in a lot of trouble for even writing the next sentence) when there is a lot of pink in a baby room it leans more “girl” and blue leans more “boy”.

I’m not saying it SHOULD be that way, it just kinda is – but fortunately that is changing. I should probably NOT paint Elliot’s next room light pink in protest, but I want my pink room!!! I love that black/white/wood/neutral version we created. It truly doesn’t feel gender specific. Nice job Ali (she is the one who pulled these together and should know more than anyone as she has 3 kids – one of them a brand new baby). After she created the first one above, which we love, she worked her magic and somehow she chopped the price in half:Art Above Crib 1 | Art Above Crib 2 | By the way I have that rug and it is a lot whiter than it is on their site and in this rendering which I think would look better than it reads in the picture. It’s cream, not bright white, but on the site it looks like the above image which has some yellow in it. I love this version! Last but not least #3 comes in at just under $1, 500 – not bad, folks. I’m wondering how many budget makeovers we can possibly use that mirror in – it’s just so good for so cheap, and round mirrors are wildly prettier for some reason than rectangular ones (right now).

Show of hands, how many of you like the gender neutral versions we created or still lean towards the traditional themes or colors like blue and pink? P.S. Brian wears a decent amount of pink and yet somehow Charlie HATES pink – like he refuses anything that is pink. I’m not sure if it’s because at his pre-school none of the big boys wear pink and maybe the girls wear too much of it, but it’s so weird how he already has that opinion. super cheap hanging bubble chairI’m going to have to work on that…in the meantime what are you guys ready to see next in the budget series? super cheap hanging bubble chairWe have a very fun bedroom coming up in the next round which is inspired by some of what I have been pinning for my new tudor cottage – which we made some major decisions in today on Facebook live.office chairs for shoulder pain

You may also like: One Bedroom, Three TINY Budgets Budget Living Room: Modern Farmhouse Budget Rooms: Colorful Living Room with SectionalFor our recent photo shoot, we created our room shots by accessorizing with items from budget-friendly stores. We were we amazed at the adorable items we were able to find at reasonable prices. purple accent chair targetAwesome deals can be found for picture frames, lamps, rugs, decorative accessories and more. cheap chair covers bristolIt may take a little hunting, but it’s worth the time and effort for the money that can be saved when you’re creating a nursery on a budget.cheap deck chair hire Some tips on creating a beautiful nursery on a budget:cane back chairs style

1. Determine your budget up front. Just like with a wedding, crazy spending on a new nursery is easy to do. If you establish a budget up front, it will be easier to stick to it and stop yourself before going overboard. 2. Start planning and shopping for the nursery early. The earlier you start, the better chance you will have finding the perfect items at the best prices. office chair laptop trayYou won’t feel rushed and be tempted to overspend.cheap sofa swivel chairs 3. Garage sales, secondhand stores, Craigslist or eBay are excellent sources for gently used items such as chairs, changing tables, dressers and more. However, be careful of used cribs, as drop-sided models are no longer approved by the CPSC and can be unsafe. 4. Make sure you sign up for emails from your favorite stores and websites, so you will be notified of sales and promotions.

5. Shop budget-friendly stores for accessory items: Target, Homegoods, IKEA, Marshalls, TJMaxx, etc. 6. Painting or stenciling can be time consuming but easy and inexpensive. There are lots of ideas in the Project Nursery gallery. 7. Make a changing table out of the top of your nursery dresser by adding a changing pad on the top. This idea will save you money and space. When you are done with changing diapers, you can remove the pad, and voila, you have your dresser top back! 8. Pinterest is a great source for inexpensive nursery DIY projects: painting, sewing, storage, handmade mobiles and more! 9. Frequent antique shops and estate sales to find vintage frames, accent décor and furniture pieces. Repaint items to match your nursery to create an adorable vintage nursery! What methods did you use to save money while designing your nursery on a budget? shop wall decor » dressers and chests » shop bunk beds » Your children are the center of your world.