The Mom's Cheat Sheet » decorate

Easy to Make, Affordable Party Decor

admin — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 19:00:33 +0000

My daughter’s birthday is next week, and I’m brainstorming ideas for the little party she’s having with some of her girlfriends. I’d love to do something cool for the decorations, although I’m feeling a little low on ideas, and I don’t want to go broke at Target in the party aisle.

That’s why when my friend Erin emailed me this link I was particularly excited. This blog provides excellent instructions on this affordable, beautiful, and easy to make decoration. Another thing that excites me about this particular idea is that it can be used for any type of event – birthday parties, showers, holidays, etc. See for yourself – and let me know if you try it out!

Creative Party Decorations [Balancing Beauty and Bedlam]

Fun Ideas For Your Home Office

admin — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 12:54:45 +0000

Real Simple recently featured a great post on redoing your home office. These 21 photos are sure to inspire you and fill you with great ideas. I’m a fan of the photo suggesting integrating your home office into another room, such as the nursery. That may sound nuts, but from the picture it fits in quite well. I would have never thought of this, but this (and all of the other ideas they suggest) are pretty creative.

Check out all of their great ideas in 21 Ideas For Organizing Your Home Office [Real Simple]

Get the High End Look, Skip the High End Prices

admin — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 12:42:00 +0000

I love getting my catalog for Pottery Barn Kids. It’s so much fun to look through it, and I both daydream and drool at the same time. There have been a couple of times I’ve ordered (small) small things from their catalog, but I mostly enjoy flipping through it for the ideas. I love creating a room for my kids that looks like it’s inspired by a catalog (of course it’s a much messier version…) without the high cost. There are a few ways to do this.

Color is key. Sometimes, the best thing about a room is the colors and the combinations of those colors. You can have a sharp looking room just by combining the right colors, and in the right proportions. One way to know for sure that your color is just right is to get inspiration from designers. One thing I love about Pottery Barn Kids is that they tell you exactly which colors they use in the pages of their catalogs. These beautiful colors by Benjamin Moore can be found by going to potterybarnkids.com and searching “fan deck.” This is a great way to see the colors in actual rooms, and get ideas about decorating around that color.

Do it yourself. You’ll save money as well as have some creative flexibility if you do certain projects yourself. The easiest project with the quickest reward is spray painting, whether you are painting picture frames, an old piece of furniture, or a shelf. Pick a color that is in your child’s room, and have fun with it. I like to find the random, old picture frames we no longer use and then spray paint them to match not only the room, but each other. Having a bunch of coordinated pictures hanging in your nursery, the same shade as your crib bedding, is one of the easiest ways to pull off a catalog look without the high price. Another fun project: If you have a sewing machine and know how to use it, try picking a great fabric and making your own curtains, duvet cover, and pillow shams. Using the same fabric will really bring the look together, and sewing it yourself will save you a bundle.

Choose one piece from the actual store, and build around it. I found some awesome bedding from a very nice children’s store, and bought coordinating things for my two girls, who share a room. The colors were lavender and light green, so I worked from there. I took the colors from their bedding and repainted their room a light shade of lavender, bought a light green balloon shade from Target, and a can of light green spray paint from Home Depot. I spray painted a shelf and some other things, and suddenly it looked like it all went together. Although I only purchased the bedding from the store I liked, I felt like those changes made the room look like it was straight out a magazine.

Check out Etsy. Now, if you haven’t heard of etsy, first read my post about this wonderful site (insert hyperlink to my other post). If you are looking at a page from a magazine and see some sort of décor that you love, try finding that same décor other places first. Oftentimes, you can find things from a private seller who has their own small business, selling virtually the same product for a fraction of the price. A good example of this would be vinyl wall decals. These are amazing, and give a room such a tasteful, unique feel to it. These appliqués are inexpensive and come in many types and colors. In my daughters’ room there are butterflies, an owl on a branch, and a monkey hanging from a branch. I guarantee you that I paid much less for my decals than someone who saw them in a magazine and ordered them from a larger company.

Look on eBay. I found a quilt that I wanted for my daughter, but didn’t want to pay the high price that the store was charging. I ended up finding the exact same quilt on eBay, and it was brand new in the package. Not only was the seller offering for less, but they were offering free shipping as well (which is good for me, since I don’t live close to any major malls). I was able to save $10, which may not sound like much – but it adds up.

If you can think of any more shortcuts to creating a well put together room at a low cost, please let me know and email me at tips@momscheetsheet.com.

- Grace

The Place To Find Pretty Much Anything

admin — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 13:01:44 +0000

August 20th, 2009

A friend of mine was over this morning (and those of you who read my earlier post know that I didn’t waste my time cleaning up, right?). We hadn’t seen each other in a few months, and she was noticing a few new things I’ve picked up. The cute, custom high-chair cover… the butterfly decals in my daughters’ room. As I was telling her all about etsy.com, it occurred to me that I should tell you about it, too.

Estsy is a fantastic website that every mom should frequent. It is a huge marketplace for individuals who make most anything you can imagine. On Etsy’s website, you can find goodies for yourself (jewelry, stationary, candles) or for your little one (bows, room décor, ridiculously cute hats they probably won’t wear). If you can think of it, someone is probably selling it on Etsy.

Some of my personal favorites that I’ve discovered on Etsy:

Teeny, tiny little bows for baby girls with basically no hair (my second baby!)
Custom made hospital gowns in gorgeous prints (we all feel so icky in labor… wouldn’t it be wonderful to wear your own gown and actually feel cute?)
High Chair covers in awesome patterns, made to fit all types of high-chairs
Vinyl Decals – my friend Maria has the cutest bunch of little birds on the wall of her laundry room that she purchased from a seller on Etsy. These things are off the charts adorable.

Etsy is great. Don’t get overwhelmed when you go there – just start searching for stuff, and before you know it you’ll be as much of a fan as I am!