I finished my friend Alicia's bedroom finally and here's the end product. I didn't take any before pictures so you'll have to imagine it. Let me set the "before" scene. Imagine white walls... and a king sized mattress. That's it. We got rid of her old furniture she'd had since she got married so I had to find all new stuff. Here are a couple before pictures of the furniture and other items I got on craigslist and thrift stores. I also used a few accessories she already had.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlRsexWoYTRE44QS2Le6CUqc8evoVBU0WjeLbhBtV2CB5kjx3RBVmubT6l09kpNhCsw9pg-5JMRDIzuA-7D2Q1_oPG90GjmRqgEOGcXjgS3bX-Twj8gC64t-iM8Qw8jC4d1n-P5TueC3VM/s320/alicia+001.JPG)
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![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuCcUlMAx-eV8Ohc0kj0Wv9HxplGUegIDrZROfb7oICM0ukRzARsgyhi5GuuGNPQahE_XDk577VuW5EmAVvNOjYg-SpRqh1eqVkbOkvkWtpJ3D6VIlPUXhwlGfYaWtG6pkvxzFl3qaP-C5/s320/photo+%25281%2529.JPG)
I painted her room Gobi Desert from Behr. It's absolutely my favorite neutral tan. She really wanted a relaxing retreat so I knew I wanted to do a ton of white. And blue's her favorite color so the palette was the easiest thing about this room.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVl2EDijg_rICiHnni4P-Wyt5L6w7NC1CpXE6jyRuta02x-4PCGJpp4rqNkOUXIPbroP3HtF4rOQzMDV5ebuAeI6LPttbJmTQEvcKwB_m3ALS1eaddqotqzusajtcPkxlKnu3BgdEgDQoc/s320/Alicias+bedroom+002+%25282%2529.jpg)
The damask print on the focal wall was done using a stencil my friend cut out of vinyl lettering. I stuck it onto a blank stencil I bought at hobby lobby and used an exacto knife to cut it out. Then I just drew it on the wall and painted it by hand.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9-QLgGU6NnvlW5syrfCs8HUUbj2SRVgRUc6XjSxAhTZvd3L858ZKomOMNjgtdxR-GN8oa0P3p1jq8W14KBYmrD9-bjydP7pOWUd12k6X-NrXQs_MGNwGPo7GCTam3aWAs5m90HO0b31Sh/s320/Alicias+bedroom+038+%25282%2529.jpg)
The chandelier was from my lovely sister Tara. We spray painted it white and made a white cord hider from an old sheet.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrq6uQI2bQriu9JsyBn2zdGtZG7BEPd_oDIXzJfNN0cVzd3RSwN5OYhE2byd4t3SnsJ9CfZnwL8Uf8vzXS_Gsji_laU7zA3JS-PqDYZedWGMe5WHJQ8hZkntl8XuNvYZYy_Evuc-SB3NBE/s320/Alicias+bedroom+024+%25282%2529.jpg)
I got the mantel from my Mom. She was kind enough to donate it to the cause and we painted it blue.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU9CPJblhWoRdJIE3sGTCCRZfcq7RbYuFKvwg-X0e17VjI9fS9g51-StgJ21opuBgmb7_1f1_B5lDpRHBPY9f-2U6WXs8CeeXphrNI9MGwDB41HW3o6nwDwND9SKFfOvL6ugbWuGLVJqZZ/s320/Alicias+bedroom+013+%25282%2529.jpg)
My carpenter/husband built this amazing storage solution/reading nook. Did I mention what a hunk he is? I guess he will think twice before coming with me on a job! We built the window seat with a door at the top you can take off and store stuff you don't want out. Plus it makes a great nook for reading or watching the kids sword fight in the back yard.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWMK13dgBDH5a3gV89x7LRxAtfaz2IFRfq5V0w0MUqd3wRfHdvF1Ngt-NwH8krupNYDOxoKHvSkr6Hius06KdAcd9CxOW6EQmYBnxLKQshFmAIYfimC_sACpYJgFYfglQcA6hBIQ6XNTTx/s320/Alicias+bedroom+026+%25282%2529.jpg)
I got the bench at the foot of her bed on craigslist. It was a beautiful mauve color. Ok, maybe it wasn't so beautiful. After a quick slipcover made out of duck cloth for %50 off at joanns, it fit much better in the room. And I didn't have to use a seam ripper once. Which was a first for me.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYCEmuFAnKAlaGZno9o613TWyR-qcAHjKFPo8q_eaHwJ48wgbNqmYY7Brw0oWChTWvsZLN-qzQ2Wuz2zjbHFTn-fqKZnbYgZyJtov2Yn8HxCntfihLlMBXz0tPQ71CgqFQCIlY6PqI_URM/s320/Alicias+bedroom+029+%25282%2529.jpg)
The art piece was my favorite project. I've never painted on canvas before and it was really fun. I don't know if you remember me talking about Alicia before but she recently lost her sweet boy. She has 5 children still here so I wanted to do an art project that reminded her of her family and the one who "flew" away. When I gave it to her she started crying and said she loved it so I think she got the message.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxthgfq9mR0qfeNAnq1zsa1qb0jlFlOsQVPRaI7AAISH1idst69IRrA8yC5yE2KUbALnh9Af2WjirKhObdVBOuzSMLR9QdfybX8V4W9iREIvFOKCOj50FBLq4ZoAV7l_OOCNI7vqb2xdAo/s320/Alicias+bedroom+022+%25282%2529.jpg)
She wanted a little memory box made for her son. So I made a shadow box from some kind of antique sifter. We pinned his blessing outfit to it and put up a picture of him.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkRutq2XKv_RGoWVUp-Fz3ag6fWw4InYhTMphCoEVad1VSzNGXnXLnDB0-_FjvA4mcRmG9dGVdybOmjCh3CqiqoZSneMi6Url1faUWXv-bYiJExkOMVpUYkhWye5bTzBiQBc_SluID_ZKO/s320/Alicias+bedroom+033+%25282%2529.jpg)
The headboard was out of that door in the "before" shots. I used some 1x4 pine and a little molding and then painted it blue.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQx-dhnK_cxXsNeKcPVgixaNCfzMsjz5Ecsa_ZfSmC_LRpkfVcaylFNWqryZ0S_J-SPesBvFjKfNlgmNmYJT0rx9AirbBuuUP20jLIixEfQzQydqENnhBaJ0Rup-201T7doq-4m6nkUOsS/s320/Alicias+bedroom+039+%25282%2529.jpg)
Now here's a breakdown of the costs. Once I wrote them out, I was surprised by what I spent the most on. You'd think the furniture would be the most expensive.
$250 on bedding (ebay and home goods)
$100 on furniture (end of bed bench, dresser, night stands, mantel and headboard)
$100 on paint and accessories
$ 50 on lumber for the window seat
That's a grand total of $500. Yes I spent every penny of our very small budget. Yes I shopped at Goodwill and dug lumber out of the cull bin at Home Depot. But I stayed on budget. One more image just because...