How I Created a Land of Nod Boy's Bedroom On a Budget!

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My Inspiration

Over the years I've been known to ooh and aah over certain Land of Nod catalogs.
Like, say, all of them. They're a great place to look for decorating inspiration for
your children's bedrooms and play spaces. Only problem is, I can't afford the price
tags that go along with their awesome stuff. That's why I had to resort to ingenuity
and imagination to get a

similar look for nowhere near the same price.

Target Circo brand bedding

(no longer available in twin size but I did find it in toddler bed sizes)

It all started with Target, and a ten-year-old boy who told me he wanted
 a "space room." He's a scientist at heart, so this was no surprise. I thought
it was a great idea. The only question was how? Well, it turns out that Target
had a space-themed boys' bedding set that was close enough to the Land of Nod
version that we bought it. No, it's not exactly the same. But it's the same deep
blue color and it also had some cool planets and stars on it. Land of Nod's bedding
would have cost well over $300.00. Target's cost somewhere in the range of $60.00.
Done deal.

The quilt is very cool (glow in the dark and reversible to a blue and white stripe on the
other side) and the sheets were a nice coordinating blue with stars on them. It also
 came with a matching sham.

 In keeping with the Land of Nod theme, and succumbing to my son's literal
begging for their Chevron Plushy Python, this really long (54 inch) reptile
appeared for my son's birthday.  He was ecstatic.

In light of all the savings that we garnered from the Target quilt purchase

I felt that we could afford to buy him the Land of Nod quilted sham and

Pluto pillow cover that goes with the set. To save some money I purchased

the round pillow form from JoAnne's with a coupon rather than from Land of

Nod directly.

Close-up of the Land of Nod sham.

Close-ups of the pluto pillow, front and back.

I was really pleased with how well the different elements came together
to create a unified look.

One last thing came from Land of Nod. I purchased this poster as
another Christmas gift.

It was one of three space-themed wall art posters they sold together, but no
longer carry.  I did find all three, however, on numerous other sites for prices
ranging from $85.00 to $161.00 (framed).

I can't remember what I paid for mine but I know it was not more than $30.00
(unframed) or I wouldn't have bought it. The key is to buy it unframed. I then
bought an inexpensive basic poster frame at Hobby Lobby. Ironically, while
searching for a Land of Nod price for this, I came across an online Goodwill
auction for it (framed) where it sold for $21.00. Not bad.

Speaking of Goodwill, that's where I found the Rocket canvas over his bed. I

had seen it at Target numerous times but passed it up because they wanted 

$24.99 for it. Goodwill, however, had a brand new one for $4.99. Cha-ching.

  Another Goodwill purchase was the silver airplane on his bedside table. It's

pretty hefty and very cool.

I snagged it up immediately, and was so happy I did. I think I paid around $3.99
for it. Upon searching similar models online I found prices ranging from $80.00 to
as high as $199.00 on ebay. It's amazing what you can charge for something if
you call it "art deco."

Another aspect of the space room is the ceiling solar system.
 Land of Nod sells theirs for $22.95.

Here's ours.

While I never ordered the solar system from them, I did find one at Wal-Mart
just before Christmas. It's quite similar in size and form, and it's glow-in-the-dark
which adds a cool touch. I paid around the same price, but there were no shipping
charges, of course, which is always a bonus. Wal-Mart now sells it online for $15.62.

Now, on to the honeycomb shelves. When I first saw them in the Land of Nod
catalog I fell instantly  in love. Little did I know that my son would, too. I believe
they also come in grey and blue.

Only problem was that they were $59.00 for three honeycombs.  I knew he would
need at least 6, but $120.00 was out of the question. So thanks to Mr. CBD and
some internet surfing, he found Black Hexagallery Decorative Wall Shelves, 3-Piece
on Amazon. For a fraction of the price.

While they're not all the same size like Land of Nod's, it seemed a small concession
to make since they only cost $18.97 per set of three. And my son actually preferred
the three-size version, in black, better. Where else would he be able to display his
Giant Microbes plush collection? I told you he wanted to be a scientist.

I attached them to the wall with some 3-M double sided velcro picture hanging strips
so as not to ruin the paint whenever we decide to take them down. He chose the
placement pattern and was really happy with how it turned out.

So for now his room is pretty much done, although I do want to paint his
bedside table an awesome spaceship silver and add a funky chair to the corner
of the room.

Tips on how to decorate a boy's bedroom

(or any room) on a budget.

1. Look for ideas in catalogs and on Pinterest as to what you'd like to do.
Create a plan. Measure and write down important room dimensions and carry
them with you so you're prepared when you stumble across just the right addition
to your dream room.

2.When it comes to big ticket items, start with your local Target discount
stores, and if you find something for less money but still of acceptable quality,
buy it. Also, keep your eyes open for sales at the big name brand stores like
Land of Nod. Sign up for their emails to stay in the know as to pricing. I did that 
and the frequent updates were invaluable to me and my decorating search.    

3. Splurge on accessories when you can.

4. When even the accessories are too expensive, go back to number 2,
followed by Amazon the internet.

5. For things like artwork, see if you can just buy the actual art, sans frame.
You can ALWAYS buy a cheaper frame yourself. As for pillows, be sure to just
buy the cover, not the insert. You can ALWAYS get a pillow form/insert cheaper
at a craft store with a coupon or at Ikea.

6. Always keep your eyes open at Goodwill and any other thrift shops you
frequent. I understand that Goodwill's quality varies around the country, so if
the ones in your area aren't any good, find some other local thrift stores and
start going to garage sales and estate sales if you don't already.

7. Be patient! It took us well over a year to get the room to this point. But
the savings definitely made it worth the wait!   

So what are YOUR budget decorating tips?

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