There are two major caveats that I should throw out there that made this room possible. My awesome in-laws downsized, and we were the beneficiaries - very nice furniture. We inherited: a full size metal headboard and bed frame from Room and Board (similar to this), a dresser from Room and Board (similar to this), as well as a desk, nightstand, and two lamps.
He fell in love with baseball, so I set about giving him a slugger's space. (I took this pic in our backyard.)
Almost everything was found on the cheap. It took most of the summer, hitting yard sales, checking out eBay and Etsy, combing through Craiglist, and sifting through piles at my favorite thrift store. I also worked online sales sites like Groupon.
We did grab in a new duvet cover, a simple navy and white stripe. (Found at Target, here)
The first thing I did was embroider a little design on one of his pillowcases. He's a fan of both the Cincinnati Reds as well as the Milwaukee Brewers. So with some embroidery floss, I stitched this on by hand. Easy peasy. It's washed up fine, too. (Like the wrinkled pillowcase? Just keepin' it real, folks.)
I scored this shelf on Craigslist for $5. Is it heirloom quality stuff? No. It's plastic. But it fit our theme, and our colors so I added it. It's a home for bobbleheads, little league trophies, and keepsakes from the pro games he's been to.
One of the lamps my in-laws gave us had this great, rectangular shaped shade. It begged for a design. I found a Babe Ruth quote, grabbed a paint pen, Googled a baseball-ish font, and 15 minutes later, had this:
This baseball mitt wall shelf was a thrift store find, and it holds a bat and a ball.
My Dad and I went to an estate sale, and in the barn/garage there was a big bucket of scrap wood. I think we paid $5 for it all. There were two different colors of painted wood, and as soon as I saw them I thought, "Those look like fence posts." Instantly I remembered seeing a cute baseball sign about "swinging for the fences." My Dad nailed them together for me and added a hanger. I used my craft paints to add the slogan. Done.
I found a vintage Cracker Jack tin at the Worlds Longest Yard Sale in August.
I also grabbed some old baseballs and a bat there. I sat the balls up on the ledge over his closet door.
I had a plain beige throw pillow from my in-laws so I painted on the word "baseball."
This wood caddy was another thrift store find. I added the Brewers logo - using this technique. It's a place for him to store his baseball cards, game programs, etc.
I used stencils to add a sweet little detail onto the door to his room, to remind him that you should have something to aim for (Cooperstown is where the Baseball Hall of Fame is. The mileage is the distance from our house to Cooperstown.) It took 15 minutes but it makes me smile whenever I walk by...
This Reds poster was a find on Freecycle - which, if you haven't checked out, you should. People post things they would like to get rid of, and if you want it, you email and ask and if you're first, you get it. Free. The letter B was from his old room, spray painted to match. I think it originally came from HomeGoods.
We had a Groupon to a wall mural company, and Brady picked out this pic of Miller Park in Milwaukee. From left to right, the Ryan Braun canvas was a birthday gift from a relative, the game towel was another gift, and the Brewers sign was an eBay win.
We added a mirror from our stash, at his height instead of above the dresser where you would normally put a mirror. It's his room, and I want it to be something he can use when he needs to. Then we added four double-pronged hooks to give all those baseball caps a place to live. I didn't worry about screwing them into studs because they will only be holding hats.
I've saved the best for last. At a charity auction, my husband did something he almost never does. He bid on something! And not something little. No, he bid on a custom painted wall mural done by a local artist. And he won! We knew right away which room this would be going in. :-) My son chose a scene from Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati. Keep in mind, we had done the rest of his room on a budget, so this was definitely our big splurge. It took four whole days of painting (artist's website here). But in the end, the result is a stunning, inspiring scene that makes this little boy's room an absolute home run!
If you are working on making over a room, my advice would be:
Take some time and search as many places as you can for second-hand items to add to it.
Add some inspiration, some positive thoughts.
If you are the creative type, include some personally done touches.
And don't be afraid to invest in a marquee piece!
I had so much fun putting this space together, for someone I love so much!
Thanks for reading!
XO,
Anne
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