Name: Julianne Jade Roberts
Age: Three Weeks old (born 1/30/11)
Location: Flowery Branch, GA
Room Size: 144 sq. ft.

Julianne's mother, Justina, created this soft, warm space for her baby girl with a budget that might make some nesting moms throw in the towel. For under $250, she pulled together pieces from thrift stores, garage sales, and antique markets and blended them with gifts from relatives and a rocking chair handed down from her great-grandmother. She even lucked out and found handmade Barbie dresses at a garage sale for $1 each, and framed them in individual shadow boxes she purchased at the craft store. The final look is so complete and so vintage sweet it exudes a gentle, heirloom quality that we think is perfect for a baby girl.

What was your inspiration? The bedding was the first thing finished in the room, so I decided to go very eclectic because of all the patterns used there. My husband's aunt sewed most of the bedding for us as a gift. I love it!

What was your biggest challenge? Finding the time to dedicate to the nursery before Julianne arrived was difficult. I pretty much had been collecting stuff for the room, but couldn't find the time to set it all up. I am a fourth grade teacher, and we luckily had a week off school due to snow/ice in December, so I used that week to work on the nursery. It was such a relief to get most of it done before our sweet baby arrived.

What is your favorite element? The rocking chair was my great-grandmothers, which means a lot to me. I also love the changing table/dresser combo.

What are your favorite items to look for in thrift stores? I love shopping for furniture the most. The prices are great, and many of the pieces have so much character. Almost all the furniture in my home is thrifted or yard saled.

What was your proudest DIY in the room? I was most excited about the barbie dresses in the shadow boxes. I saw something like that in my favorite decor book, and immediately knew that I would do that in the nursery.

What was your biggest indulgence? My finishing piece was the rug. It is from Target, and I splurged and spent $70 on it. It fit too perfectly for me to keep looking.

What advice would you give parents who are designing a nursery on a micro budget? Stop by the local thrift stores often and go to yard sales as well. Cannot beat the prices there! Also, keep an open mind. Once you have a game plan for what you want your nursery or room to look like, try using what you find or have around the house instead of stressing and searching for the "perfect" pieces you may have envisioned. It may turn out even better that way and usually is less expensive. While decorating the nursery, I got stuck looking for a certain piece of furniture for the closet. After no luck finding what I wanted, for the price I wanted, I decided to use the metal shelves instead, which was something I already owned.

What is your dream source? I would love to shop at antique stores more. I do go to a large antique market a few times a year and try to get a few small things. The green basket, which will be used as a toy chest in the nursery, came from the antique market.

Resources:
Crib: Given to us by friends. Painted white.
Crib skirt and curtains: Made by family member as a gift.
Bumpers: From local Goodwill. By Wendy Bellissimo
Crib Sheet: TJMAXX
Lanterns: Walmart- Martha Stewart
Rocking Chair: Family Heirloom
Black Dresser/changing table: local yard sale
White Flower Hardware: TJMAXX
Shadow boxes: Hobby Lobby
Barbie dresses: My sister found them at a yard sale in Michigan.
Scrapbook paper: Hobby Lobby
Hat boxes, plates, and other accessories: yard sales and thrift stores
"Julianne" banner: DYI from online sewing class
Green basket/toy chest: Scott's Antique Market in Atlanta
Rug: Target
Quilt Rack: local thrift store
Quilts: Given to us by family member
Metal Shelves: Home Depot
Fabric Flower Collage: DYI by my sister, Jamie of Julia's Poppies

Thank you, Justina!

images: Justina Wyckoff