Time to Paint the Bedroom on a Budget

I know some people love white walls but I, generally, hate them. Unless your whole decor is based on white, then I think white walls are sterile, boring, and they remind me of a hospital room.

When I moved into my new apartment, I already knew I wanted to paint. I had wild ideas for the living room that I have scaled back and may have dropped altogether (think primary yellow, primary blue and dark orange... yeah, I know).

When it comes to these types of projects, I tend to bite off more than I can chew and spend more than necessary (hello $2,000 when I moved in!). To stop myself from diving in and spending a fortune on a room in a place I don't own, I have been planning my bedroom for two months. My idea is based on a satin pillow I own. It's green, with sweet potato-colored flowers, with black, white and grey accents. (I know that sounds scary, but I will post a picture later and you will see that it's actually awesome.)
My theme is Asian-esque forest. I was inspired by the Imperial Gardens we visited in Tokyo, so there will be purple accents and a leaf motif. I have a pile of paint chips and took my pillow to Home Depot to match the colors as close as I could.
My budget is $250, which I have saved from a small freelance project I did a few months ago.

This weekend, I got started buying my materials as I was in sales tax-free Delaware. I bought paint at Home Depot in Jungle Trail and Ryegrass for $46.94, but that's before the $10 mail-in rebate, holla! I went to Ikea in Maryland and bought a pretty white lamp to sit on my bedside table and add a warm glow (but not enough light to read by... will have to solve that another way). I also bought sheets (and fabric for another project).

I also scored paint trays and paint rollers for FREE on Freecycle.org, which you really should join in your local area. It's a good place to unload useful items that you probably won't be able to sell (or that you'd rather just give away) and to find items you need. I'm still trying to get a plastic drop cloth on Freecyle, but I may have to buy one.

I will get started this week! I was thinking of doing it all on the weekend, but I think I'll do it little by little all week.

My tally so far:

Bedroom Budget -- $250

Paint & cornering brush    $60.11

Ikea (lighting, bedding, misc.)       $51.89

Remaining            $138

Comments

[mapgirl]

Not to be a fun-killer, but don't forget that you have to paint over stuff in a rental when you move out. Usually that means some primer and a paint color. And I can tell you that it can mean up to 5 coats to get complete coverage!

Good luck. Wear a do-rag. It keeps the paint out of your hair. :-)

[DH]

@mapgirl Yeah, I know. I painted two rooms in my place in VA but didn't paint either back. The deposit was only $100 though, so I just forfeited it. In this case, if hiring painters to do it would cost less than my deposit, then I'd hire someone. Painting is hard work!

[susan]

mmm does not sound as if they actually gave you anything if they already withdrew your pension thing,