I had a comment today about the Pottery Barn bins from my polka dot classroom.  The girl made a reference about not being able to afford them.  I thought I needed to address this if you are thinking the same thing.

First off, I am a teacher as well.  I know how difficult it is to purchase new items for our classrooms.  I have to admit it, the bins are “luxury” items.  I saw them at the outlet and knew they would look FANTASTIC in my room, but they were too pricey for my budget.  I must have walked over to those bins at least five times in that store – I picked them up – then put them right back down.  Ultimately, I decided to purchase them, knowing they would make an impact in my space.  Yes, I felt guilt the whole way home.  I still feel guilt.  If you know me and have seen my house, I am the queen of buying old/used items and turning it into something beautiful.  I rarely buy “luxury” items.  Despite having a lot of “luxury” items, I have been told that my house looks like a magazine.  How do I do it?  Let me give you a few of my tips for buying…

1.  A space can NOT have ALL old and used items.  You need to splurge on a few “nice” things to give your room an updated look.  This is where you save money.  For example, I am looking at my bookcases in my living room right now…bookcases came out of trash and I repurposed them to look new and trendy – changed hardware, painted them, added cheap beadboard wallpaper to the backs to make them look custom.  All of my books are black – for a dramatic look.  I purchased all of them at Goodwill – super cheap!  I have silver trophy cups and trays placed sparingly on the shelves – all from the resale shop.  My splurge…three beautiful silver frames with black and white family photos.  The few “nice” items makes the whole display look updated and fresh. 

My point…don’t buy nine baskets like what I did – buy a few and use those as your focal point when you walk into the room.

2.  So, you are thinking, “Yeah, right, Melanie.  I can’t even afford a few!”  Well, here is what you do…start thinking creatively.  C’mon you are teachers…you ARE creative!!!  I LOVE the photo on my Pinterest board where someone took old water bottle cardboard boxes and painted them black and put white polka dots all over it.  OMG!  Seriously brilliant.  What a dramatic focal point for your classroom.  Who needs Pottery Barn, when you have cardboard and paint!  Another idea…use crates and line them with polka dot wrapping paper – big storage container = dramatic polka dot look.  Another idea…clear tubs lined with polka dot wrapping paper.  Another idea…paint cheap storage containers with spray paint for plastic, then stencil polka dots.  Another idea…boxes covered with polka dot wrapping paper.

Having no money is no excuse.  You can create anything you want – you just need to put a little effort into it.

The Pottery Barn bins were for inspiration purposes.  The room is for inspiration purposes.  The blog is for inspiration purposes.  I hope I can help you think differently about creating a beautiful space for your kiddies.  You ARE creative…look for inspiration everywhere.  Have fun!

Happy Decorating!

~Melanie xoxo