My Pinterest/Craft room is complete! And all for under $500.

Not too long ago, I made the transition from full time Realtor to Wife & Mother Extraordinarre.  A lot of ladies will relate to this, I'm sure of it.  It's just that "wife" became a new title for me last year when I married a man with two little boys.  Not that my schedule and routine wasn't packed already with three teenage girls, but I found myself in a plethora of kid-related involvement with five kids ranging from 7 to 18 and a new husband who travels for work...a lot.   It's usually a daily balancing act for us with practices, baseball games, basketball games, volleyball games, band concerts, choir concerts, art contests, and a few "Mom, I have to turn this project in TODAY before 8 am. Can you take me to school?"  (It's an hour and half long morning commitment when that happens!)

Rewind to last year when we purchased our home (the one in all the photos).  We happened upon a home so perfect for our family of seven that it even included a home office for hubby as well as an upstairs place to set up shop for me.  Feeling that little room upstairs was most ideal for me, I wanted to make it my own recharging station.  It was perfectly situated between all the kids rooms and was the perfect to still be connected to what was happening downstairs.  It was where I could recharge my creative juices and find my (indoor) happy place...or, worst case scenario--work!  However when I discovered Pinterest, everything changed.  

Because everyone is aghast at my frugality and thrill of doing things on a budget, I've listed where I found most everything you'll see along with the prices paid for things.  Please note I'm not one to just go out and spend $460 (about what this room cost me) to set up a room...these things were all collected over time...a few years even.  For example, the chandelier was purchased about a year and a half ago for reasons my husband nor I could quite understand...I just knew it was charming and cheap and I had to have it.  It sat in a box in the garage in it's quite dilapidated-looking state for quite some time until my husband threatened to throw it out if I didn't put it to use.  That was all the kick-start I needed to complete my "Pinterest Room".  Welcome to my happy place!  

Pottery Barn Bedford cabinets purchased through Craigslist. These plus the lateral cabinet...$200.  Mirror belonged to great Aunt, chandelier purchased through Craigslist...$25.  White shelf pieces purchased at Home Depot...$12.  Granite desktop lovingly provided by father-in-law's granite company.
**Please note the paint color here isn't the best depiction from my camera but is a beautiful color in person.  I'll note in a photo below what is the most accurate example of the true color.  I used Home Depot's Martha Stewart paint color in "Winter Fog".  It's the PERFECT light blue choice for a shabby theme!

Bookshelves made by grandfather in wood shop class in 1938...pieces I can never part with.  Baskets purchased from Target and Ikea...$6-9 each.  Wood bird (taken from an Indian ship) purchased from auction...$40.  

Lateral filing cabinet included in Craigslist purchase of other cabinets.  Hutch purchased through Craigslist (Pottery Barn piece so I knew the white would match without requiring painting) and converted into a gift wrap holder...$40, hardware and dowel rods added an additional $10.  Carousel horse garage sale purchase...$10.  Painting is my own.

Gold antique picture frame re-styled into coordinating fabric pin board (what we used before Pinterest came along) purchased from an estate sale...$10.  Lamp and lampshade purchased from garage sale...$7.

Sitting view of my happy place with my once-small girls handprints.
I still remember when...

This lamp originally was solid brass.  I spray painted it, removed, cleaned and replaced the hooks for the crystals that came with it and added a few spare crystals I had leftover from my spare parts bin.  Voila!

Vase purchased from on sale from Hobby Lobby...$5.  Birds given to me by my mother for Mother's Day a few years ago.  These are what started my bird theme!

Happened upon these adorable and most-fitting shades that I couldn't have designed better myself!

Lamps purchased at Goodwill...two for $12.  Shades purchased separately at Wal-Mart...$9 each.  

**This is the truest example of the "Winter Fog" color from Martha Stewart (Home Depot) depending on your screen color.**