A little over a year ago we purchased our first home. (Yayyyy!) Honestly it was kind of a whirlwind, we weren’t planning on moving and then we received our apartment lease renewal and it had gone up 20%! We were used to it going up every year, but it seemed ludicrous to be paying almost two thousand dollars for a two bedroom apartment.
So the house hunt began, unfortunately due to the huge boom our area has seen in the last few years this meant relocating to the outskirts of our suburb (a good 20 miles).
I won’t lie our five year old was not thrilled at this prospect.
That apartment was the only home he had ever known, he loved it so much he had dubbed it his ‘yellow castle.” Add in that he would be leaving the daycare he had gone to for 4 years and he saw nothing but his world crumbling. So like any good mom, I wanted to find a way to make this move exciting for him and his room became the one project I labeled as a MUST DO before we moved in.
My son has been obsessed with everything dinosaur since he could talk. His Christmas and birthday lists have read “anything dinosaur you can find plus maybe a few legos” for years. So I became set on creating my son’s personal prehistoric oasis. I wanted something fun that he could grow with and a way to turn all the dinosaur toys piling up around our home into functional decor. My son’s one request was YELLOW because it was his favorite color.
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So I got to work on painting his one of a kind mural. I am NO artist and I won’t lie before going to this plan I researched all sorts of vinyl premade full wall murals, but they are expensive!!! So to Lowe’s I went and picked up everything I needed and got to work.
Dinosaur Vinyl Stickers
Dinosaur vinyl stickers are a GREAT way to add some fun details to the room without damaging the walls! They are extremely easy to apply, are long lasting and can be combined with paint like in my EASY DIY dinosaur mural.
I am NO artist and I won’t lie before going to this plan I researched all sorts of vinyl premade full wall murals, but they are expensive!!! So to Lowe’s I went and picked up what I needed and got to work.
Update Furniture Using Chalk Paint
I painted all of his hand-me-down furniture using a homemade light gray chalk paint ( it was super easy).
Mix 1/3 cup of cool water and 1/3 a cup of Plaster of Paris, stir until smooth. Then mix in 1 cup of the latex paint of your choice. The great thing about chalk paint is it has awesome coverage and for the most part it is one coat and done!
Create a Dinosaur Display
I used 3 IKEA MOSSLANDA picture ledges to create a “dinosaur display” and they were the perfect size to fit all of his smaller dinosaur figurines.
A word of warning: make sure to only hang picture ledges in areas where your child won’t bump their head. (Those corner’s are sharp!)
Decor and Details Recommendations
Displayable Puzzles
A framed puzzle is a PERFECT addition to any dinosaur room! We placed ours on the dresser but regardless of where you find a home for yours it will be fun to complete the puzzle together.
Large Stuffed Dinosaurs
We used larger stuffed dinosaurs for decor around the room ( and I swear he lays on them to read more than he sits in his beanbag chair).
Wall Decor
When he was younger I made a set of dinosaur scrapbook paper wall art for his nursery, but by this point he’d kind of out grown it! So I found a great deal on a piece of wooden Pterodactyl decor from Zulily and added it to a bare wall by his closet.
There are also some SUPER Cute wall signs to be found elsewhere online!
Bedspreads
His bedspread was on clearance from Target, so while they currently don’t carry the same one you can find a few new ones on eBay (Circo Roar and Stomp Dinosaur). I won’t lie his next one will probably be coming from Pottery Barn Kids because they seem to be constructed more like a traditional high-quality quilt. They change designs often but I am in love with their current Warren Dino Quilt set (and no I’m not an affiliate but I do love a well made quilt). But if PBKids isn’t in your budget there are always good deals and cute designs to be found on Target and Amazon.
My son was so excited when he walked in and the look on his face definitely made it worth all the hours I put into constructing his dinosaur dreamland. A year later he still loves his room and he has been the envy of every kid that has come over to play.
All in all I only spent about a hundred and fifty dollars on his room. So much of what I used we already had, I just made it into part of the decor making it a ton cheaper than buying all new stuff.
He may have given up his “yellow castle” in the move but I am just happy he gained his own yellow dino paradise in the process.
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It’s a whirlwind to think about, but I think I’ll buy some dinosaur nursery art for my son. My husband is thrilled to think that my son will get a room of his own, so I hope that I can find one from a good store. Thanks for the idea that we should add yellow so that he’ll feel as if he’s really in a prehistoric age.