The My Pillow Pets craze of 2010 might have seemed silly to some…it did to me, until my then 5 year old daughter received one as a Christmas present from her aunt and uncle. My perspective quickly changed, as the pillow pet was not only comfy, but cute. Soft and cuddly, I was pleasantly surprised by the feel of the pillow pet animal. Furthermore, the pillow pet ladybug became my daughter’s constant companion. She played with it more than many dolls that she’s received in the past. And every night, without fail, Pillow Pet provided bedtime companionship and comfort!

Several months later, my daughter still loves her first Pillow Pet, and was thrilled when the same aunt and uncle gave her the coordinating Pillow Pet Pee Wee. A smaller version of the original, the mini pillow pet is just as cute, and fun. Now, my youngster has a pair of bed bugs, so to speak!

Pillow Pets for Girls

There are several My Pillow Pets choices that are especially suitable to give to girls, and while you may think that pillow pets are aimed at younger girls, I’ve found that my tween and teen daughters love the pillow animals, as well. The ladybug pillow gift that my youngest daughter received is my favorite, but equally fun is the bumble bee. There are unicorns, dogs, pandas, pigs, monkeys, frogs, and dolphins, penguins, and lions. You can explore the full selection of My Pillow Pets, and Pillow Pet PeeWees at Amazon.

Pillow Pets for Boys

My Pillow Pets have some characters that are especially well suited to boys, though of course, girls might also enjoy them. The particular choices that are great for boys include the dog, frog, turtle, and monkey. New this year are the dinosaur pillow pets, which sport bright and interesting colors, and are available in both large and small sizes. You can choose triceratops, T-rex, or pterodactyls for your young son’s pleasure. These are perfect for the young boy who loves dinosaurs, and I’ve rarely met a boy who didn’t love dinos at some point in his early childhood! These are going on my shopping list for my sons in the coming holiday season!

Dragon Pillow Pets

There are many similar pillow animals on the market now, and while they may be a little more budget friendly, the quality seems to be obviously lacking. Walking through the aisles of Wal-Mart, my daughter spotted some pillow pet wannabes, and quickly observed, “Mom, they’re trying to copy pillow pets.” Her disdain was humorous, but clear.

Happy Nappers

A variation on the pet pillow gift concept, Happy Nappers are stuffed animals, which reside inside a pillow shaped house, with a front door, and door bell. Press the doorbell for sound effects, unzip the door, to retrieve the animal, or to replace it.

The concept is cute, though the selections are not as extensive as those of pillow pets. There are a few selections, suited to boys or girls. The closed houses are a little lumpy, compared to pillow pets.

Character Gift Pillows for Girls

Character pillow gifts have been a favorite holiday present in our home. There are usually plenty of choices available, ranging from the ever popular Hello Kitty, to Disney Princesses, to tween Pop Stars and television favorites. These pillow gifts are usually inexpensive, and great for bedroom decor. Many families have a Christmas Eve tradition of opening a special gift, and often the choice is pajamas. However, I’ve faced the challenge of not finding jammies that I liked during my shopping, and character pillows have provided a fun alternative Christmas Eve gift.

Character Pillow Gifts for Boys

I find that my boys outgrow character pillows a little bit in the tween years, so I find different alternatives at that age. However, for elementary school-aged boys, and younger, there is no limit to the possibilities: superheroes, cartoon favorites, movie characters, and more.

Sports Team Pillows

Tween and Teen boys may not be into character pillows. However, for those who have a favorite sports team, a team pillow, whether a logo pillow, or a photo pillow, may be a great gift idea, if you are looking for something fun for a holiday present.

In fact, you can have a little fun, spurring on some friendly rivalry, as it isn’t uncommon for sons and Dads to have different favorites. Friendly pillow fights may lie ahead, if you get your son, and husband, each pillows representing their favorite teams.

Shaped Pillows, Funky Pillows, and More

Whereas your local supercenter will have a small selection of fun and funky gift pillows to choose from, the virtual aisles of Amazon make a wide realm of options available. Whether it’s a candy bar pillow, or a butterfly, you’ll find lots of fun ideas.

When your little girl is no longer little and enters her teens, she’ll be ready for a bedroom makeover that leaves childish themes behind. Many teen girls have their own sense of style and are anxious to reflect that style in their bedroom decor. A teen bedroom makeover done as a joint effort between a parent and teen is a great way to have some fun together, share ideas and strengthen your bond.

Teen Style Themes

Your teen certainly won’t want a “theme” room like she did when she wanted to be a princess or mermaid, but there are subtle ways to use a theme to inspire the room’s decor. For example, if your teen is all about eco-consciousness, try a “green” theme with bamboo fiber bedding, recycled furniture, and wall art and accessories from a resale store. An outdoor enthusiast can decorate with plants, rocks and natural wood and use her own pressed leaf collection for wall decor; her own photos of favorite hiking or cross country ski trails can be used to create a wall collage. Teens have special interests, favorite bands, hobbies, activities and causes; use one of these topics to inspire to decor and colors of the room.

Or Go Eclectic

Of course, it’s not unusual for a teen to be into lots of different things and you can combine interests to create an eclectic room. For example, if your teen is into cheerleading and dogs, use her school colors along with cheerleading memorabilia; then include photos of favorite breeds or rescue dogs with frames and mats that match her school colors.

Very often, a teen is not ready to part with certain childhood favorites. Taking an eclectic approach is a good way to display items like stuffed animals or toys in a more mature way. For example, paint a bookshelf in a fun color like turquoise or hot pink and mix in stuffed animals with current photos, books, and trophies.

Eclectic decor is all about mix and matching, as well as repurposing furniture and accents. Many teen girls love the girly, romantic shabby chic look and this is an eclectic and economical way to decorate her room. Paint the walls in a pretty shade of pale green, then paint furniture white and use pink accessories. Make or purchase a floral slipcover for an old loveseat and you have the perfect piece for a lounge area in the room where she can relax with friends. Bring in vintage or retro accents, accessories and wall art that reflect her personality.

Include Lots of Storage

Teen girls can never have too much storage and it’s important to look for ways to maximize storage potential. For example, if you are going to buy a new bed, a platform style with storage drawers below is a great way to add hidden storage. A tall bookshelf is a better choice than a low one because it will provide more storage in the same footprint.

Accessories and Accents

These are some of the simplest methods, and it is not hard to find accessories and accents that feature guitars in a variety of different ways. For instance, you may choose a great lamp with a guitar-themed pattern or a light that has a base in the shape of a guitar. Famous guitarists showcased on clocks or bed linens are also fun, and you can find them on most auction websites and in a few traditional retail specialty stores. Get details about the right type of guitar or a favorite artist and you can really get creative.


Modern and Vintage Artwork

This is actually the easiest way to add guitars to the bedroom, and artwork quickly becomes a secondary focal point in this space when you choose the right pieces. An example of this could be framed prints of the world’s most legendary guitarists, and an added bonus would be those that feature the musician with his or her guitar. Autographed prints can be expensive but they will be prized possessions, so they could be ideas as gifts to decorate your teen’s bedroom.

Bed Linens

It may seem like an idea for a child’s bedroom, but chances are good that your teenager will love a guitar-themed bed linen set too. Guitar prints on the sheets with solid blankets or vice versa are common ideas, and you can find these at a few online retail stores and auction websites. You could also make the blanket yourself with fabric that features the guitar in any fashion, from more abstract prints to specific guitars that are famous or infamous. Find these fabrics in the same places, such as large sewing resource retailers or even a variety of online retailers. Auction websites can be excellent sources in these cases, since they are specialty fabrics and another fan could be the best way to get what you are looking for.

Types of Guitars

There are typically three types of guitars that are featured in your teenager’s bedroom, thoughts, and music. They include electric guitars, bass guitars, and acoustic guitars, any or all of which may be a favorite that should be added to the room. It is not uncommon for two or even all three to be added to the same bedroom, especially electric guitars and bass guitars that are popular to many different music genres. If your teen plays the guitar, use wall hooks to hang his or her guitars right on the walls and make them part of the decor. You can also find guitar metal wall art online in lieu of or in addition to actual guitars.

Colors

Your son’s team-of-the-century choice will give you the colors you’re going to be using to redecorate his room.  My son’s favorite team was the St. Louis Cardinals, so I knew right off that we’d be working with dark red.  You’ll find that pretty much every team imaginable shares one thing in common – white is their secondary color.  This goes a long way in simplifying the process and allowing us to work more on the actual design rather than waste time searching for the perfect shade of teal.

Paint

When you begin to decide on paint, keep in mind that spending a couple of dollars more will ensure you get a better quality finish.  Flat latex paints are appreciably cheaper but are all but guaranteed to not only pick up but also show dirt especially badly.  Spend the extra few dollars and get semi-gloss latex paint.  It definitely costs a little more but makes cleanup a breeze.

But Where Do I Put the Paint?

Don’t reinvent the wheel, just keep it traditional and classy.  Look  at the team’s accenting.  Are the letters stroked in a different color?  Perhaps a bright secondary color or a darker shade of the primary color?  In the case of my son’s fave – the St. Louis Cardinals – the accents are just a darker shade of red.  Paint things like window frames, trim and moulding with the accent color.  Don’t forget to paint the outside of your child’s door to match the interior walls.  You might hate the color, but he and you both will get over it eventually.

Consider downloading a stencil of the team’s logo and painting it on the wall.  Take note, though, that this generally isn’t as easy as you think it will be.  Team logos are designed by highly-paid professionals and don’t always scale down well to the average joe painting it onto the wall.  In my case, the Cardinals’ “STL” logo was relatively simple.  Practice on some spare wood beforehand and make sure you can do it.  If you manage to pull it off, it looks great on the semi-gloss latex paint.  Hopefully you nail it!

Accessories

Keep an eye out for things like pencil holders and trash cans to accessorize with.  Your local Target will likely have a lot of these things in your son’s favorite team’s colors.  These are generally cheap and easy to find.  Just be careful not to overdo it and make things look tacky.  A good rule of thumb is to have no more than 5 store-bought branded accessories with the team’s logo on it.  That will avoid the monotony of the same exact image over and over.

Accent Color

Decorating a kid’s bedroom in minimalist design starts with choosing an accent color. This type of modern space generally starts with white, clean walls, usually accented by one wall painted a bold accent color. This accent color is then used throughout the room. Generally, all trim, doors, windowsills, closets and fixtures are white as well. The use of a white creates space, which is essential to minimalistic design elements. If a child’s room has a connected powder room, the same white space with the same color accent should be used in the bathroom designs.

Storage

One of the main considerations of kids’ bedroom designs is allowing plenty of storage for toys. Minimalism calls for low clutter and clean looks. Look for cubes that slide into shelves, and are the same color as the walls. Consider under the bed storage and built-in shelving with drawers and baskets for storing away play things. Be sure that drawer pulls and handles are simple and clean. The more storage options kids have, the easier it will be for them to keep their room clutter free and maintain the minimalist look.

Furniture

Furniture in a child’s room should be easy to clean, durable and free of sharp corners and edges. Minimalist and modern design often incorporates round tube metals such as chrome, either shiny or brushed for a softer look. This type of furniture is ideal for a child’s bedroom, as well as incorporating it into the bathroom design ideas. Minimalistic furniture style is designed with simple shapes and many angles, but must be functional as well.

Lighting

Comfort is essential in a child’s bedroom, and while minimalism may look somewhat sterile to the untrained eye, it can be very comfortable when warming pieces like throw rugs, pillows, bedding and padded furniture are incorporated into the design. Lighting can also be used to both give the room a warmer feeling and achieve the simple, minimalistic design desired. Look for modern, simple lighting that hangs straight down from the ceiling, as well as lamps to create shape and visual appeal throughout the room.

A minimalistic bedroom design will encourage neatness and a sense of calm in a child. This type of design will be easy to keep clean and uncluttered, while providing a stylish canvas for change as your child grows and their tastes change. By choosing functional and modern furniture pieces, clean and stark walls with carefully chosen accessories, any room can be decorated in the minimalism design style, from bathroom designs to kids’ rooms.

Next go to an home improvement store, and buy materials to make a headboard that is unique and different that will contrast with the painted walls, paint flowers on the headboard and add artificial silk flowers to add some style

A fun way to add wall decor to a kids room and save money when your on a budget is to Search online for inexpensive peel and stick flower decals to find just the right colors and varieties for your little girl’s garden bedroom.

Apply the flowers around the baseboards so they look like they’re growing along the walls and anywhere else that looks like it could use a few colorful blooms.

Choosing a paint color

Decor Ideas for teen and preteen bedroom makeover starts with picking the right wall color, some of the best ways to pick the wall color your teen likes with out it being too bright is a challenge. Getting a theme in the room is necessary,

So what if you have a teen who loves the color pink?

Now if you have a girl who loves pink clothes, pink toys, you get the idea, so now its time to decorate her room and make it look pretty. How do you manage to not end up with a pink girls room of pink walls and pink floors.

Well its simple first start out with a plan talk out the theme of the room and lay out samples of various types of fabric in a variety of textures and colors.

HGTV shows you how to decorate a girls room with paint ideas, themes, and creative projects, Theme Bedroom ideas for Girls Bedroom Decorating Ideas and bedroom decor filled with ideas, for teens. the internet is a great place to find decorating and organization tips and ideas for kids rooms.

Choosing Bedding

Bedding is something that you both can participate in, getting the fabric and sewing up an original design with a complete set including a pillow sham, sheet set, and bed skirt.

Floor Coverings

When it comes to floor coverings look for inexpensive green throw rugs to match the walls and emulate grass on a bright summer day.

You might even find throw rugs embellished with flowers to match your little girl’s bedroom.

Search online to find just the right color or pattern, or take a swatch of paint along when shopping local retail stores.

Kids Bedroom Artwork – Wall Decor ideas

As you can imagine when it comes to your Kids bedroom artwork it can be found in any color and a wide variety of designs and styles.

You will find great ‘pink’ decorative additions to her room include hanging letters in pink with a pink ribbon, stylish wall artwork with a pink theme including princess and ballerina art, pink framed lithographs, pink canvas art and hand-painted pink banners.

Storage is an important factor when considering your kids bedroom decorating ideas. Depending on your child’s age, they might have loads of toys, DVD’s, books or computer games. Try to include loads of storage into your room design.

Complete the makeover with Kid room accessories

You are probably wondering how you can get through your kids bedroom makeover with so many pink girls bedroom accessories to choose from some include pink polka dot, wastebaskets, pink chandeliers, princess clocks, pink floral lampshades, pink stripe wooden bookholders and pink stripe memo boards.

If your daughter’s favorite color is blue, here are 3 room plans to use for your inspiration when re-decorating her room.

• Surfer girls and wannabe surfer girls will love this room!
• The Artsy girls will love creating this room.
• The All American sports loving girl will feel right at home in a blue red bedroom.

Surfer Girl Bedroom

Whether you live by an ocean or not, there are lots of surfer girls and wannabe surfer girls who would love to hang out in this Surf Themed Bedroom Design. Inspired by the kids bedding from Tommy Hilfiger, the beautiful ocean blues are paired with white and green.

The rattan texture of the woven headboard and trunk also emphasizes the tropical feel in the room.

The white ladder style shelving is perfect to flank each side of the bed, or use it in a corner to get lots of display space for their pictures, trophies, and keepsakes that all kids love to collect.

The two surf prints bring the theme to the forefront along with the surfboard rug. This style of rug is great to put at the foot of a bed or in front of a dresser.

Artsy Bedroom

Patterns, colors, textures, and shapes all play a large part in this Artist’s haven. The blue and green paisley bedding really set the tone for this girly blue bedding set for kids.

Every girl who dreams of drawing patterns or portraits will love to use a drafting table drafting chair as cool as this one. Keeping the room modern with glass and metals it is both functional and a piece of art.

The stripe rug is made from recycled materials which appeals to many artist’s hearts.

The flameless candles are the safe way to add this soft touch to your daughter’s bedroom.

What girl does not love to have personalized stuff? They look for it everywhere, from keychains to pencils! Let them monogram their room with these artsy brown letters.

This tree wall mural really will add another layer to the dimension of the room because it brings pattern to the room. It is also something that she will have fun putting on the wall herself if she is into redecorating the room.

The sunburst wood mirror will look wonderful above the headboard. It has a lot of texture and dimension. It is also something that she will probably keep for a long time and you could see it in her foyer one day.

The funky corner shelves are the perfect spot to show off trophies pictures that teens love to collect.

Sporty Girl Bedroom

This blue bedding set for girls from Tommy Hilfiger is a beautiful twist on what are traditionally seen as being boy colors. They use a mini floral pattern that takes the bedding on a feminine turn, but doesn’t make it too girly.

Punch up the space with the bright red shag rug and add a couple of butterfly chairs. This creates an instant hang out zone for your daughter and a couple friends.

With blue paint on the walls, the white lamp will look graceful and not too fussy.

The white bookshelves are perfect for displaying all sorts of trophies, and other sports memorabilia. Flanking the bed they make a great statement.

Adding a wall decal like the softball player will really define the style of this room. Many other sports are also available in the

A simple nautical bedding decor is ideal for beach cottages, homes along the river or lake, and for almost any child’s bedroom. We must remember that nautical bedding is appropriate for baby crib bedding sets, toddlers, kids of all ages, and adults. The theme may be central to the decor, but the style can be extremely varied.

Setting the Theme

To set the nautical theme in any bedroom, it is essential to begin with the bedding selections. Choose the colors, usually a combination of blue, white, and often red, or a lighter tan. The most common color found in the nautical decor is a shade of blue, either navy, medium blue, or even a very light blue — all true blue shades.

It is not necessary to have anchors or starfish as a part of the bedding pattern. However, most kids nautical bedding decor does include appliques of boats, anchors, or other patterns that remind us of the sea. Adult linens are generally more subtle, leaving it to the accessories and wall decor to define the theme.

Baby Crib Nautical Bedding and Decor

To begin the discussion of the nautical theme in the bedroom, it is simplest to begin with the nursery. Many coastal residents love decorating the nursery in the nautical theme. The crib sets are obvious. The baby comforter may be a patchwork of anchors or sailboats, all colorful and very prominent.

Most nautical bedding designed for cribs seems to be done in the baby blue background, designating it for the little boy.  However, for the expectant mom and dad with a little girl on the way, many crib sets have a touch of pink allowing them to accessorize with pink to turn the theme entirely feminine.

If there is one benefit to decorating with this decor in the nursery is that most crib sets now come with a fitted sheet, comforter, bumpers, often a crib skirt and occasionally a diaper hamper — all done in the theme.

Accessories, such as lamp shades, light switches and even mobiles are designed to match many of the crib sets. All this makes decorating much easier for the expectant parents than one might imagine.

In fact, in some cases a single set may contain up to 9 or more pieces, completely taking the guesswork out of decorating for the newborn.

Matching valences may be included with the set or may be purchased separately. Please note that even the wall hangings are created in the same pattern for the nursery. While this may be a touch over done for an older child and certainly for an adult, the nautical theme for the nursery is a perfect surrounding for the newborn.

As new parents will discover, the toddler bed mattress is the same size as the crib mattress.  For that reason, it is wise to select a style and pattern that can be used for a few years.  With a well designed nursery crib set, parents will find they can use the comforter for several years and carry on the theme.  If anything, new fitted sheets and flat sheets may be needed, but it is easy enough to match solid sheets with any of the colors in the comforters.

A Few Selections for the Nursery in the Nautical Theme

JoJo Designs 9-Piece Baby Crib Bedding Set – Come Sail Away NauticalBeansprout Nautical Patch 6 Piece Crib Set, DenimNew Boutique Baby Sailboat 10pcs Baby Crib Bedding Set

From the Crib to Toddler Bedding

As previously mentioned, toddler bed mattresses are the same size as crib mattresses.  For that reason parents can make the transition with ease, using much of the same nautical bedding.

As shown in the picture to the right, the nautical bedding decor for the toddler’s room is the exact same design as the crib set.

Much of the crib set can be adapted to the toddler’s room. A parent who has begun the decor with a newborn can add a few pieces, such as the larger pillow and a bed skirt and easily begin to make the transition from the crib to the bed. In fact, it is far easier to move the bedding from crib to bed than it will be to get the child to sleep in his new bed overnight.

Of course, the toddler will soon be ready to move up to kids bedding.  Parents will love the upgrade because the children will begin to have a voice in the decorations and the design.

Nautical Bedding for the Toddler

JoJo Designs 5-Piece Toddler Bedding Set – Come Sail Away NauticalTreasure Cove Pirate Toddler Bedding 5 pc SetNautical Nights Boys Sailboat Toddler Bedding 5 pc Set

Nautical Kids Bedding Can Be Fun!

By the time the parent is ready to decorate the bedroom of the child who is ready to move up from the toddler bed, the little one will begin to have an opinion. He will have watched television and movies and have developed an affinity for specific characters.

While parents may not see the child’s choice as being purely nautical, his choices may be related to the sea.  For example, some children may have fallen in love with the idea of becoming a pirate after seeing “Pirates of the Caribbean”.  Or, for others Sponge Bob SquarePant may be a favorite undersea adventure.  Selecting either is a slight variation on a theme, but can be used if appropriate accessories are used.

During those early school years children are very opinionated in what they like and what they want.  For the parent who has selected a nautical theme for the general home decor, using the bedding that displays characters can still work with a little effort.

The idea of decorating with kids nautical bedding is to allow the young one to begin to express himself.  For the kid who is ready to become a pirate or go on an undersea adventure, there are plenty of bedding selections that can please.

Pirates and More Kids Bedding

Pirates of the Caribbean – Dead Mans Chest – 4pc BED IN A BAG – Twin SizeJay Franco Disney Pirates of the Caribbean Dead Man’s Chest Twin Sheet SetSponge Bob Sea Adventure Twin Sheet Set

Nautical Bedding and Decor for Teens

Children will eventually outgrow Sponge Bob and Captain Jack Sparrow.  The young teenaged girl may prefer to keep a poster of Johnny Depp dressed in full Captain Jack attire on the wall, but surely she will give up any idea of a character on her comforter.

Parents can transition from cartoons and movie characters by purchasing a bed in a bag ensemble in a more sublime blend of colors or in bold patches of colors.  Again, without anchors and starfish on the sheets and comforters, accessories such as lanterns or trunks can begin to create the theme.  Add a few good selections in linens and leave it to the teen to finish accessorizing.

Some teens, especially those who live near water may decide to hang a fishing net on the wall and sprinkle it with dried starfish.  Or, perhaps the teen will wish to display a shell collection.  But, what is important to remember when decorating the teen’s bedroom is to allow them enough freedom to add to the basic bedding selections.

Nautica Woodmont Comforter, Sham and Sheet SetNautical Stripe Gray Comforter Set with 180 TC Sheet SetNautical Stripe Blue and White Comforter Set with 180 TC Sheet Set

Accessorize with All Things Nautical

As shown above, irregular stripes easiy define the bedding selections for the nautical theme. However, for older teens and adults, the decor is determined more by the accessories than by the bedding design.

One of the best ways to set the room theme is to use paint. In the picture of the adult bedroom at the top of the article, the bedroom is painted in alternating dark blue and white horizontal stripes. That sets the background for the accessories and wall decor. We have been conditioned to accept stripes as a central design in all things nautical.

Once the background has been defined, either with the artistic striped bedroom or with a solid color, it is time to select the bedding. Again, irregular striped bedding, often including a shade of blue is a good selection for the more mature room.  Please note from the examples above, plaid and irregular stripes in almost any color will set the tone for a good nautical theme.

Your son or daughter has grown up and now it’s time for a new bedroom design to fit their style. You knew the day would come. The pastel pink bedroom with ruffled curtains and dollhouse border wallpaper wouldn’t last forever. Or, the walls painted the same color as a basketball with a light fixture that had a basketball hoop attached…such a cute decor.

Now your child has a whole new set of ideas – usually crazy ones! My kids went through various stages of likes and dislikes. If you don’t want to be painting walls all of the time, I would suggest picking a color that can go with the changes. Continuous bedroom makeovers can be expensive. I have heard of a child wanting black walls once. I would have recommended black accents since black is a hard color to cover when you want to change.

Let your child be creative as much as possible. It’s their space and they should feel comfortable. Decorating bedrooms is something a lot of teens want a voice in. You can help them put the flow together if they need help. Find out what their interests are and help them to find unique items to showcase those interests.

Most teens are happy with posters, collage picture frames, bulletin boards or anything they can use to display their personal items and pictures. Decorating doesn’t have to be expensive.

A fun workspace to do homework is popular in teen’s rooms. Anything to make homework seem more inviting! Lots of comfy pillows on their bed is also popular. Personal and comfortable are the two key ingredients.

Bedroom Design

My oldest daughter had chosen gold walls for her bedroom. When she had the room, it was decorated with a lot of bright colors – accent pillows were orange and turquoise, bulleting board in orange…It actually went together quite nicely.

When she moved out, my second daughter wanted to switch rooms. Her room had been a very light, neutral mauvy pink. She is very girlie girl so I was surprised when she wanted to switch rooms. But, it was the teenager thing and she had some wilder ideas!

We decided to accent with a lot of black and white. Some of her girlie accents, like the shoe and gown pillows and the purse print, started to fit right in. Since she is a camera buff, we used one entire wall to highlight her work. I put some of her favorite photos, that she had taken, into matching frames and hung them up. Then to personalize to more, we had a sign made, like a street sign, that said “photography by my daughter’s name.

We threw in a little bit of red details and the room came alive.

The built in desk made a great place to do homework. It was made inviting with plenty of friendly photos. If you notice the “leg” of the desk – it is a camera tripod. Since she was so interested in photography, it tied in well with the room.

Once you get the room decorated, just shut the door. Most of the time it won’t look picture perfect. A teenager can happily live amidst a pile of clothes, papers and who knows what else. At least you know that underneath is a happy place!

Ways To Organize A Bedroom

1. A shoe rack or stand at the bottom of the closet is a great way to keep shoes in order and in pairs.  It beats having to search endlessly for the missing shoe amongst the mess on the closet floor.
2. Having a laundry hamper or basket is a must for dirty clothes.  Nothing is worse than the pile of clean clothes, that didn’t get put away, getting mixed up with all the dirty clothes on the floor.  A hamper should make it easier to just throw the dirty clothes in right away.
3. A bookshelf can be used for more than just storing books.  Although it is a great place for those books, it also can be used to store baskets filled with smaller items such as Cd’s, make-up, jewelry, keys, cards, etc…The top of a bookshelf is also a great place for a stereo.
4. Magazine racks will keep magazines tidy and off the floor.  A tiered wall file holder works well for holding lots of magazines or other papers.
5. A trash can is highly necessary.  Since trash seems to accumulate in a teen’s room, they need a proper place to put it.
6. If they have a desk, then desk organizational items will come in handy.  A pencil cup for pens and pencils, a cd holder, a bulletin board, a paper tray and some kind of piggy bank for all of their change.

You can create the perfect balance of these two bold colors by purchasing black and pink bedding in simple geometric patterns, zany animal prints, sophisticated solids, or in any number of floral patterns, stripes or plaids. The fabrics used can be as varied as the patterns and when it comes to comfortable bedding, I think the more varied you get with the pillows, the better!

Before choosing your black and pink bedding you’ll need to decide on the overall color scheme of the room. Do you want the pink to be your dominant color with only a sampling of black? Or are you imagining something darker – something more sinister such as all black with just a touch of pink?

When choosing the colors you’ll find that black is fairly basic but you’ll need to decide what shade of pink you’d like to live with for awhile? Are you into a soft baby pink, a flaming hot magenta, something more along the lines of a coral, or something else?

Unless you are totally set upon having a Gothic Black bedroom, I’d suggest going with the lightest shade of pink, or even simply white paint on your walls.

That will leave your bed and curtains wide open for the wild black and pink color combination of sheets, comforters, blankets and of course pillows!

Mix and match fabrics, fun prints, and solids to your hearts content. It’s your space. The only rule to be followed when decorating a black and pink bedroom is that you love what you’ve created when your done!

I’ve provided some shopping links and links to additional black and pink bedroom and bedding ideas on this page to give you some food for thought and to help you get started building the black and pink bedroom of your dreams.