How I’m Decorating my She-Shed on a Budget

Because our home is small, I’ve been craving a quiet little spot of my own. Years ago, when we lived in Colorado, I used the money I’d made doing craft fairs to have a little shed built in our back yard. We finished and insulated the interior, and it became my craft cottage. When we moved to New Mexico, we had the shed moved. (It was only about 60 miles.)

I continued using it as a craft cottage for a couple of years after we moved, but then it became more of a catch-all/storage place/dumping ground. Over the last year or so, I’ve been working on getting it cleared out with the end goal of using it as a peaceful and quiet retreat.

Originally, I was trying to do this project for zero dollars. I quickly discovered that if I wanted it to be the place I envisioned in my mind, I’d be spending a little bit of money. I’ve resolved to keep my expenses as low as possible while still creating a place I’ll be happy spending time in.

Paint to the rescue!

When we’d originally painted the inside of my craft cottage, we used leftover paint. I was no longer a fan of the light blue, so I did invest in a gallon of paint to repaint the interior. Painting the inside is improving the overall look of the shed by helping to hide some of the imperfections. We were very new at do-it-yourself projects when we first finished the inside of the shed. But, as the saying goes, “Caulk and paint make me the carpenter I ain’t!” 🙂 The interior isn’t perfect, but I’m okay with it. The color I used is called “Icy Avalanche.” It’s a greyish tone that I think will go well with how I want to decorate.

In addition to painting the walls, which I’m still working on, I’m also painting various pieces of furniture. I’ve painted a shelf that was in my daughter’s room using white paint I had left from our kitchen backsplash project. I’ve also painted my old hunter-green lamp table. I did purchase chalk paint for that (about $4.00 worth) but I had all the other supplies on hand. I also painted the lampshade with white chalk paint. It was old and yellowed and now it’s white and pretty.

I painted an old weather station we’re no longer using in the house. It has sentimental value because it was one of the first little things for our house we bought after Grampy and I were married. Rather than giving it away, I painted it and use it in my she-shed.

I’m also in the process of painting an old brassy headboard that was given to my daughters by a friend. My girls never actually used it but I hung onto it because I knew I could make it pretty with paint. Originally I was going to use it to make a bench, but I’ve had a change of plans, so I’m trying to figure out how to use it as an accent somewhere.

Thrifting, Marketplace, and Family Items

One of my favorite things in my she-shed is my chair. I found it on Facebook Marketplace for $65 last summer. Grampy and I turned going to get it into a little day-date because we had to drive up to Colorado (to the town where we used to live) to pick it up. I love the pattern and it’s in excellent condition. I would never have a chair like it in my house with the kids and the pets. It would be a mess in no time. 🙂 But there are no kids or pets in my she-shed.

On the same day, we went to a thrift store and found a cute little footstool for $8. The top is wool, I believe, and I’m not sure how to clean it. But I think it’s cute and it’s just right to rest my feet on when I’m sitting in my chair.

Another favorite piece is my antique Singer sewing machine. Because our home is small, I just don’t have a place for it. I think it looks absolutely adorable under the window next to my chair. It belonged to my stepmom’s grandmother and I’m happy to have it in my she-shed.

On many of the tabletops, I’ve placed doilies. I’m not sure if that is too old-ladyish, but I like them. A couple of them are from garage sales or thrift stores, but some were crocheted by my grandmother and my mother-in-law. A long time ago, I bought a bag of curtains at a yard sale. I have some in my living room and I used one in the window of my she-shed.

We recently found a hide-a-bed loveseat on Facebook Marketplace for our living room. We’ve been looking for months so we have a place for our daughter to sleep when she visits from Colorado. So, I brought our old loveseat (bought at a storage unit sale for $30 about five years ago) out to my she-shed. I found some sheets at the thrift store for $8, and I’ve been watching YouTube videos on how to slipcover a sofa using sheets. For now, I have a big blanket covering it. I’ve never slipcovered anything before, and I’m a little intimidated.

My she-shed is divided into two areas: a relaxing area and a “work” area. The office/work area still needs quite a bit of arranging, but it’s coming along. I have a small desk where I can work on our budget and do bookkeeping for my stepmom’s business. The desk came from a thrift store 20 years ago. I think I paid $35. I haven’t decided if I’m going to paint it. I also have three bookshelves: one from a yard sale, one that my dad gave me and one that my stepmom built in shop class in high school. One holds my seasonal décor (everything except Christmas), one holds projects I’m working on, and one holds bookkeeping stuff.

To keep within my budget, I used things I already had to furnish my she-shed.

A bit of spending…

My she-shed is quite comfortable, even in the winter. I already had a small heater, and running it for just a short time brings the temperature up to a comfortable level quite quickly. I have not noticed an increase in our electric bill. In fact, it was lower this month than last year at this time.

To help keep the floor warmer, I did purchase some indoor/outdoor carpeting ($98) to cover the whole floor, and two area rugs ($20 each).

I often leave my phone in the house when I come to my she-shed, so I lose track of time. I used the points on our Amazon card to purchase a small clock. I love the style of it. You can see more about it here.

My daughter gave me a TV she no longer needed. I purchased an Amazon Fire stick so that I can play YouTube videos or watch movies in my she-shed.

So far, I’m very happy with the progress I’ve made on my she-shed project. I am having so much fun deciding how I want my own little space set up and decorated. I hope to have improved my filming and video editing skills enough to make a video when I’m all finished.

Stay tuned for future updates!