COMPLETE RAIN FOREST I did my daughter's room in a rain forest theme. I painted trees, plants, flowers, animals on the wall (from books and posters I bought at a teachers' supply store, I knew what animals and plants lived at what layers of the forest). I wrote the plant or animal name next to their pictures so my daughter could identify them (I had to read them to her, but now at 4 she knows them all and can even write some of them). At the Rain Forest Cafe I got some picture frames, candle holders (to hold little items like Barbie shoes), and small stuffed animals for decoration. I painted the dresser and nightstand with birds and plants to match the walls. I made drawer-pull animals with plaster. Hung mosquito netting for curtains (her window is high, so these see-through window treatments are OK). Found a jungle print to make a quilt for her and her doll beds. -- Astronomy27

 PAINTING CREATURES I did trees in the rain forest and freehanded them (it is really pretty easy when you break it down -- trunk, branches ... ). I got a cheap projector at a crafts shop to trace smaller creatures like birds and monkeys and painted them on with craft paints. -- Trish

 TOTAL WOODSY ROOM We started with a tan-and-hunter-green comforter with moose and black bear motifs (dust ruffles and valances in hunter-and-tan checks), then painted the walls tan, with hunter-green accents. I put moose and pine-tree "wallies" around the bottom of the room. (Wallies are wallpaper cutouts -- you just sponge a little water on them and stick them on walls as a border or to accent toychests or whatever.)

We found a rowboat-shaped shelf and mounted it on the wall and filled it with lots of woodsy stuff. Oars make great wall pieces or valance rods. I found wood pine trees (very simple green wooden tree shape, with a branch as a trunk and rounded log as base -- I bought 3 in different sizes to fill a corner). Lots of lamps and boookends are available in the moose or bear motif. I collected small branches and sticks to make a series of picture frames. (Branches can also make a great coat rack if you are feeling crafty!) Fishing poles in the corner. Fly-fishing creels (baskets used to hold the fish) make great storage containers for little stuff, like CDs. I also found some old lanterns that sit on various shelves with old fishing reels and colorful wood fish. It is a theme they will not outgrow very fast. -- Lynn

 RUSTIC ROD Use a large branch as a rod to hold a valance. --FishinAround

 CABIN CUBICLE Build a small cabin play or reading area or even a bookshelf. Could be just a small enclosure coming out from the wall. -- Connors70

 3D EFFECT For a narrow room I am planning to do a mural with trees and a waterfall. I have started collecting pinecones so I can hang them from the ceiling with thin wires to make the trees more dimensional. -- weisbatten

 SKI THEME FOR OLDER BOY Pick a color that will match his bedding if it's to be kept, or pick a comforter. Mount his ski posters on the wall. Depending on the size of window, you could pick up an old ski pole to use as a curtain rod. For accent, hang or prop an old pair of skis (from an antique or secondhand shop) in a corner. -- Connie

 BEACH COTTAGE LOOK Include things like old oars, driftwood ... Maybe do an ocean "window." Coloring books might be a source of pictures for the non-artists to paint scenes. -- weisbatten

 OCEAN THEME Buy a decorative fish net (you can get them on eBay under "nautical fish"). Mount on the wall or hang from ceiling, then attach little boats, starfish, fish -- anything that has the ocean theme (I did this ocean theme in my living room; its really cool). Also maybe hang an anchor wheel mirror, or purchase wooden shelves and hot-glue items on the shelf for a decoration -- small colorful fish, shells, etc. -- pointbreeze