knock off decor, copycat decor
Kristen from Inspired Whims loved a festive triangle garland the second she saw it pop up on West Elm’s after Christmas sale, but it sold out almost instantly. She knew it would make a great addition to her daughter’s big girl room year-round and made her own by sewing together paper triangles. Here’s from Kristen, “I love my version… because it’s much more custom to my little gal’s room! And, I didn’t pay $20 for it!! (only about $6)”
In preparation for the day of love, Lidy from Hello Lidy had a little fun recreating some heart mugs she spied at West Elm that were “modern, fun and playful.” Following in line with the year’s metallic trend, Lidy used a gold leaf pen to add her hearts to plain white mugs for a quick transformation. This is a project anyone can tackle, and Lidy points out that imperfection is just part of the beauty.
My painted stripe curtains have been one of the biggest difference-makers in my living room update, so I can totally share in Melissa’s excitement over these curtains she painted for her craft space. Over at The Happier Homemaker Melissa shares how she beat the big price tag for long, pooling panels with the help of IKEA’s budget-friendly prices and some paint samples. I just love those chunky stripes!
Shari at Turnstyle Vogue used only items she had on hand to create this classy wood bottle stopper. That’s right… she just happened to have a carafe and wooden knob that were practically begging to be joined together. Working with what she had, Shari used the “ol’ pencil trick” to transfer her text and then filled it in with a wood stain marker. Although simple to create, this wine stopper would make an impressive gift for a wine drinker.
If you have childhood toys sitting in boxes and have wondered what in the world you will ever do with them, Meream from Bored and Crafty has an entire series dedicated to creative repurposes for childhood toys. One upcycle involves turning them into fun and quirky rocking animals perfect for gathering on shelves or even using as ornaments. Meream attached her plastic animals to embroidery hoops and then glammed them up with gold spray paint.
Erin from One Project at a Time couldn’t help but do “a little happy dance” when she found plans for a geometric daybed over at Ana White. It was just the bed she had been wanting for her baby’s nursery, and Erin was more than thrilled to save some cash through DIY. She pretty much sums it up when she says, “The best thing about DIY is with a little courage and practice you can have West Elm taste on a Kmart budget.”
Gretchen of Boxy Colonial needed display shelves for her boys’ bedroom and liked the look of some reclaimed wood shelves from West Elm. However, at $58 for the smallest shelf, it simply wasn’t happening. Instead, Gretchen enlisted her husband and two sons to make these look-a-likes with wood “reclaimed” from the scrap pile. I have a feeling it didn’t take too much persuading to get them to bang up the boards with hammers and screwdrivers {wink}!
Lacy from A Decorating Diva’s Diary faced quite the challenge to find lighting that would work with her home’s very high ceilings and open floor plan. She created a fixture with the luminous look of capiz shells and large scale she needed using an unlikely material – wax paper! Isn’t it amazing how totally glam and expensive it looks!?!
