Ballard’s burlap message board has gotten a lot of knock-off love throughout the blogosphere. Considering all the renditions I have seen of the popular board, I can’t help but be a little surprised when I come across a new take on it. Mel from {Frantz} Featherings created a spot-on copycat by attaching corkboard to a canvas and then wrapping it with burlap. While Mel says the canvas is a pricier alternative to foam core, it really helped her achieve the look she was after.
Tidy Mom Cheryl shares a cute idea for storing your pets’ food in style using an old popcorn tin from Christmas. Cheryl painted over Santa with a bright yellow spray paint and then decorated the exterior with vinyl cut by her Silhouette and some ribbon. Here’s what Cheryl has to say: “I LOVE the way my designer pet food canister turned out!………and Ballard Designs doesn’t offer yellow! {wink}”
I know I am not alone in saying that I love burlap and it’s price. The fact that I can get it for a couple of dollars a yard with a coupon makes me wonder why stores like Ballard are charging around $200 for one burlap panel. Sheesh! Alicia from Thrifty and Chic shows that you don’t have to pay those outrageous prices, not when you can make your own burlap curtains for $12, and that’s for two panels!
I have said a time or two that I am a sucker for baskets and love the look of industrial metal ones. Unfortunately, they are …
Doreen from Hymns and Verses fell in love with a pretty and functional kitchen mat from Ballard that features a measurement conversion chart. What she didn’t love was the price of$75. Doreen instead decided to try her hand at making her own with a similarly-shaped comfort mat from Wal-mart and a chalk marker. Doreen designed the chart on the computer and then used a nifty transfer method to trace it onto the mat. The final cost of Doreen’s mat was under $15 instead of the more pricey original!
