knock off decor, copycat decor
With the transition from winter to spring comes the task of packing away sweaters and pulling out tees and tanks. Before you write off those old sweaters, check out how Beth at Unskinny Boppy made over a plan white lampshade with a thrift store sweater. I love the idea of adding pattern and texture to a lampshade with a few simple cuts and some glue. It’s amazing the changes you can make it a mere 20 minutes!
Like Heather from Southern State of Mind you have probably found yourself wondering why outdoor furniture and accessories are so crazy expensive. Who wants to spend a ton on things that are going to sit outside and be exposed to the elements? Certainly not Heather! Instead, she spray painted a thrifted rug and got exactly the same look for a grand total of twenty bucks!
For months you’ve been prowling through thrift stores looking for that special something, and then one day you finally see it. Heart pumping you snatch it from the shelf and hold your treasure close. Sound familiar? That must have been how Debbie from One Day at a Time felt when she finally found a vase that was the perfect size and shape to turn into a Crate & Barrel look-a-like. Debbie used spackle to create texture and then glammed it up with some silver spray paint.
Jocie of The Better Half had been dreaming of a beautiful farmhouse table for her dining area. With a bit of begging, Jocie convinced her handy hubs Ethan to take on building the table from scratch. That is… until she came up with an ingenious idea. Instead of building from scratch, Josie and Ethan reused the legs and parts from a secondhand table and built a new solid oak tabletop. Their table is every bit as gorgeous as their Pottery Barn inspiration but way cheaper and even higher quality!
Whether they are hanging from the ceiling or sitting tabletop, lanterns can be found everywhere in the décor world. But, of course, they come at a price, and a rather steep one at that! Nicole from DIY in Real Life found a way around those annoying price tags by updating secondhand brass light fixtures with black paint and rope. They ended up costing Nicole about $20 a piece, which is a steal compared to the fixtures she had been eyeing from Ballard and Restoration Hardware.
Lora from Craftivity Designs created this bud vase that’s perfect for displaying those beautiful spring blooms. Lora paired a thrifted flower pin with a thrifted vase for an all together thrifty version of Anthro’s pretty flower vases. Spring is all about new life, and this is a great way to repurpose an old piece of jewelry and give it a fresh start!
Kate from Magic City Thistle loved the look of an oh-so-cute tray that resembles a supply cart but would never have the little cart on her coffee table without getting creative! Kate sourced a basic wooden tray from her local thrift store and revamped it with paint and four tiny grapevine wreath “wheels.” Doesn’t it make for the cutest display on her outdoor dining table?
When her husband needed a message board for his home office, Emily from life{illustrated} searched the internet to find one that wasn’t too “pretty.” A burlap covered message board with nail head trim was perfect for the space and crazy easy to make using a thrifted $2 bulletin board. I love what Emily has to say here about not spending more than is “absolutely necessary” on material items. It is hard to fathom spending tons of money on a memo board when you can get something similar for a few dollars and a little creativity!
