knock off decor, copycat decor
Regular KOD readers know Terra from Mama Says Sew is skilled with a needle and thread, but her DIY savvy doesn’t stop there! Terra had actually never built anything before, but fell in love with a shelf that would make a good beginner project. She dove right in and created this weathered blue shelf for free using materials she had on hand!
Gretchen over at Gretchen’s Garage teamed up with her son on a snow day to turn scrap wood and leftover paint into a piece of wall art. The duo drew out their design on a piece of paper and then made the puzzle come to life with the cuts of wood and paint. For only $10 for the plywood backing, Gretchen got new wall décor AND a day of quality time with her son. Now that is something Pottery Barn can’t compete with!
As soon as Stacie at Stars for Streetlights saw an artistic map of the Great Lakes for over $100, she knew she had to try to make it. She ended up turning the project over to Sean, a Chicago native with a connection to the lakes and also the patience to cut out five layers of cardstock with an X-Acto knife! I must say I am pretty much in awe of Sean’s steady hand. Even up close, the map looks fabulous!
Christy from Planted and Blooming Girl fell in love with a painting for her daughter’s room that was the perfect mix of girly and outdoorsy. But, alas, it was way too expensive, especially for a girl who frequently likes to change out her décor. Christy challenged herself to grab a canvas and paints and create her own artwork. If you are thinking Christy obviously has artistic talent, she says it’s not the case. She’s just a “nurse on a budget” who was inspired to try her hand at something new!
Ann wanted to repurpose old framed art into décor for her bathroom and knew just where to turn – Deb from Lake Girl Paints. Deb took apart the frames and matting and gave the pieces new life as hand-painted word art. Here’s from Deb: “So a fresh recycle will bring trendy style to Ann’s bath. It sure makes you think about old things in a new way.”
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!
Instead of paying $99 for framed skeleton keys, Angie from The Country Chic Cottage suggests stalking secondhand stores to make these beauties at a fraction of the cost. A mere fraction of the cost. Like $7 for two instead of $200! Angie pulled it off by pairing a set of reproduction skeleton keys she found at the flea market with thrift store frames. I love how they came out!
Heather from Sweet Number 9 immediately fell in love with a distressed wall ledge from Pottery Barn the moment she saw it. It was exactly what she needed to fill empty wall space that had been driving her crazy. Heather and her husband devised a plan to build their own shelf with some lumber and decorative molding. Their knock off is absolutely stunning and has become an immediate statement piece on the once annoyingly blank wall!
