West elm inspired

Aubrey of The Crawford Clan had originally planned to put a mirror above the buffet in her dining room but then decided a piece of artwork would “pack a bigger punch.” Not only did Aubrey paint her own abstract art, but she made this project even cheaper by creating her own canvas from a drop cloth she already had. Aubrey is certainly a frugal girl after my own heart! She says, “I’m hardly an artist so this was the perfect skill level for me.  Surprisingly, we’ve had a few visitors even ask where we purchased it from…”

Emma from A Beautiful Mess had seen tree stump side tables of all varieties – metallic, painted, stained, and even dipped. She didn’t know what finish she wanted, but Emma knew she wanted to give the project a try. She was fortunate to come by a slew of stumps through a friend. After the drying process was complete, Emma went to work, chiseling away the bark, sanding until smooth, and then applying a white stain. I can’t get over the beautiful shape of these stumps!

Andrea from Decorating Cents was browsing around Pinterest when she came across a graphic black and white frame from West Elm. Unfortunately, Andrea found that the frame was no longer available. Bummer! However, Andrea knew she could just make her own and did just that with an unfinished wood frame from Michaels and paint. Her inexpensive knock-off frame sure packs a lot of punch! I love what a little paint can do!

Jen and Brian from Something We Whipped Up both loved the “simply yet sturdy look” of West Elm’s industrial curtain rods. Unfortunately, at $99 a piece, there was no way they were buying two! A quick trip to the hardware store, and Jen and Brian had everything they needed to make their own pipe curtain rods for less than a quarter the price. Most stores will cut and rethread the pipe for you, so basically all you have to do is connect the pieces and voila!

Daniela from Put A Bird On It is all about creating lovely, “Pinterest-worthy” décor on a dime. She also happens to be a sucker for polka dots, so it’s no wonder metallic confetti mugs from West Elm caught her eye. Daniela shares how she made her own decorative mugs with Sharpies. She even took it a step further to customize a mug with her “phrase” for 2014 – Choose Happy.