Shayna of The Wood Grain Cottage loves one-of-a-kind lighting and wanted to create a fixture from an old grain sieve. The problem was all the vintage sieves she found were either way to expensive or too big. Knock-off time! Shayna shares at Infarrantly Creative how she made her own wooden sieve using basswood and wire and turned it into a light with a pendant kit… all for only $20. Shayna says it’s the perfect touch to her newly-designed mudroom!
Sara of Major Hoff Takes a Wife has a special place in her heart for bobbins and spools. Not only has she long been a seamstress, but Sara’s great grandmother worked as a weaver in a cotton mill. You can find old bobbins at antique stores, flea markets, Etsy, and eBay, OR you can follow Sara’s tutorial to make your own! How cute are these that Sara displayed on her mantel? I love the lace wrapped around it!
While planning her daughter’s bedroom, Carissa of Carissa Miss knew pink, vertical stripe curtains were part of the equation. Unfortunately, the custom curtains Carissa had her heart set on were $95 per panel. Like she says, “When you can’t buy what you want, you just DO IT YOURSELF.” And Carissa did – for $32 thanks to Wal-mart’s low prices and selection of flat sheets. Being a frugal gal myself, I love how Carissa used the sheets to save on fabric costs. What a great money-saving tip!
You all are no strangers to Sarah M. Dorsey Design’s seriously drool-worthy knock offs. The girl always hits it out of the park, and this geometric lamp base she recently created is no exception. Sarah constructed the geometric base using a custom template (which she kindly shares) and mat board. Yep, that means the only tool you need is an X-acto knife. And thanks to Sarah’s thriftiness in using a secondhand lamp and budget-friendly mat board, this stunning lamp only costs $11 to make. Wow!
Lisa from Salt Marsh Cottage needed to replace three ugly ceiling lights at her beach house. A beautiful fixture from Design Within Reach inspired her, but when Lisa realized it would cost almost $1200 for three fixtures, she felt less inspired. Plus, Lisa really wanted a chrome finish rather than brass. Are you feeling a DIY coming on? Lisa found a $15 fixture at Home Depot with a similar design, and with the help of a can of metallic silver spray paint, she was able to get the look of the DWR fixture in her preferred finished at a much more reasonable price!
