When Rachel from Maison de Pax saw a vintage map of Paris at Restoration Hardware, she knew exactly what could fill that enormous space above her couch. Rachel used to live in Paris so the artwork held a special meaning for her. However, no matter how deep her love for the city, Rachel still couldn’t spend thousands on the map. Instead she created a replica for less than 1/20th the price, and although it cost less, it certainly looks just as good!
We all have those projects that linger on our to-do lists for weeks, months, and even years. That was the case with these chalkboard plaques made by Melissa from Shabby Love. She had adored them for years, so you know it must have been all the sweeter when Melissa finally made her own collection of little boards out of luan. These would look so cute arranged on the wall together!
Rachel from Maison de Pax had been dreaming of an antique looking crib for her son’s room but couldn’t justify the expense when she already a perfectly good crib. Imagine her excitement when she got a call about a FREE white spindle crib. Rachel of course snatched it up and then achieved the look she was after with flat white spray paint, stain, and a dark wax. She sewed a simple crib skirt with box pleats out of drop cloth to complete the look… for a grand total of $7!
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.
The minute Julie from Do or DIY saw Restoration Hardware’s tripod floor lamp, she knew she had to have it. Well, maybe not RH’s almost $1400 lamp, but a very similar DIY version! Julie wanted it to have that antique vibe, so she took to Craigslist to find an old wooden tripod that was used for mounting telescopes. Husband Chris took over the electrical work, and the lamp was complete! It turns out that Julie and Chris’ lamp cost less than even the sales tax of the Restoration Hardware version!
