Melanie of The French Cottage had been holding onto a tear-out of a Restoration Hardware chalkboard for years. However, she says her “inner frugalista” would not allow her to spend $499 on a chalkboard. Melanie also knew she could build her own chalkboard for much less and did just that for $50, which isn’t too shabby for a ginormous framed chalkboard. The fact that this chalkboard has a vintage schoolhouse look makes it perfect for Melanie’s son’s playroom. It’s a piece that both mommas and children can enjoy!

Tiffany at The Little Waffleflower shares my love for a pretty pillow, and this felt origami throw pillow ranks up there as one of her favorite DIYs. I sure can see why. It looks identical to her West Elm inspiration! I love that this pillow goes with absolutely anything yet isn’t plain or boring. The folded felt creates tons of texture and interest.

Happy New Year, KOD readers!

Free printable courtesy of Chelsea at Two Twenty One via Tatertots and Jello

Today is a big day of celebration on Knock Off Décor. Not only do we get to celebrate a new year, but it’s also Knock Off Décor’s third birthday. Woot woot! As always, I am ever grateful for those of you who read Knock Off Décor faithfully and make this site the great success that it is. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Before we dive headfirst into 2014, I’d like to recognize the top ten projects of 2013 here on KOD based on page views. Let’s get this party started!

Jessica from Sew Homegrown created a DIY version of a ruffled circles pillow she spied at West Elm. She says she just had to spice it up with more color though and chose scraps from her favorite fabric designer Anna Maria Horner. There is so much I love about this pillow from the vibrant colors to the ruffled and slightly disheveled look of the circles. This is a great scrap buster project that you could easily customize to match your décor.

Sawdust Girl Sandra created some large wooden spheres as a decorative accent for her home. She was inspired by iron spheres that cost from $165 to $225 per sphere. Ouch! Sandra on the other hand made two for only $5. How? She ripped thin strips from a 1×3 and then tried her hand at wood bending for the first time. Sandra says it turned out to be quite easy and saved her a truckload of cash!