After trying to freshen up an old mirror with paint, Katie from Upcycled Treasures still felt it was missing a little something. It was then that Katie stumbled upon a couple of rope mirrors that inspired her to act on her love for nautical décor. Katie hot glued manila around the twice-painted mirror frame and then added thinner rope threads at the top to cover the pesky seam where the rope ends met. Funny that Katie’s unplanned addition of the rope at the top is actually my favorite part of the mirror!

A desire to display her photographs led Elena from `a casarella to Pottery Barn, where she fell in love with a linen pinboard. Of course, what Elena didn’t love was the price of $159, so she made her own for under $20 using items from the hardware store. I love Elena’s mission to “free the pictures” that are usually “stuck” inside phones and computers, and her DIY pinboard is the perfect backdrop!

Riva from Uno, Dos, Très Chic is not a fan of traditional baby motifs, so this chevron painted rug was the perfect addition to her son’s nursery. Riva created her chevron design but cutting over 200 rectangles from freezer paper. (How’s that for dedication?) I really like how Riva alternated the two slightly different shades of blue, as it adds a bit more visual interest. Most importantly, it looks like Riva’s little man likes his new stylin’ rug.

We all have that large, awkward wall in our homes that we just can’t figure out how to decorate. Lindsay from That Village House found the perfect solution for that wall in her kitchen in Ballard’s café shelves and was inspired to build her own. Lindsay says, “I’m really happy with how they turned out!! The total cost was about $47 for two shelves. Not bad when this look would have cost me $189 plus tax and shipping at Ballard.”

While on a recent trip, Debbie from One Day at a Time ventured out on a little shopping adventure while her husband was napping and just so happened to land a set of glass lamps for only $5.99 a piece on closeout. Talk about a steal! Sure, the clear glass was pretty, but Debbie had a different look in mind for the lamps and broke out the Looking Glass paint. The open bottoms made them the perfect candidates for Debbie’s faux mercury glass technique, as evidenced by the beautiful results!