Tutorial

Lisa from Salt March Cottage has been working to rebuild and refurnish her beach cottage which was destroyed by Hurricane Sandy. Understandable, controlling costs is a must. Lisa fell hard for a demijohn jug lamp with burlap shade, but the $269 stood in the way of Lisa and her dream lamp. Lisa knew that didn’t mean she couldn’t make a similar coastal style lamp and did just that with a vase from Home Goods and some items from the hardware store. Thanks to Lisa’s resourceful knock-off she saved a whopping $221!

For Deneen from Dreaming in Color (and the rest of us!), saving $2,000 is always a great way to start a project. Deneen saved some cash by turning a birdcage she already owned into a chandelier that’s reminiscent of a beauty from Restoration Hardware. Deneen went with a “bright and charming” coral color that’s a perfect fit for her revamped living room and says her favorite part of the birdcage-turned-chandelier is “how it illuminates on the wall at night showing texture and pattern.”

While Aly from Entirely Eventful Day says she may be a dreamer, she’s also a realist. That’s why she decided to spend only $5 to make a starburst mirror instead of blowing hundreds on a trend that will eventually fade. How did she do it for only $5? Paper! Yeppers, Aly created her shiny beauties using thick metallic and sparkle paper. Aly’s tutorial is so easy and inexpensive it’s perfect for those who have been hesitant to jump on the sunburst mirror bandwagon.

This morning I featured a DIY pintuck duvet cover, and tonight I am back with another sheet-to-duvet cover transformation that’s perfect for adding texture to your bed. Whitney from A Mommy’s Life with a Touch of Yellow was inspired by a quilt from Anthropologie as well as a drool-worthy knock-off by KoJo Designs to finally make her dream bedding a reality. Whitney made a few changes, including creating a duvet cover instead of a quilt to make washing a cinch. Even after several washings, Whitney says her sewing is holding strong!

Last month I shared the gorgeous new outdoor dining table that Whitney from Shanty 2 Chic built for only $85 using plans from Ana White. Whitney again teamed up with Ana to build benches with a similar sawhorse style for only $20. Yep, you heard right… $20!!! That’s only $125 total for a solid wood outdoor dining set that looks like it came straight out of a catalog. The Shanty Sisters have done it again!