RH trunk copy cat

I have always loved the Aviator coffee table trunk from Restoration Hardware. I thought this piece would be perfect for an interior design project that I am working on, but with a price tag of over $1000 and the fact that it is no longer available, it wasn't an option. Instead I decided to try my hand at a DIY replica. I found an old foot locker at the thrift store for $9.99. The hardware was already a gold that was very similar to my Restoration Hardware inspiration. I taped over it so that it wouldn't be covered with paint. I used metallic silver spray paint to cover the rest of it (it was green before). When I removed the tape, I was so surprised at how similar it looked to the RH trunk. It is much smaller and is being used on the hearth, not as a coffee table, but I absolutely loved the end results. Now I want to do one for my own house but I get bored doing the same projects again and again, so we'll just have to see about that.

Restoration Hardware Aviator Coffee Table compared to DIY foot locker

North Pole burlap pillow

I had seen a similar pillow at Christmas time last year and I figured if I still liked it a year later, then I definitely liked it enough to make a copy-cat version. I made a stencil of the wording using my silhouette machine, and filled it in with a black sharpie. The reason that I didn't use paint was because I didn't have any vinyl. I just made the stencil using card stock and paint tends to bleed around the edges when it is not completely stuck to the material. I actually really liked the look of the Sharpie lettering. It was really pretty simple. The hardest part was spacing the words and keeping the lines straight. The best part of the project is that the only thing it costs me was a little time. I already had all the supplies on hand. Now I have about 5 other Christmas pillow designs that I want to make but probably won't get around to.

Painted Sunflower Pillow

I love most of the pillows in Pottery Barn, but the painted sunflower pillow really caught my eye. I came very close to making the purchase, but then I decided it would be pretty easy to make myself. Although it doesn't look identical, I was pretty happy with my copy-cat version. I just love sunflowers in the fall.

Pottery Barn

Copycat Pottery Barn cube

Pottery Barn twill cube $99

Around Christmas time last year, I came across a twill cube ottoman in Pottery Barn. It wasn't anything eccentric or gorgeous, but its simplicity won me over and I almost bought the thing more than once. Thankfully I came to the conclusion that I didn't need to spend $100 on an oversized cube that I had no place for. 

Pottery Barn outdoor cube $159 $125

Over time, the perfect cube slipped my mind. That is until its outdoor twin debuted in the Spring Pottery Barn catalog. This one costing $159. I knew I wasn't going to make the purchase but that didn't stop me from dreaming about it. 

plush baby blocks

I'm usually always thinking of ways to make a copy-cat version of expensive items that I yearn for, but for some reason, it never crossed my mind that I could easily create a replica of the PB cushion. Then it hit me. When I was making the plush baby blocks for one of my friends who is expecting, I realized the blocks were tiny versions of my beloved cube. 

my copy-cat cube

A friend had given me a huge roll of canvas material, which happened to be the perfect color and texture. I wanted my cube to be pretty large so I cut six (20") squares of material, and six (20") squares of fusible interfacing material. I ironed a square of the interfacing material to each square of canvas to make the sides sturdy and give it a perfect cubed shape. Next I lined up the edges and sewed the right sides of the material together, until I had a cube with one side left unstitched. I stuffed it with tons and tons of polyfil. I'm really not sure how much it took because I used what I had around the house and then bought a 50 oz. bag to finish it off. Afterwards, I kind of wished I had monogrammed an "M" on one side and at some point I might un-stuff the thing and do that. Overall, it ended up costing me about $8 for the polyfil and I think it looks pretty similar to the Pottery Barn version. Now, I'm thinking about making one out of burlap.

my cube in the living room