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

Jute Frame Picture Holder

In one of my earlier posts about my bedroom make-over, I showed this picture of my basket with a burlap #3 and a wooden frame. If I am not completely content with the placement of something, I will move it a million times. Well, I did move this frame everywhere that I could think of and I still didn't like it so I threw it into a pile of craft scraps. 

I knew that I would have a use for this frame eventually. Many people have made these Pottery Barn inspired wire frame hangers. While I think those are incredibly cute, I wanted to do something a little different.

First, I sanded and painted my frame white. After it dried, I added a light gray glaze. Then I decided to use jute string in place of wire. I tied knots in each end of the three jute pieces and glued them onto the frame. Finally, I used paper clips to attach  a couple of pictures of two of my favorite people (the best friend and the boyfriend). This is probably going to hang in my bathroom, as I am going for an eclectic chic look. For such a simple project, I think it turned out to be quite cute. and very cheap.

I am working on so many wedding projects that I can't wait to share. None of them are quite finished, but it won't be long!

Newly-painted Nightstand

All of the furniture in my bedroom is a dark cherry colored wood. While I would prefer a lighter, more rustic bedroom suite, I have to work with what I have for now. At the moment I don't plan to paint every piece of furniture but I change my mind a lot so it could happen. For now, I decided to just paint my nightstand. The nightstand I have had by my bed is just a simple shape with two drawers and with its original color it was a bit boring. I gathered my supplies and headed to the back yard with a Pottery Barn inspiration in mind. 

Pottery Barn 

I lightly sanded my nightstand, applied a coat of primer, and then two coats of ivory spray paint. After it dried overnight, it was time to chip it up. I used the sanding block around all of the edges on the base and the drawers. Then I used a box opener to distress it some more around the edges and to create intentional scratching.

Before

Before

I really liked the re-painted version of my nightstand and thought that it looked pretty similar to the Pottery Barn version that sells for $199. Since I already had the nightstand, my only cost was the spray paint which was $3.99. Not too bad. It really added character to my room by throwing in the one piece of mismatching furniture. There is a chance that another piece may be chosen to get this same look in the future.

After

After

In bedroom

Cubby Unit Make-Over

I ran across this cute little piece at the thrift store a few weeks ago. I wasn't sure what to call it so I pulled out the Pottery Barn catalog and there was a piece very similar. They called it a floor storage cubby unit so if thats what Pottery Barn says than that's what it is. While the PB version is not exactly like mine, it is $249 opposed to my $6.99 bargain. It was just a boring wood color when I brought it home but I knew that it had  potential.

To give it a new look, I took it outside and gave it a nice coat of white spray paint. Then I got out the sanding block and ran it over all of the edges and the top to give it a shabby look. I had seen wooden numbers used as decor on baskets in the newest Pottery Barn catalog and decided that it would be a great look for my "cubby unit".

Pottery Barn wooden numbers

I got some wooden numbers at Hobby Lobby for 99 cents each and painted them white. I drilled a whole in each number and tied them on to the baskets with jute string. This piece is going in my bathroom (which is in the process of getting a makeover) where the walls are chocolate brown. I love the contrast with the white. For the sake of natural light, I took the photo in the living room and just grabbed a few props that were close by. I haven't quite decided what I will set on top once it is in its permanent home (the bathroom). 

Lamp Revamp

The lamps in our living room are not completely unfortunate, but they are a bit outdated. I decided that I would look for some new lamps at the thrift store. I didn't care what color they were because I planned to paint them anyways. I hardly ever find exactly what I plan to search for at the thrift store, but I guess it was my lucky day. I found 2 gold lamps that I loved the shape of. I even liked the shade on one of them. One was $6.99 and the other was $9.99. I was so excited to give begin their transformation that I headed straight to the back yard with my spray paint in hand. I sprayed the first lamp until I was satisfied with the coverage of the ivory paint. When I started to spray the second lamp, the can was empty. Lovely. I decided to move forward with the painted lamp and save the other one for another day.

Before

After the paint had dried, I made a glaze to add an antique look. There are all sorts of glazes that you can buy in the store but I didn't really prepare for this project, so I made my own. I mixed acrylic paint in Burnt Umber with water and it worked just fine. I dipped a rag in the mixture and smeared it all over the lamp, working it into each crack and crevice. After letting it sit for about 30 seconds, I wiped the glaze off. It left a slight brown tint and accentuated the carvings of the lamp. Finally, I took a rough sanding block all around the edges to remove the ivory paint and show the original gold color. I also used a box opened to scratch and scuff the finish and to dig the paint out of the grooves. The shade that  was on this lamp was a sort of recycled linen material. For now, it is staying. The lamp turned out exactly as I had imagined and it goes perfectly in the living room. Back to the store tomorrow for another can of spray paint...or maybe a few.

After

My inspiration for how I envisioned the finished product came from Pottery Barn (Shocker, I know!). The PB lamp is $100 for the base, without the shade. Mine was $9.99 plus a little elbow grease. 

Pottery Barn Brentwood Table Lamp Base $100

Thrifty Find: Bird Cages

I really like home decorating accessories that are inspired by nature. Twigs. Sticks. Antlers. Moss. I love it all. Two things that I have been infatuated with for a while are bird cages and bird nests. The actual birds, not so much. I mean they are beautiful to watch but they just don't do it for me. I'm not sure exactly what my attraction is to such items used for decor. I think it is the combination of the chic appeal of a dainty bird cage with the rustic feel of a nest. I had been eyeing some of the cages in Pottery Barn but I wasn't quite ready to make the splurge, since I really had no idea where I was going to put them.

Pottery Barn (price unknown)

Pottery Barn $149 for set of 2

Pottery Barn $149- $229

I was browsing through the home and garden section at Ross and happened upon two bird cages. It was instant bliss. And the smaller one was $6.99 and the larger one was $9.99. I still had no idea what I would do with them but for that price I knew I would figure it out. For now they are displayed on a vintage suitcase, but in time I will find the perfect spot.

Bedroom Make-over: Chest

This chest used to set flush against the left wall. I decided to place it in the corner in order to open up the room and display my recently added decor. I fell in love with this lamp because of the creamy ceramic base contrasted with the burlap shade. I found it at Hobby Lobby, marked $99. Hobby Lobby has awesome sales and the lamp just so happened to be 50% off, so yes, it went home with me for $50. 

That brings me to the baskets. I love baskets of all colors, shapes, and sizes. Not only are they great for organizing, but I just love the southern look and feel they give a room.

These baskets from Pottery Barn range from $24 to $54 each. I got the two baskets in my picture from Hobby Lobby and they,too, were 50%. The smaller one on top of the chest ended up costing $7 and the larger one in the floor, $12. Not bad at all.

I couldn't make it out of the store before I grabbed a few of these decor balls. I loved the natural look and   knew they would be perfect in my basket. These actually weren't on sale but they were dirt cheap at the original price. The two smaller ones were a $2.99 each and the larger one was $4.99. 

Next, I created three numbered burlap signs. I started with three 8x10 pieces of canvas. Then I cut out three squares of burlap material, each a little bit larger than the actual canvas. I pulled the material tight, folder it over the front edges, and hot glued it to the back side. Next I used 5" number stencils and painted the numbers 1.2, and 3 on each canvas with white acrylic paint. I am crazy about all of the number decor inspired by Pottery Barn and Restoration Hardware. These were very easy and quite cheap.

To complete the look, I draped a light brown afghan out of the large basket and placed an old dark wooden frame to add a bit of contrast and rustic appeal. I am quite pleased with the finished product of this corner because I feel it complements the rustic chic theme I am trying to create. What do you think?