* Remodelaholic *: Knock Offs

Showing posts with label Knock Offs. Show all posts

Pottery Barn Knock Off Lantern Made from Picture Frames!!

11 July 2011

Pottery Barn Knock Off Lantern Made from Picture Frames!!

Hello! I am Kari from the Sunset Lane. I am so excited and flattered to be writing a guest post for Cassity!! I thought I would die when she asked! The Sunset Lane is a blog about making life beautiful without emptying your bank account. I see anything and everything in magazines, on Pinerest, random things I google, anywhere really and make a knock off version for pennies compared to the retail cost.

Pottery Barn is my main source of knock-offery (yes, I made that word up!). I have imitated quite a few of their items. Like the Pottery Barn Bellora Chandeliers I DIY'd, the Belgium Train Signs, the numbered art, or the monogrammed mugs. I love their things, but not their prices.

After dealing with my less than appealing (okay downright f-ugly) light in our master bedroom. My latest DIY Pottery Barn adventure was to create one of these:

Pottery Barn Gothic Lantern

Pottery Barn Blacksmith Taper Lantern

I had been plotting it for a while when the idea came to me on the toilet. I was going, but rather giving my baby a bath when a picture frame fell on the back of my head breaking the glass....for the millionth time. I was staring at it and came up with this :)

How to make one for yourself!

Step 1: ~~Have a picture frame fall on your head~~ Collect 4 matching picture frames. Mine were 8x10 frames, you can choose smaller or larger-the lantern police won't arrest you for not following directions!

Can you guess which one broke?!? :)

Step 2: Collect your supplies. I used hot glue, gorilla glue, a speed square, needle nose pliers, and painters tape!


Apparently I didn't picture all my supplies-ADD kicking in!

Step 3: Remove all the glass and "guts" of the picture frame and the little metal tabs that hold it all in. (Please note: if you plan to leave the glass in the lantern, you should leave the little tabs in-but I didn't think about that before I removed all mine!) You could always glue the glass in, but this may be messy if you accidentally break one.

Step 4: Use your speed square or other 90 degree angle tool to keep it square and put on the Gorilla Glue, then quickly shoot some hot glue on the ends, just to keep it in place. I'm sure there is an easier way, but I try to look for the hardest way possible and do it that way. I usually open packages and then find the easy 'pull here to open it' spot!


Sorry it's blurry!

Step 5: Repeat step 4 until it looks something like this

Step 6: Tape around the sides with painters tape to keep it together while the glue dries. When all sides are done, you should have something like this.

Yes, that's the grout stirring paddle in the background!

Step 7: Find some light source to donate it's guts to your new lantern! I picked this one up from H4H for $5.

Step 8: After I took the H4H light apart I attached eyelet screws on the corners of my frame cube and ran chain I had from a previous project (like 3 years ago) from the eyelet screw to the ring on the top of the H4H light. Spray painted it all black and install.

Here is the light that was there before: GAG!!

And Now:

Thank you again to Remodelaholic for letting me guest post!!

-Make your life beautiful!

The Moooi Random Pendant Knock Off

11 May 2011

The Moooi Random Pendant Knock Off by Amanda

Hello Remodelaholic readers! My name is Amanda and I write the blog Our Humble A{Bowe}d where we're sharing how we have, and still are, transforming our 1960's rancher into our home. We've tackled nearly every room in our 2500 square foot home, and now we're putting on the finishing touches. Most recently, we've been working on our basement, installing cabinet doors in my office and our theater room.

Over the past few months, we've been making some changes to our boys' bedroom. So far, we have painted the bed sun yellow, painted a chevron pattern on a jute rug, created free magazine art, refinished and decorated a bookshelf, and made more DIY origami art. Heck, we even reorganized the closet! The bedroom redesign we started last summer is nearly complete. The finishing touch is a wood veneer version of the Moooi Random pendant I made using iron on veneer edging.

Before:

After:

Please Read More >>

Ballard Knockoff Spool Side Table DIY

27 October 2010

Ballard Knockoff Spool Side Table DIY
contributed by Flamingo Toes

Do you ever have one of those projects that sits in your head for a while and sticks and you can’t get it out?

Fester fester fester rot rot rot.

(2 points if you get the reference)

This is one of those projects for me. When I saw the little Spool Side Table at Ballard several months ago I fell in love.

I pointed it out to Mr. F.T. and said, “I want to make That!”

(You have to love a guy that doesn’t blink an eye when you point out a table wrapped in rope but instead just rolls with it and helps you figure it out.)

Well for months (on and off – not continuously) we have been toying with rope and wood options and cost. Then one day while we were thrift store shopping (Yes. Mr. F.T. gets points for that too) we spotted this rope basket . . .

(Aaaaaaaaaa – those are the angels singing and a little spotlight shining down from heaven)

We snatched it right up and were ready to rock and roll. Let me introduce you to my new little spool side table.

Complete with removable lid for storage . . .

Here’s the Ballard Designs Inspiration:

I even have a nifty tutorial for you in case you are also in love with this little rope table and you find/own a little basket too. :)

You’ll need:

A basket (or something similar with rope wrapped around it)
2 Round wood pieces (mine are 24″ circles from Home Depot)
1 dowel
stencils for top
Stain (I used Minwax satin all in one)
Paint for lettering (black craft paint)
Brushes
glue
screws
fabric for lining (optional)

Start with tracing a curve for the top line of stenciling. I used a large bowl – that is apparently peeling on the bottom. Huh.

Get your stencils ready and lay them out on the arch to make sure the spacing is right.

Run back out to the store because the stinkin’ stencil pack you bought is missing letters E – L. Peachy.

Lay out the new letters.

Start with the middle letter on the top and stencil it on. Put a little black paint on your brush and using a circular motion on a paper plate or paper towel, work the paint in to the bristles so that it’s not super wet.

Move the brush in a circular motion over the stencil, covering the open section well.

Work down the right side of the arch, then the left, stenciling on the other letters. Make sure the spacing in between letters is even.

Repeat for the smaller letters at the bottom. I kept these in a straight line like Ballard’s. I also looked up usine de corde before I stencilled it on. I wanted to make sure it was something I’d actually want stencilled on a piece of furniture. It means “Rope Plant.” Ok then.

Begin staining your wood pieces. For the sides you can apply the stain with a paper towel. Just rub it on and then rub off any excess.

For the top flat parts, you can use a brush to apply the stain . . .

Then wipe off with a paper towel. The longer you leave the stain on, the darker it will be.

(Look. Gloves. Don’t ever say I don’t occasionally learn from my mistakes.)

Stain all the round wood pieces.

Cut the dowel into 4 inch pieces. These will be glued into the top to hold the top in place. Stain them also.

To determine the right size screw to hold the basket to the base, I drilled a hole through the base of the basket. I pushed a nail through to see how deep the base was.

Then I could measure the nail and determine how far into the base I wanted the screw to go.

Drill through the base of the basket in four places.

Center the basket on the base. Screw the basket to the base.

At this point I decided I wanted to cover up the thin nylon lining that came with the basket. I measured the existing lining and made a cuter one out of some Amy Butler fabric I had on hand.

I stapled in the new lining along the top edge under the rope.

To add in the pegs for the top, I made a template on a scrap piece of wood.

Trace the hole onto the underside of the top. To drill the holes I used a bit called a Forstner bit. It made a nice circle, but if you don’t have one, you can use a regular bit.