Hopelessly Flawed

Posts tagged: Pottery Barn

Makeover Monday – Side Table

Ok, so this week isn’t exactly a makeover.  It’s not even close.  It’s just a little table.

But if you look closely, you’ll see that it’s actually a lot more.

It’s actually my daughters’ own creation (with the help of plans from Ana, of course).

Yes, as a matter of fact, I do let my kids play with tools.  I encourage it.

Anyone who knows me would laugh at the suggestion I am a feminist, but I suppose in this one way, maybe I am just a little.  I want my girls to be able to do anything.  Everything.  I don’t want them to stick with traditionally feminine roles.  I want them to be smart and confident and know that actually, they can fix things and build things and get dirty, just like the boys. 

Better than the boys.

I think Ana is an inspiration in that regard.  If you have ever seen her, she’s not exactly how you’d picture a female carpenter.  She’s teeny tiny and absolutely gorgeous.  She’s a femme fatale weilding a nail gun.  How cool is that?

I want my daughters to know that they can do what they set their minds to do.  And yes, I do hope that leads them to build things.  Because it feels really, really great to look at something you created.

And also it feels great to save money.

This side table was created with wood I had left over from another project.  However, if you’d like to build one yourself, it would cost around $15 in lumber.  Not bad for a $199 Pottery Barn knock-off, eh?  You can’t even order a swatch of wood from Pottery Barn for that price!

And every time I look at our table, I get to appreciate the kind of beauty that Pottery Barn can’t sell.

The cuts that aren’t quite straight

The holes that Lilly filled with caulk instead of wood putty

The love (and mess) that went into the paint job

The end result?

You can still see a few gaps.

The cuts weren’t perfect.  The paint isn’t perfect.  They were too impatient to sand properly.

Yet it’s still the most beautiful table we own, if you ask me.

Pottery Barn sells Perfect, no doubt.

But Knock-Off Wood gave us a pretty perfect day, and that’s worth a whole lot more to me.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

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categories Makeover Monday, My beautiful daughters | April 19, 2010 | comments Comments (6)

Makeover Monday – The ‘I did nothing’ edition

I actually have several projects lined up to show you in the future, but I did nothing to make today’s post possible.  Well, no actual work that is.  I did use my fingers whilst sitting on the sofa, for whatever that’s worth.

I was reading one of my favorite blogs and started hopping from there, eventually landing on one of the most fabulous blogs I have ever seen.

Seriously.

I’m going to give you the link now because I know you’re dying of curiosity, but please don’t leave me just yet, ok?

Knock Off Wood

Now I am a DIY girl, but I’ve got nothing on Ana.  She’s a self-taught carpenter extraordinaire and she is amazing y’all.  Totally amazing.

She started like many of us, with champagne taste and a beer budget, and she decided to do it herself and save a bundle.  This bed was her first project:

photo and design by Knock Off Wood-all praise & credit to Ana

Yes.  She made that. 

Impressive, right?  And you can make it too, with a few tools, $120, and her easy-to-follow plans.

Does it look familiar?  It might, because it’s actually a knock-off of this bed from Pottery Barn.  Except it’s $1230 cheaper.

$1230.  Or as I like to think of it, 5 round-trip airplane tickets to Disney.  Not bad, right?

She has plans for knock-off furniture of all sorts, inspired by upscale stores like Pottery Barn, Land of Nod, and Restoration Hardware.  She even has a dining room table inspired by a $2750 Restoration Hardware piece – her cost? $9.98.

Nine-ninety-eight.

A dining room table.  For less than ten dollars.  And it’s gorgeous.

You’re totally sold, aren’t you? 

So was I.  Which is exactly why I fully intend to make these (complete with wall clips)

Again, all credit to Knock Off Wood (my new hero)

appear in our playroom.  How awesome is that setup?  Totally needed.

Ana’s blog has inspired me to take my garage full of tools and my DIY spirit to the next level.  Now in my case I wasn’t exactly planning on buying new furniture so she might be costing me money rather than saving it.  But we won’t be focusing on that little detail.  Instead, I’m getting excited about how beautiful my house will be when I crank out a few of Ana’s projects.

Now if she only offered a professional organizing service, I’d really be in business.

*Full disclosure – I’m getting nada for writing this.  I wasn’t asked to write it, I’m not being paid for writing it, and I have no vested interest in anything here.  I’m just all about the sharing.

Oh, and PS) I forgot one of the very best parts – her plans are free. FREE!  This girl rocks, y’all.  Check her out!

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categories Makeover Monday | January 25, 2010 | comments Comments (5)