Transformation: From Eyesore to Fabulous

Do you have an item in your house that functions just fine but is a thorn in your decorator side? I do. Its my refrigerator. After the last one went kaput- Mr.Copycat and I decided to buy one from our favorite vendor- Mr. Craig and his fabulous list. 50 dollars and it was ours. (And it looked like it too!) Here's a picture of the way it looks now:

You see? I wasn't exaggerating. Its pretty hideous. That's why I allow all the art work and magnets... to act as a barrier to the ugly. Now you can understand, to my delight while browsing on the Internet today, why I was so elated to find this little piece of copycat fodder on the Blog of the Old Painted Cottage. It just screams, "You can do this!!! I will liberate you from your ugly refrigerator in a cost effective and (here's my favorite part) beautiful way!"Are you ready for it?

Isn't it brilliant? I love it all but I especially love the hardware. I'm a sucker for massive hinges and pulls. And after reading how she did it I'm excited because I think I could totally master this on a lazy Saturday. (Sorry Kids... next Saturday is now deemed Cooler Saturday. Anything you need to consume will be located in the designated cooler of the day.)
So what do you think? Is it worthy of a future dyi?

Did your heart melt....

...like mine did with joy when you saw this adorable chandelier from The Curious sofa? The neutral palate, the antique block print pages, the old photos..... This is deffinitely being filed away under future dyi.


Can you imagine inserting title pages from your favorite antique books, cherished heirloom photos and charming block prints of images that make your heart go a flutter- all on one gorgeous lamp? I will call it my amazing, luminescent, memory carousel. :)

Art Ledges....

...have completely taken over my thoughts. I am obsessed with them! I dont know if my obsession these past few days with them is unhealthy but it definitely borders on the insane. If you asked me what I love about them I wouldn't know where to start. Their versatility, their changeability, their functionality. The fact that you can place and replace pictures to your hearts content without turning your walls into Swiss cheese makes my comitt-aphobic soul sing.

And lets not even mention that once they're hung you never have to worry if another picture arrangement is level as long as you shall live! Lastly, I like being able to placee different seasonal found objects like topiaries, woodenships and letters!

Being a copycat, I had to scour the internet for some inspiration. Of course it was Pottery Barn that had exactly what my minds eye was picturing.

So here are a few that have caught my eye:

I love the simplicity and the track lighting of this art ledge from Pottery Barn.

DIY design inspiration at its best!

And how cute is this little office?

So, Where have you used art ledges? I'd love to know. Be on the lookout in the following posts for an upcoming copycat and how I use photo ledges in my own home.

xoxoxo,

January Copycat: Pottery Barn inspired winter mantlescape

I do enjoy the de-cluttered feeling that is left after all the Christmas decorations are taken down and put away. (This year I even managed to take it down by Dec 31. Which is a triumph over last years Christmas/Valentine's Day decor fiasco...) Yet after all the clutter is gone the house feels Stark and naked. My mantle is the first thing a person sees when they walk into my canyon home. It sets the tone and makes the first impression and it just seemed so, well, naked. I want to do something that reminds you of winter but not the holidays so I decided this month's copycat would be a winter mantle scape.

After searching the kingdom over for inspiration, my heart lept for joy when I found this beautiful Pottery Barn winter mantle scape:

Isn't it stunning? I love the layers, the mix of metals and winter white and the warm glow from the candles. There is just one problem- the eggs. I dont like them and they are deffintely spring not winter so I'll have to winterize it and make it my own. I also have a new years resolution that applies to this project. Mr Copycat and I have resolved to be better with our money this year so all Copycats big and small can enjoy more things together as a family. For me, that means a few less shopping trips and re purposing and reusing design items I already have to create my design visions for as little money as possible.
Lets take a look at the design elements from a copycat perspective:


So with my new year's resolutions on my mind and a list made from the items shown above, I set out to find the items I needed hidden in my house and buried in my garage.

I found everything I needed. A few years ago I had bought a twig candelabra that I just adored and painted it white. That will be my centerpiece. I also found a few candlestick holders- white wood, glass and pewter at garage sales and have used them all over my house. I also unburied a few apothecary jars and borrowed a few battery operated candles from my bedroom. As for the nature elements, I just nabbed a few twigs lying around beneath the oak tree in my back yard and tied it all together using a few pages out of an old book. Here's how it turned out:


And I put together a collage of my favorite parts:


Here's a side by side comparison:


I am so happy with my January Pottery barn inspired mantlescape and how it turned out and am now writing my post by its warm, wintry glow.

Shamful Admission

I have something I need to admit. So, I'm going to admit it- right from the start and get it off my chest. I am not a creative person. *sigh of relief* There I said it. People may say I am but I am not. "But" you say, "you have so many creative things in your home. You design. You invent. How can you not be creative?" The answer is simple: I am a copycat. I spend hours online googling design blogs and other sites like pottery barn and restoration hardware and I store images I love from places like country home and better homes and gardens. The ones that make my heart sing, I deconstruct, tweak and copy. That's it. So, now that my dark secret is revealed I am now free to share with you the tips, tricks and tools of the copycat's trade (which, coincidentally, is exactly what this blog is all about.)

In the posts that are to follow I am going to attempt to share with you my decorating journey of turning the bare walls, naked windows, over-crowded and cluttered spaces into a beautiful, peaceful, and cozy home.

The posts may be infrequent, as having 4 kids at home can run me in 30 bazillion (ask my kids, its a number) different directions but I promise, when I do post, it will be informative, inspirational and insightful.

Copycat defined

When design is involved a copycat is one who imitates high end design studios and upscale decor on a shoestring budget, fabulously.