It Can Look Like Ballard's!

I love Ballard Designs. There are items I order from Ballard Designs. But not many. Mostly, I just copy them. If you are blessed, as I am, to have not only a Michael's and a Kirklands, but a Michael's, Kirklands AND a Hobby Lobby, you can recreate any page in the Ballard catalog. Take for instance, the above console. I love it! You can find it at Kirkland's for at least, depending on the sale that week, $1000 less than the one shown above. The one at Kirklands is a bit shorter but you have the choice of a distressed black or a deep distressed red. Gorgeous. Functional. Cheap. CheapER.

The next idea I've shown before, when I was featuring other blogs. This is in the Ballard Design catalog. Yeah, you have to buy it. Old books with the cover torn off, tied with string. MaKe iT. It's cheaper!

Who doesn't love to see flowering trees and shrubs this time of year?! You can buy these at BD, too, but guess what?! I got 5 stems at Hobby Lobby for $1.99 a piece on sale! And they had yellow forsythia if you like the yellow color.

I took a tall skinny candle holder, put some sand and rocks in it, and told Mr. Hood NOT to water them. (The small lamp may not be staying there. I like the light during the evening hours, but during the day it looks a bit busy to me. What do you think? Should I move the lamp out?)

I haven't seen them in Kirkland's lately but we bought a huge square faux tufted leather ottoman for less than $100 two years ago.  Still have it, still looks good as new, still love it. One of my girlfriends was looking for a table to go between her two sofas, so guess who drove her to Kirklands?! Muah. She chose this one and stores her soft coverlets for those nights you need something fuzzy to snuggle up in.

Pictures. Have you noticed how much money you can spend on one framed picture?! Good 'ole Kirklands. Good 'ole Hobby Lobby.  Now, you have to wait for HB to have their framed pics at 50%, but that happens at least once a month.  They are still a bit pricier than Kirkland's but I shop both stores.

Just be careful when you go to spend hard earned money on sets such as this.  There are blogs, like The Feathered Nest and The Graphics Fairy, that love to give away free prints! Wally World sells frames like this for $2. HELLO?! Betcha could find a matching mat while you're at it. Oh, and while I've got The Graphics Fairy on my mind, she also gives out free backgrounds for your blog! You can find her in the list on the lower right hand side of my blog under 'Dress Your Blog'.

Think how easy this would be to go through the aisles at Michael's and Hobby Lobby, choose nine of your favorite scrapbook papers, grab nine small canvases, some spray adhesive and you're set to go. And saved a bundle of money.Notice how they didn't hang one of the corner squares. They've propped it. Cute!

It's this size framed art that I look for at Kirklands and Hobby Lobby. OR grab some paints, a plate, two brushes (one to use, one to hold in your teeth), a spray bottle of water, and 'paint, brush, and spray' like David Bromstad on HGTV. He AmAZeS me with the way he whips out a painting. He laughs a lot, too. Maybe that's another reason I like to watch him.

His theory? "Just take off with an idea. You can always paint over it." I've held that theory for years.