Doing it Yourself - My Attempt to Save $399

What would you do with bunches of money?  With Mega Millions fervor sweeping my little city all last week, I knew without hesitation what my first stop would be - Brocade Home, of course!

I have pined for virtually everything from their shop since the beginning of time - that glossy wooden chair for my computer desk?  Yes, please!  Those achingly gorgeous damask stools?  No doubt about it.

But the one item I've truly yearned for is their lace pattern wall art.  A laser cut, delicate dream, just perfect for a fanciful headboard.

The only catch?  $399 big ones.

Luckily, after hours spent sniffing out a thrifty alternative, my friend came upon an inventive solution - do-it-yourself rubber mat wall art!

We quickly took to the world wide web, and scored the perfect pieces to attempt to make our very own budget friendly versions.

I ended up with two sets - some rubber scroll doormats for the living room, and a set of three fleur-de-lis mats to liven up my bedroom.



Having an absolute dearth of arts and crafts projects since my school days (save adding some fun, vintage fabric to an Ikea frame for the hallway; well, if that can even be called 'crafty'), I was a little skeptical - could this really turn out as stylish and lux...but for less?

With some antique gold paint and a dollar store shower liner in tow, we began our great painting experiment!  I scooped up a can of Design Master Metallics quick drying goodness, so the mats really only needed a fast single coat, front and back, for that heirloom finish I so craved.  My friend, on the other hand, wanted hers to look more uniform, so she did a few coats to even out the color.

And the results?

Dazzling, unique pieces for the cost of a can of spray paint and a few bargain mats!

The fleur-de-lis pieces are now set up as a headboard in our master bedroom, while the scroll doormats found a home in our living room between two sconces.

For such minimal effort, and with a time clocking in at less than an hour (depending on amount of coats per mat), it's a total no-brainer. And such a rich look while saving hundreds to boot.  I couldn't be more over-the-moon giddy about our new decor, and the nostalgic fun I had getting back to my crafty roots makes me curious to go on ever more complex DIY adventures in the future.  Pinterest, look out!

Proving, as always, chic just doesn't have to be costly.

Lace pattern wall art, Brocadehome.com

Kempf rubber scroll doormat, Amazon.com

Fleur-de-lis recycled step mats, Overstock.com

Brocade picture frame, Ikea.com

Design Master Metallics antique gold spray paint, Amazon.com

Rubber door mat wall art, Salvagedior.blogspot.com