Cheerful Frugality, Catalogued
Do you groan when another new catalog arrives, all fresh and smooth and irresistibly styled?
I do. There's nothing like the latest issue of Pottery Barn to make your homey surroundings seem dull.
That is, until you learn to use free catalogs as a resource. This is Frugal Hacks you're reading! Pull out your November/Holiday Pottery Barn, pour a cup of coffee, and let's see what inspires us.
(p. 7) Large frames. Do you have any old pictures you can tuck among the branches of the Christmas tree? SAVINGS: $29 a frame.
(p. 9) Aluminum reindeer. See how Vicky hacked her own with backyard twigs. Spray paint bronze or silver for contemporary look. SAVINGS: $64 for every 3 reindeer.
(p. 11) Silk magnolia wreath. Real magnolia leaves dry beautifully. Staple to a cardboard ring. Gild with spray paint. SAVINGS: $69 a wreath.
(p. 15) Paper party cones. Roll your own and tie to backs of chairs. SAVINGS: $0. This is one of the handcrafted details that makes PB furniture look better in the catalog than it does in a generic apartment.
(p. 16) Paper stars suspended over party tables. If you don't have a chandelier, these make a festive substitute. Fold your own 3-D snowflakes or lantern-size stars. SAVINGS: $24 for 3.
(p. 18) Vases with twig and birch. Why not tie bark around your own jars instead? Monica even used Coke cans. SAVINGS: $29 vase plus $8 birch sleeve.
(p. 23) Chairs painted white or red. Copy this unexpected color on super-shiny Queen Anne chairs from the '80s. Never look back. SAVINGS: $249 per chair.
(p. 28) Rolled paper wreaths. Recycle ruined books or old sheet music into incredible gifts. SAVINGS: $0, another style prop too unique for the PB manufacturing machine.
(p. 35) Door swag. If you can't make a wreath, you can make this. A bundle of white sticks, a clump of greens, a red ribbon. SAVINGS: $0. Again, the best things in the catalog are not for sale. See also: firewood decoratively arranged in front door pots.
(p. 63) Antler, pomegranate and pheasant collection. Does your husband hunt? Set the ultimate Thanksgiving table with his trophies as a centerpiece. At least the ones without eyes. SAVINGS: $39 for antler candlesticks, $24 for 5 feathers.
I've only skimmed the first few pages, but I could go on and on! This type of brainstorming will bring out your creativity.
There's nothing wrong with ordering from the catalog--if you have the money. Some items, like the paper stars, are not a bad buy when you consider the time and materials cost. But if you don't have the budget? Be glad! You can imitate the originals for much, much less.
- Note the color trends. (LOVE the red chairs.)
- Study the shapes and forms of furniture. (Hello, yard sales!)
- Examine painted finishes. (Antique black is easy to copy.)
- Pay attention to hardware. (Light fixtures and handles can be painted at home.)
Now for your assignment! Give us your best Pottery Barn frugal hack. Flip through this season's catalog, find something you like, and tell us how you could get the same look for less. I can't wait to see what you come up with!
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45 Responses to “Cheerful Frugality, Catalogued”
October 22nd, 2007 at 5:06 am
Great ideas! I especially like the paper stars-although I may not have time to get to them this year. . . .
Big plans, not enough time. I know you know how that is!!
October 22nd, 2007 at 6:24 am
Love these ideas! I’ve already marked my catalog (yes, the very same one) with ideas I wanted to copy. Now you’ve given me the ways to implement the ideas!
October 22nd, 2007 at 6:27 am
What fun! My husband jokes that I shouldn’t be allowed to read the Crate & Barrel catalog because there are so many things I like. Now I’ll be looking at it a little differently!
October 22nd, 2007 at 6:46 am
LOVE IT!
Thanks Meredith.
October 22nd, 2007 at 6:57 am
[...] Meredith of Like Merchant Ships has a great post at Frugal Hacks for all of us who secretly love the Pottery Barn catalogue even as we cringe at the prices. I do [...]
October 22nd, 2007 at 7:31 am
I was trying to figure out how they made those rolled paper wreaths when you noted them here, Meredith! I agree, the items NOT for sale really make the interiors. While touring a Southern Living Design Home this summer noticed a similar project using folded pages of an antique book.
This Christmas, no Pottery Barn inspiration, but I am copying a stocking from Sturbridge Yankee catalog: http://www.sturbridgeyankee.com/DetailsList.cfm/ID,10245918
Found a lime-green striped sweater at a yard sale, and a damaged red polar-fleece vest to line it with.
deb meyers
October 22nd, 2007 at 7:43 am
I do not get the Pottery Barn catalog, mainly because I could not afford anything in it. However, after reading this post I went and requested one. Even if I cannot afford what is instide the actual magazine, it will help give me great ideas for decorating!! ;0) I will let you know if there’s anything I see that I can do on the ‘frugal’. ;0)
I also love the reindeer idea. We live on a mini farm with 6.0 acres of land with lots of woods. We definatlty have the sticks to make those cute critters. ;0)
October 22nd, 2007 at 7:45 am
I loved your idea of looking through the catalog for ideas…I do it all the time with catalogs and magazines, then head out to the yard sales, dollar stores, and my garage to turn those finds into the latest decorating trends.
Keep up the good work!
October 22nd, 2007 at 8:47 am
LOVE THIS POST! You are wonderful, Meredith! I adore the items in the catalog, but could never afford them. These give me some great ideas for ways to decorate for the holidays.
You rock!
October 22nd, 2007 at 8:52 am
Thank you for the resourceful ideas. My husband hunts both pheasant and deer and would be thrilled if I displayed some of his well-earned feather collection! (We do have a large vase that contains all of them, but it’s not in a very prominent place) =)
October 22nd, 2007 at 10:20 am
Great post Meredith!! I was loving this particular catalog. One year I used antlers and feathers in a wreath that I made before it was PBChic. I loved the woodsy undertones in some of the pages. And why would someone pay $15 a yard for red ticking when you can get it at W Mart for under $4?
Thanks for this post!!
Elise
October 22nd, 2007 at 10:22 am
Oh, I forgot to add that I almost like the PBKids more than the regular PB catalog. Lots of great inspiration in there. Its a shame that some people lack the creativity to fix a thrifted piece rather than buy brand new. What a waste of money…
Elise
October 22nd, 2007 at 11:38 am
I noticed that those beautiful red chairs said they were stained rather than painted. I would really like to do the stain, but need a little help. Could anyone give me directions, product to use, and tell me if I should first strip my chairs?
Great post!!!
October 22nd, 2007 at 1:00 pm
I recall reading somewhere not too long ago that the Pottery Barn catalog is considered by many in the design field to be the most influential decorating “manual” – so much so that its success prompted the company to release actual design and decorating books (comprised of not much more than reprinted photos from the catalogs!)
October 22nd, 2007 at 1:25 pm
great ideas!! I already threw away mine but I love the brainstorming. It may even inspire me to do something.
October 22nd, 2007 at 3:14 pm
http://www.potterybarn.com/products/p9564/index.cfm?pkey=cbabplw&cm%5Fsrc=hero
These would be super-easy and inexpensive to replicate. Even if you don’t have the time, patience or skill to do the embroidery, you could use paint and stencils. You could even do the words on pillow covers so you could use the pillows the rest of the year with some other design. Plus, if you do it yourself you won’t have to forego “peace.”
October 22nd, 2007 at 3:18 pm
how do you think they attached the rolled papers for the wreath?? recycling day is tomorrow and I’m going out to dig out all the colorful catalogues!
October 22nd, 2007 at 5:33 pm
Lets see, I hung my childhood chalk board by the kitchen. That was pretty pb. I have also wrapped those $1 religious candles in birch like scrapbook paper and tied with twine to make pb stlye candles. I have also used cake stands and candles for a center piece which seems sort of pb.
October 22nd, 2007 at 7:30 pm
I don’t have the current Pottery Barn catalog, but a couple of months ago I received one that depicted wine corks arranged in frames and hung as wall accents. We’d purchased a frame for a similar project at Bargain Barn (which is just exactly what it sounds like!) and mostly filled it with corks a couple of years ago – but seeing it in the Pottery Barn catalog gave me “permission” to display our cork collection on top of my (garage sale) china cabinet. A shallow shadow box frame would work for this, as well.
Pottery Barn has also inspired me to paint old photo frames for a more cohesive looking photo display.
My two most recent PB brand items came from Ebay and Craigslist! Having looked at the furniture at a PB outlet store, I’d be afraid to order anything from the catalog lest it show up in pieces.
October 22nd, 2007 at 8:30 pm
THIS is the *most* fun site……terrific ideas and your enthusiasm will spark more wonderful ideas!
RE: Marsha’s comment about PB catalogue being very influential….
We-e-l-l-l now,…has anybody else ever noticed that T**get stores look uncannily like a PB catalogue the following year? (Remember last Christmas with the wonderful T**get decorations by the Dutch decorator?) I say give them a year and the emphasis of PB will be seen at T**get.
October 22nd, 2007 at 9:55 pm
I don’t get that catalogue, but I often hold onto a few catalogues.
Its fun to sit with them some evenings and plan out a large shopping purchase. Then to tuck the wish list into the catalogue.
Later on in the week place that catalogue back into the pile. Eventually place it into recycling…
Cost? none.
Enjoyment? lots…
My children do this too! Works out great. Gives me ideas of what they like and helps me plan for things I can make for them. Again, cost, none; enjoyment, lots!
October 23rd, 2007 at 4:41 am
Love this post! I always love getting ideas from the PB catalog, but I appreciate how practical you are in making ideas turn into reality. Now you’ve got my wheels spinning…
October 23rd, 2007 at 10:00 am
[...] decorating on a budget (either by choice or necessity)? Meredith has a terrific post over at Frugal Hacks this week about using catalogs as inspiration. (Be sure to read the comments, too, for [...]
October 23rd, 2007 at 12:51 pm
Did you see the wreaths on page 26? A discarded book or inexpensive book could yield lots of pages to simply and easily create this look.
I love all of your ideas! And, am sitting at the table now – making my Christmas envelopes out of the pages of the catalog!
October 23rd, 2007 at 6:02 pm
I love this! It’s so inspiring for me to see others who peruse the pages wondering just how they can achieve a certain look without breaking the bank.
October 23rd, 2007 at 8:36 pm
Roberta–I love your strategy and attitude!
Wow! I am so excited by the response to this post. I’m glad I’m not the only one who feels this way about pricey catalogs.
In fact, I’m going to be flipping through the rest of the catalog tonight and posting a few more “hacks” on my own blog.
October 24th, 2007 at 7:44 am
I do the same basic thing with clothing cataglogs. I look through to see if I can make the same or similar outfits with what I already have in the closet or by buying l thing.
October 24th, 2007 at 9:36 am
Okay, so I was looking at the online catalog and came across “Twinkle Pinecone Filler.” I believe it was either $8 or $14.
Go into the backyard and pick up the cones on your ground. White glue and glitter are standard in our craft stuff. Either that or glitter glue. Final cost: $0 — ZERO! I am NOT paying $8 plus shipping for something I can make (and have more fun doing) for FREE!
Hugs,
Melinda
October 24th, 2007 at 4:33 pm
These are GREAT! I love the PB look but hate the $! Thanks for your helpful analysis ….
October 24th, 2007 at 8:55 pm
working on making the folding page wreath! let you know when i get it
October 25th, 2007 at 7:54 am
I received a PB gift certificate as a teacher-appreciation gift a few years ago, and was so excited. I waited months and months to decide exactly what I wanted and was so happy when I brought home my new vases and mirror. Then, the next fall, saw BOTH of them in the IKEA catalog (and we won’t even talk about the price difference). So, for those things you CAN’T make (like a vase!) don’t forget to look for knock-offs at IKEA, Target, etc.
October 25th, 2007 at 10:04 am
This by far is one my favorite posts!
For my favorite PB hack is just like Meredith said, antique black on furniture can make a huge difference. I found a very rounded modern china hutch at a yard sale for $50. Now with some used hardware and antique black paint…..it looks like it came right out of the PB catalog!
Another big paint color for furniture I have read for next year will be chocolate brown, yum!
God Bless,
Michele
October 25th, 2007 at 1:26 pm
What a great site! So many lovely ideas…
Have you ladies seen the Christmas LLB**n catalogue with a gift basket filled with a few small logs and some pine cones dipped in melted candle wax? They are selling for over 40 dollars!!
Hmmn… that wouldn’t take long to put together; but just who would a country girl give such a basket to? Our firewood arrives in the tractor not a pretty little basket! I must take a look at the PB catalogue you all recommend. Thanks for the ideas, Gill.
October 26th, 2007 at 10:48 am
Ok, so I got my ideas from Land of Nod and Pottery barn kids…but here they are:
I found a toy box that looked like an old feed bin in the Land of Nod Catalog…I showed it to my husband and he went outside and started measuring the 3 pieces of MDF we had lying around in the garage from another project. He promptly built my gorgeous, GORGEOUS toy box in an even larger scale. it is amazing! Then I was looking through the Pottery Barn Kids magazine and decided I LOVED the paper roll on the wall for kids to draw on. I showed it to my husband and we got busy, we already had the dowel rod as well as the hangers to hang it. All we had to purchase were end piees which were approx. 4 dollars apiece. We painted the whole thing (had paper from a friend of ours) and put it on the wall. I was a little nervous about pencil on the wall itself (digging through the paper) so I asked hubby to build a white board framed in and that cost approximately 10 dollars. All told, these two projects were less than 50 dollars including paint.
October 30th, 2007 at 2:02 pm
What great ideas! Last year, on the front of a catalog I always get but can never afford to order from, the Christmas tree had beautiful ribbons cascading down it. The catalog wanted to sell the ribbon and the matching ornaments for some outrageous price. The next time I went to the craft store I bought a roll of glittery ribbon that matched the colors of my home and went home and added it to the tree. My hubby says it was a wonderful idea. Easy! I love looking at catalogs, mostly just to see how I can do what they did for less. I think I will be returning to this website often!
October 31st, 2007 at 6:18 am
I do this with clothing catalogs like Toast, JCrew and other places I can’t afford to shop.
Keep a file of clippings of looks you like – then copy by examining your closet – fill in holes by scouring thrift shops or by sewing.
November 1st, 2007 at 2:43 pm
[...] a less expensive way. I found a great website for that yesterday called the the Frugal Hack. This post in particular is exactly what I am talking about. Check it out! I will be adding more websites such [...]
November 11th, 2007 at 10:35 am
Love this site!! My sister has been bringing her PB catalog to T****t for years. She literally turns to a page and find the same exact thing for half the cost. She often gets compliments on how beautiful her home is. No one would ever know it is no the real thing!!!
November 13th, 2007 at 5:57 pm
did anyone figure out how to adhere the rolled paper wreath….:) thank so much
m
November 26th, 2007 at 4:05 pm
I love your ideas- but, um (blushing) I did not even know Pottery Barn had a catalog until I read this post.
April 21st, 2008 at 9:17 am
[...] EDIT: Amelia over at http://www.theamelia.com reminded me where I’d seen a similar post about using the catalog for inspiration then finding a cheaper alternative. It was over at FrugalHacks.Com [...]
April 21st, 2008 at 9:27 am
Hi, I was so inspired – I do love to look at the Pottery Barn and other catalogs. I made an entertainment credenza like theirs for $10 – The Pottery Barn one is $799! I’m sure it’s well built. However, if you’re on a really tight budget for
“new” furniture, and you’re just going for the same “look” then why not just find a cheaper alternative? It was a fun project, too.
September 18th, 2008 at 8:29 am
I love this post. So many people spend effort in avoiding the things they can’t afford, and I really like the idea of simply using them as inspiration. Inspiration plus ingenuity can save a lot of money! Here is a site that has the same idea: http://pblookalikes.blogspot.com/
September 28th, 2008 at 8:50 am
I wanted to share a money saving tip – I’m able to recreate a lot of bottery barn decor accessories by visiting the local dollar store. Sometimes I go in and can find nothing, other times I’ve purchased the dark large metal and glass lanterns, silver framed mirrors, old antique looking floral and bird prints, on and on. I’d like to share more with you in the future and hear from other’s as well. Pottery Barn is my decorating bible. Thank You
October 9th, 2008 at 4:02 am
[...] Pottery Barn catalog spread, but use those forms of eye candy to generate some ideas (I love Meredith’s inspired ideas from the coveted store’s catalog photos). Most professional decorating ideas can be done [...]
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