A Few Inspirations and Their Looks for Less

I got the Pottery Barn catalog in the mail a while back, and began perusing it.  For some reason, I have been on a "hosting" kick lately--kind of loving all things related to tablescapes, dinner parties, linens, and kitchen.  I kinda started crushing on this ridiculously expensive set of salt and pepper shakers I found in the Pottery Barn catalog (let's be honest, I would have a hard time spending $40 on a small set of dishes, so a set of salt and pepper shakers is out of the question for this thrifty girl!).  But I also remembered seeing this adorable set at Target, for a mere $2.99...now that I can work with!  And if owls aren't your thing, I also really liked these other little creature sets from Target (here and here).

I also fell in love with Naomi's pom pom Anthropologie table runner she used at her Thanksgiving dinner (I couldn't find the image on their website, they must be sold out, however I have a sneaking suspicion that it is out of my budget), but it comes from the Nomades Table Linen collection.  I found this knock-off tutorial on the blog "At Home on the Bay", and plan on trying it!  I don't think it would be very hard to replicate, and would go with a lot of tablescapes.

I also needed to make stockings for our little family this year.  Our old ones were not looking so great, Landon still didn't have one and I know that we will for sure have a fourth member of the family by next Christmas :) Pottery Barn also had some beautiful faux fur stockings, and I was also inspired by some that I found on Pinterest.  So for less than the cost of 1 Pottery Barn stocking, I whipped up 4 new ones for my fireplace.  I borrowed a stocking pattern from a friend, because I loved the size of hers.  What really makes these different than any standard stocking, is the heavier and textured upholstery fabric and faux fur cuff.  They are made the same way you'd do any other one!  I used pom-pom trim for my loops, so much simpler than trying to make my own faux fur pom pom, but you still get the same look.  If you are in need of some new stockings, maybe this will inspire you!  They are a project you can whip up in an evening or two.

Have you found anything lately that you can replicate or find elsewhere for less?  I want to hear!  It's always fun to find or make an affordable alternative!