Silhouette Knockoffs

When I bought the shelves for the living room last Friday, I had a pretty good idea of what I wanted to go on them. One must was a Westie silhouette picture – to embrace my black and white theme to the fullest.

Fast forward to today, and I noticed one on OKL's vendors is selling this:

Compare that to what I made in about 5 minutes for free:

Sure mine isn't a silk screen, but I'm pretty sure that I still win. :)

What I did for free art:
1. Searched Google images for Westie silhouette images
2. Put the file into Illustrator
3. Do a "live trace" – this also allows you to alter the image to your liking and expand it to any size necessary without distorting the image.
4. Then I added a 1-point border around the image
5. Printed it out on a standard inkjet printer
6. Then I put it in a black frame I wasn't using

And yes, if you hadn't already noticed from my bedroom – I really like silhouettes and I really like my Westies.
How I made silhouettes on canvases for the price of the canvas:
1. Searched Google images for Westie silhouette images
2. Put the file into Illustrator
3. Do a live trace (If you do not have Illustrator, just find an image of whatever you are going to silhouette the size you need it to be – it doesn't have to be exact)
4. Print it out and cut out the image
5. Trace the image onto a thicker piece of cardstock
6. Once the image is traced, this is where you can alter the image (I altered my image to look more like my dogs)
7. Cut out the cardstock image
8. Paint the canvas(es) the desired color
9. Trace the cardstock image onto the canvas and then paint it
10. If you want a border, use painters tape

A Candleholder Knockoff

While I received a lot of compliments about my buffet renovation – I received quite a bit of interest in the candleholder above it.

The circuit wall candleholder is from Crate & Barrel with a price tag of $149. While that price is steep to me, a wonderful friend thought it was the perfect wedding present (thank you, Dominic).

Today, I was in my new favorite store though and found a knock off of similar size for almost half the price. This is the collage sconce from Z Gallerie, and for only $79.95 it's an amazing price and still has a nice brand name – you can't beat that.

While the frames are thicker in the Z Gallerie version, and several squares are a different size – that's basically the only difference. Not only are the number of squares the same in both, but the placement of squares as well as candleholders are identical.

A deal for today

I usually avoid all things Wal-Mart, but I thought this sofa table was too good not to post about. I love the lines and style of this piece. It looks like something from Pottery Barn, but with an $89 price tag. That's right, $89. And the reviews for it are really good.

If I didn't already have 2 sofa tables I have no idea what to do with in the new house, I would so add a third.

End table needed

So I love this style of end table from Crate & Barrel. Unfortunately, they only offer it in this espresso color, and I am not paying $199 for an end table I will end up having to paint.

After several months of searching, I think I found a great substitute from the C&B table that is not only in black, but is a fraction of the price. Believe it or not, this end table is actually from Wal-Mart and it's on sale for $49.38. Now that is a price I definitely approve of.