Frugal Friday DIY Finial
Finial: Architecture. a relatively small, ornamental, terminal feature at the top of a gable, pinnacle, etc.
I have had finials on my mind lately.. strange huh? Yesterday my friend told me she had
never heard the term. Do you ever find yourself saying a word and every time you say
it you grow more certain that it is the wrong word? That’s what I did with finial – but I looked it up
and my faith in my vocabulary was restored. Thank goodness.
So, yesterday I posted about my family room that I am wanting to redo.
Lately I have been really drawn to architectural details and white/off white things.
(Do I lead an exciting life or what!) And I started thinking about how I want my family room
to have a kind of Old World/Den/Study look – and I realized how cute some of
those finials would be in there. Then, my crack-alog – opps, I mean catalog from Pottery Barn came.
And once again I asked myself why I thought it was such a good idea to have it sent to me!!
I do love all of their stuff – thats the problem! I have Fillet Mignon taste and a hot dog budget!
I was looking through it and found a picture of the type of things I would like for my room.
Oh so pretty! So I looked around the house at what I already have that I could
transform into something like this. Here is what I can up with -
I got these at the Thrift Store awhile back – guess how much I payed for them?
Dang you’re good!
So – they are ugly – southwestern style. I apologize to anyone who loves that style – I just didn’t like the kitschy commercialized form of it. Aka these pillars. So I pulled out my trusty
Rust-oleum Heirloom White spray paint and went at it!
Turns out my pillar had a lot more texture on it than I thought it did. It was kind of hard to cover.
I stopped at the building supply store a block away from where I work, certain they
would have a finial of some sort that I could put on top of this. The selection
was severely limited! I did find a plastic fence post top, and I figured I would make
it work. I also purchased a wood square to put on the bottom.
I threw all these things together, sprayed with a few shots of heirloom white, to see what I could come up with.
(I added the glass holder as a “plan B” option)
I tried putting everything together and ran into a problem -
This is round
And this is square….
I knew that when I bought it – I just thought the square would fit over the round..
Not so much-
Wow – stunning huh? Have I amazed you with my incredible crafting ability?
This is where Plan B comes in –
Susie Harris – one of my favorite bloggers- did a post yesterday about Plan B
You really should go read it here. I really loved it, and thought about it when this plan went awry.
So – allow me to present – the finished product!
So Plan B gave me two projects instead of one! I really like what I ended up with, and it reminds me to not give up until you are sure you have looked at all sides of an issue – good life lesson from a craft project huh! Thanks for stopping by!
Also take a look at The Shabby Chic Cottage Transformation Thursday
Be sure to check out Life As Mom for more Frugal Friday posts!
And try A Soft Place To Land for DIY Day!
And one more! Check out show and tell Friday at My Romantic Home!
The Lumberjack's Wife
853 days ago
I have never heard of a finial. Look at you in all your craftiness! Amazing!
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Kirsty
853 days ago
I love it! You did a great job! Thanks for visiting today! I have lots and lots of plan b’s too.
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Jan
853 days ago
Looks great – love the pebbles!
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Paige
852 days ago
Wow! Those look great. Just stopping by your blog to say hello. Hope you have a great weekend!
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Allison
852 days ago
LOVE that! I can’t wait to start diving into the antique stores around my house next spring…
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Alyssa~Olde Common Scents
852 days ago
Hi There!
I happened upon your blog. You’re too funny! I looked at your living room photos and you have so many positives there! I love the built in bookshelves, but yes the wallpaper has to go. Isn’t funny how we do things and say what the heck were we thinking that looked good? Anywhoo, joined your blog. Like your ideas. Hope you stop by http://www.oldecommoncandles.blogspot.com
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Anonymous
851 days ago
Nice! Looks so sweet with the rest of your home!
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prior
850 days ago
very clever, love the finish on finial… Lezlee
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lduen
845 days ago
First, wall border must go. Start there with your room. the book shelves, paint the insides of the shelves a color. Then books, take what your like and put in baskets. Use a few books and lay on side and put a small knick knack on them. Too many lamp tables by the chairs . Need walking space. You want your room inviting, so when you walk into it, you want to grab a book and cuddle up with your favorite throw, light the fireplace and enjoy! Less is more. If there is electricity by the seating window, I would put lighting on each side of the wall, small lighting. It will give a person another place to hang out and read. Curtain on window seat too dark, go with more of a soft gold. On line you can get some really good deals on drapes. Add the colors to your furniture so it is not all dark colors. Find three colors you like. Rich and inviting colors. Your off to a good start! You have a room you want to put your creative touch to, you can do it! Show us your finished project!
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paws
839 days ago
The room looks great! FWIW…I do have to add though that I have those same fence posts tops on the little fence around my back patio. Just not feelin’ it as a decorative piece as is – pvc a bit to obvious for my taste.
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Wanda Owensby
836 days ago
Very creative. I also love the idea of using the doormat for wall art. I too love the items at Pottery Barn but not the prices. I can’t find the Heirloom White spray paint any more. It was the perfect shade of off white for all my shabby chic projects. Is it still available in your area?
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Lori Adams Rawls
479 days ago
where do you purchase your spray paint the Heriloom white….I can’t find it anywhere in Monroe, LA
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