Invitations! For $2.49...

Thanks to the Graphics Fairy (yet again) and a thrift store find of a brand new make-your-own greeting card kit, I was able to make great invitations with matching envelopes and inserts for about two dollars and fifty cents.  Really nice heavy paper made these look very "real" and I rounded the corners by hand using a nickel to trace a curve.  The cutting was easy and just took a few minutes.

...More Cool Free and Low Cost Stuff

It has been a kind of cool week in terms of getting my hands on free stuff.  I was able to get a free dining table with three additional leaves from Craigslist.  The guy threw in two wooden chairs, one very much an antique.  He also gave me a globe on a fantastic metal stand.  The globe is in sorry state...it is coming apart but based on countries on the map it is pre-1948....I was super excited about that one!  Then I scored ten brand new silk pillow covers from Goodwill for a dollar a piece.  I am going to use these for chair covers because I realize that recovering all the chair before the party just may not happen:  Here are the newest finds (although I don't have pictures of the two wooden chairs):

 

 

 

I also had scored last year a nearly complete set of china for 12 on craigslist for $20!  I couldn't believe it.  I went to pick some piece sup and the gentleman said "we found some other boxes do you want those?"  Of course I did!  There were additional pieces, 14 tea cups and nearly all the pieces were perfect.  There are some with a chip here or there but who is complain for what amounted to about .25 cents a piece....

 

 

I then found the matching gravy boat on Ebay for $2.99...how could I resist!!

 

 



"Grandfather Clock" Project

This is another project based on free found stuff.  The clock was part of a series of items that I received free.  It works, and I was inspired to do something but didn't want to spend a lot of money.  I stumbled onto metal shelf brackets on clearance at target.  One package had only a single bracket and I negotiated for it.  I ended up getting the brackets for about $2 each.  That along with scrap lumber we had, paint already in the garage as well as miscellaneous trim I am making an  inexpensive prop standing grandfather clock....kind of not really...but it will be standing.  This is still in progress and needs a paint finish.  The colour right now is just a base coat:

Painting the Lighting Fixture

I had found new on Craigslist (still in the box) this chandelier.  It was seriously cheap, only a few bucks.  The guy had several.  He had been in the business of setting up department store displays and often used them as props.  A couple coats of copper paint and a little misting with a dark bronze it is begging to take shape.

I will wire it to work with a plug (will share more later) and sew a fabric casing for the chain to cover it.  Here are the pics: