Friday, January 13, 2012

Seeking Treasure

I've always been a scavenger of sorts- a huge believer in the old adage that "one man's trash is another man's treasure". Contrary to what some people may believe, there is nothing socially wrong or hygienically unsafe about buying "pre-loved" items. I have grown to love my little collections of cast off art, home decor, glassware, boardgames and even clothing. I'm not ashamed that they know me by my name at Goodwill and that yard sale season is something I look forward to almost as much as a vacation.

Lucky for me that I've adopted this thrifty past time because my daughter is getting married in May- and we are on a mission that restrains our budget. Yet, it is so  gratifying to me that limited finances also stretch our imaginations. We think outside the box. We create without fear. We learn to grasp the unusual and the unique and hopefully turn them into enchanting.

I spent the day with my daughter, gathering ideas from second-hand stores and consignment shops. We accomplished quite a bit in a few hours- and stayed in our little town. It makes us wonder what other treasures are to be found outside the city limits. Happily, we're going to discover that on Monday's shopping trip.

If you haven't taken a look at Pinterest, you are missing out on a virtual scrapbook of inspiration and dreams. It allows people from all over to "pin" photos of ideas or favorite things to the Pinterest board. And it usually links back to the original source. I have found that this offers unlimited volumes of amazing projects and I'm utilizing dozens of  the creative ideas for the wedding.

I'm fortunate that the "country rustic" /casual bohemian style" is quite popular now, for it makes a great canvas for thrifty, homemade and budget items. Don't get me wrong- I'm not trying to be a cheapskate- and I don't think my daughter thinks I am, either. She just wants a beautiful, unique wedding- and I hope it all comes together on her special day.

I would post pictures of our treasures, but I'm going to wait till after the wedding. We're keeping track of the money spent, and she suggested that I might do a blog about budget weddings. We'll see how it all turns out first...but we have high hopes.

Have a great weekend, friends!

3 comments:

  1. Big fan of garage sales and thrift stores.

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  2. You will find some of the most amazing ideas! Erin is lucky to have such a talented and crafty Mom. Great idea, Erin has, of writing a blog and yes, it will be interesting, to keep tabs of the cost and lots of great pictures!

    Have fun treasure hunting!

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  3. I am so envious of those who can create beautiful things from the every day. It truly is a gift.

    If I could do it all over again, that's the way I would have it. Homemade. Simple. filled with grace. My wedding was big and I had a lot of stress planning it. I tell my girls all the time, they will never regret a back yard wedding.It's the smartest thing any bride can do for herself.

    At Reese Witherspoon's recent wedding, everything was homespun from the mason jar candles to the grilled cheese appetizers. She and just about every guest there, said it was absolute perfection.

    The beauty of simplicity, there is so much to that.

    Good luck with your girl's wedding. You two will have so much fun.

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