Some Crafty, Thrifty Thangs!

So bargain hunting is in the blood. My extended and immediate family had businesses in restoring & dealing in antiques. You have to have a nose for a bargain! 
I guess this fostered a love and appreciation for the old world furniture and  the old world charm.
Another inspiration, that still affects how I do life -was my Mother's  extraordinary gift of running a house-hold on a budget; we never lacked and ate healthily. Owning a large home, and two investment apartments at that time, we needed to live efficiently & we did!

I also learnt to live on a tight budget as a single Mother for at least 9-10 years. Going from full-time work to full-time study meant I had to often juggle. Admittedly sometimes things didn't go to plan! Anyway, I love the idea of living frugally, efficiently growing what you can, shopping smartly. Lets face it, some things are just going to be expensive and worth the expense, and others can be compromised. Example...swapping an expensive brand-label for a house-brand. Sometimes you will be surprised to find them much of the same, or better at a significantly cheaper price. (Pam's, Home-brand I dig you!)

Also if you shop at night, the bakery often has to put out items at reduced prices, (yum to gourmet bread and cheese and bacon rolls); had I bought them earlier in the day it would be for twice the price! I also freeze them for the guys lunches. The ultimate would be to bake them myself, Ive tried -just haven't mastered this yet!   Anyway, I was blessed by my Aunt, I received her old wall-hung French styled dish rack.  We will call it exhibit A, Ill post a pic of it first. Our kitchen is cosy, yes small, it needs a lot of attention, but a little imagination and it  will be oozing charm. It has things going for it, a Rimu floor, a mahogany bench. Anyway back to the French rack, for lack of better words, I love it!

I pop into the local demolition yard, now and again, for a squizz. They tear down beautiful old homes (sob) and bring the treasures there. Chandeliers, Kauri wall hangings, stain glass windows, garden trellis for real cheap :) ... the list goes on! On this particular day I saw two things that may not have normally caught my eye, except for the fact that they were a similar colour to my french rack. I scooped them up $5 a piece.  On bringing them home I realised they weren't that alike. My creative side stepped into to save the day, I had originally spotted wood craft from Spotlight,  and thought of applying it to my bedroom door. Why not use the same concept  to make the other pieces work together. I purchased them, along with wood-glue. I simply pasted it on, painted over it with matching paint, allowed it to dry. Then I sanded it down it down in different area's of the wood craft,(& the piece itself) to achieve the old worn look. I also worked in a a little brown paint very lightly to make it seem more rustic. I still have one more to do -but you can see how much of a difference it makes!  Hopefully I may have inspired you in some way. Have a blessed day.