Thrifty Bridal

Where we live there are many great consignment and thrift shops.  But, 2 Friends Gifts & Consignment in Drexel Hill, PA is by far the best!  The small storefront belies the treasures that lay within.

What drew me in on this particular day was this stunning bridal gown in the front window!

Once inside, I found not one, not two, but THREE full on bridal gowns!!!!  In addition to that, there were two gowns fit for a destination wedding and one that could be great for a bridesmaid.

Here's a look:

With a price tag of just $400, the original price on this fantastic designer gown was $1200, this is a serious bargain!!!  The beading on the belt is just gorgeous!  The veil is a separate purchase but just as reasonably priced.  The color on this gown is not a pure what, it's what's called diamond white in the bridal industry.

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Even matching shoes that look like they have never been worn!

Gown number Two:

This gown is pure white with a train.  It has embroidery and beading on the bodice and hem.  Just beautiful!!!  The price on this one is just $250!  What a bargain!!!

Gown number Three:

This gown is strapless with a beaded bodice and pickups on the skirt.  The color is a champagne.  This is a style that is very popular with brides.  The price on this gown is a rock bottom $150!!!  Amazing!!  

For a beach or destination wedding:

These two gowns are beaded from top to bottom.  They would be perfect for the non-traditional bride, a destination or beach wedding.  

The owner of the shop, Joanne Rebold, makes some of the fantastic jewelry available in this little gem of a shop.  She also offers jewelry making classes.  Take a look at her wonderful creations!

The price tag that reads $8 is for the great bracelet with the dragon fly on it.  This set is so cute!

This necklace is by Premier and has an $8 price tag on it as well.

As you can see, there are plenty of baubles available to complete your look!  

This would make a great bridesmaid dress!  And this one is the best bargain of all at just $25!!!

Only the gown in the window was out front, the rest were tucked on a rack in a back room!  So make sure you check every inch of your consignment and thrift shops.

If you live anywhere near Drexel Hill, PA, stop by 536 Burmont Road and look for some bargains for your wedding or special occasion!  There are even dollar racks and shelves for even better savings!  

Tell them Coleen from Crafty and Cooking Momma sent you!

If you are not in the Drexel Hill area, be sure to find your local consignment shops and thrift shops.  They are bound to have some real bargains for your big day.  

Here is what I did with some lace I found at Good Will for my daughter's wedding a few years ago.

By cutting it in half length-wise, I was able to swag my front porch and the railing.  It's hard to see the railing, but it came down the entire length with long tails at each end.  I believe the whole piece cost me $20.  The floral bouquets on the railing are made from Dollar Tree flowers.  

Just Beachy!

Just as we kick off the unofficial start of the summer season, here is a tutorial on how to make a great beach  bag and beach blanket.  Now, I spent a lot of money on the materials for this!  Those handles were very expensive!  The material was about $12 a yard and I used 3 yards!  Those are $36 handles folks!!  So I suggest looking carefully at the per yard cost before you have it cut!  

I would also use any and all coupons available from Joann's Fabrics.  They tend to be plentiful and generous  

I used 1/2 yard of the quilted fabric for the bag and 1 1/2 yards for the blanket.  I had them cut at the fabric store to make things easier for me.  

I then got 3 packages of 2 inch wide satin blanket  binding to use to edge the top of the bag and to bind the blanket itself.  This was more than enough, but I like to be on the safe side.  Two packages should do it.

I also got a package of double fold bias tape so I could bind the inside edges and make the bag reversible. 

All I did was old the fabric in half and trim it even.  Then I used the bias tape and a zigzag stitch to close two of the three open sides.  

After that, I ran the sating blanket binding around the top side of the bag.  

And then I measured 6 inches in from each side and attached the handles on both sides of the bag. 

The blanket was just a matter of putting the blanket binding around the sides.  Very simple.  But it is so nice and also reversible!  

This was made to be auctioned for a fundraiser.  I'm thinking it should be a hit!

Mirrored Cupcake Stand

I love the way this came out!

The round top can be used for a small cake or some fresh flowers.

I have a cupcake stand that holds a strange number of cupcakes, I think it's about 20.  There is not versatility to it.  It's cute enough, but that's all it is, a cupcake stand.

I have some parties coming up and I wanted something a little more versatile and more elegant for some of the nicer events.  I started to look online for cupcake stands and realized that they are pricey!  For what I wanted the average price was $150.  Not in my budget!

Then, and trust me I don't know how my inspiration works any better than you do, I had an idea!  Why not take some mirrors and make a cupcake stand?  So I thought I would go to some thrift shops and look for mirrors.  Uh, no!  The mirrors were still too pricey.  Then I stopped at a great consignment shop called 2 Friends Gifts and Consignment in Drexel Hill, PA.  (More to come on this little gem.)  I was able to get 3 mirror tiles for $4.00 and I was off to the races!

Next stop was Dollar Tree.  I picked up some glass candle holders to use as tier separators, one six inch round mirror and also one stem of white silk flowers.

Then I removed the labels from the bottoms of the candle holders and washed them.  I had Duco Cement at home which works great on glass.  

But I ran out of the Duco Cement and had to get another glue that also worked well, it's called Loctite.

Make sure to center your glass candle holders on the bottoms of your mirrors.

I think filled the glass candle holders with rice to add weight.  And let the glue set for 24 hours.  

Once that is done, you are ready to use your cake stand.  It is also good for hor d'vours or other types of displays.  Just be careful!  Mirrored tile is delicate!  I broke one of my original tiles and went to Home Depot and bought a box of 6 mirrored tiles with a beveled edge (you need the beveled edge) for $20.  

Here is the way I will stack the cupcake stand to use it.

But, I think using the tiers separately, you can serve things like finger foods or cakes easily as well.

Even with the extra $20 for the box of tiles, I spent less than $30 and I have an extra 3 tiles to use for other projects.  Much better than $150!

Dark Shadows Movie Review

Being a child of the '60s and '70s, I loved the TV show Dark Shadows!  It ran from 1966 to 1971, that would be from the time I was 7 until I was 12.  Or basically almost my entire elementary school years. 

I would run home from school because it came on at 3 o'clock in the afternoon.  I didn't care that, when Barnabas Collins turned into a bat (he being a vampire), you could see the strings.  I found it cool that his name was Barnabas and that, from first through third grades and half of fourth grade I went to St. Barnabas school.  I thought that his vampire girlfriend Victoria was stunningly beautiful.  Even Angelique, the villain in the melodrama, was beautiful. 

Dark Shadows was the original vampire love story.  It was tacky, melodramatic, and oh so cool!!!  I loved it and I own the boxed set of the TV show.

So, when I heard that there was a movie being made, oh I was psyched!!!  Then I was nervous.  What were they going to do to my beloved Dark Shadows?  Please, oh please don't ruin it Johnny Depp and Tim Burton! 

Saturday night my husband and I went to see it, opening weekend.  The commercials were not promising.  They seemed to indicate that they were going for more of a slapstick angle on my melodrama.  But I had to see it! 

First, the special effects and costuming are stunning!!!  Just unbelievably authentic for both the 1700s and for the 1960s. 

We get to see Barnabas as a child and learn exactly how he became a vampire.  We learn the history of Collinwood, the estate of the Collins family.  I won't give away anymore of the plot.  I will say, they stayed true to the TV show. 

The comedy comes from Barnabas' adjustment to the 1960s after waking from a dirt nap he took in the 1700s.  Once he adjusts, we are back in to the fantastic melodrama of the TV show. 

Johnny Depp is the perfect Barnabas Collins, Michelle Pfieffer is fantastic as Elizabeth.  The rest of the cast are great in their roles as well. 

If you are a Dark Shadows fan like me, you will love this movie.  If you never saw the show, like my husband, you will want to see it after you see this movie.  It's really great and will span the generations in its appeal. 

A Rocking Giraffe!

A friend of ours does some great wood crafts.  He was into making rocking animals for a while, but lost interest in it.  He had some laying around half finished.  He gave me this great giraffe to finish.

The seat is even slightly padded and covered in leatherette.  He gave me some fringe for the main and cording for the tail and reins.  I used hammered headed furniture nails to attach the tail and reins.

 

There is a groove down the back of the neck for the main to be glued in to.  I just used some hot glue. 

 First I painted the spots on the giraffe, I did it free hand, but you can always sketch it out ahead of time too.

I then used about a yard of the fringe folded in half for the main.  I just put the hot glue in the groove and pushed the edge of the fringe into it.

I used tape around both ends of the cording before I cut it so it wouldn't unravel.  I then used a small piece of the fringe for the end of the tail.  I hot glued the fringe around the end of the cording,  I then used a furniture nail to attach the tail to the back of the giraffe.

I also used two small pieces of fringe as eye lashes.  I glued them to the backs of two large googley eyes and then glued the eyes and lashes to the face of the giraffe.

Using furniture nails, I attached the reins under the chin and on the sides of the neck.

And here it is in my grandson's playroom!  I think it's adorable!!!

Now, you might not have a talented friend like mine, but you can certainly scour your thrift shops and garage sales for some beaten up rocking horses and now yuo know what you can do with them.  A zebra maybe?

Bucket of Spring Flowers

I wanted to make something for Spring for my front door.  But I didn't want to make the usual wreath.  I had seen some umbrella floral arrangements on Pinterest, but I couldn't find a good umbrella to use.

I went to Dollar Tree and wandered around looking for inspiration.  Here is what I came up with.

First I found this little tub with handles on the sides in a great yellow color.

Then I found these great yellow carnations.

I loved these great Gerbera Daisies too.

Then I found this really cute yellow polka dot ribbon in the bin with baby ribbons.

I picked up a brick of floral foam while I was there too.

I cut the brick roughly in half, I held it over the tub and cut it the size to fit the but.

Then I cut the corners off at an angle because the tub tapers at the bottom.

I put some hot glue on the bottom of the floral foam.

Then I pushed it to the bottom of tub.

I cut the stem short and started with the Gerbera Daisies.

I filled the container as much as possible with the Gerbera Daisies.

Then I filled in with the yellow carnations.

I attached wire to one handle and made a nice long loop for hanging and attached it to the other handle.

Then I tied the ribbon in a knot on the handle (I cut the ribbon in half after removing it from the spool) and did the same on the other handle.

I then tied a bow making sure that the wire was inside the knot.

I then (because the ribbon had a wired edge) twisted the tails of the my ribbon around my fingers and made the spirals.  Here it is on my front door.

I think it's really cute an different.