Bazzil Bargain!!!

In a previous post I mentioned my new Bazzil addiction - I've been worried that I would run out of my stash before I found another inexpensive source.  Well, I didn't find a reliable inexpensive source but lucked out on a stock up opportunity.  I was trolling my local Goodwill store and came across 20 packs of 8.5x11 Bazzil cardstock (25 pages per pack) for $1 a piece.  Yes...really, $1 per package.  I don't think the employee who priced them knew what they had.

My Bazzil withdrawal has been averted...at least for awhile.  Skrimp N Skrap!

Frugal Flowers

I love Prima and Recollections flowers - really I do, but when they run 50 cents or so a piece (with a coupon), well little flower clusters on a layout can get expensive!  I often turn to dollar store silk flower bunches or Michaels/Joann dollar area paper flowers so that I can afford to cluster more on each page in a more economical fashion.

Another great source for silk flowers is Goodwill and here is my latest haul.  I went to the 50% off sale at my local Goodwill and found these - cost me $4 for all of these flowers (not including the containers).  They look so pretty just in the bunches and I've already got tons of projects in mind for them - shadow boxes, scrapbook layouts, altered home decor.  Can't wait to get started!

In the meantime, though, they are adding a happy little pop of color in my craft room.  The flash photography doesn't do them justice, but aren't they cheerful?

Skrimp N Skrap!

Skrimp N Skrappy Gifts

This year, with the best of intentions, I decided to make all my holiday gifts.  Well, that goal was a little easier said than done, but I was able to finish a few projects that I am particularly proud of.



I found this collage frame during one of my Goodwill 50%-off-day trips.  It was a little beat up but a decent price (around $4).  I touched it up with black Sharpie, added matted pictures of my girls and then embellished with with some chipboard letters/shapes, metal letters and some silk flowers with large rhinestone centers.  I really like the way it turned out and it made a nice gift for my dad.

My mom has been trying to set up her craft room and has really struggled on how to organize it.  I came across this adorable spice rack during my Goodwill trip for a couple bucks - although it wasn't this adorable when I found it.

I painted it with some leftover trim paint from my girls' bedroom, added a painted wooden flower shape (Dollar Tree), decoupaged some paper scraps onto it and then hot glued some flower (Dollar Tree) and butterfly embellishments (Creating Keepsake Convention bulk buy).  I added the little silver buckets - got tons of these at Goodwill for just a few bucks, too.  Then my daughter tied on little bits of ribbon to the handles.  Too cute and a great addition to Mom's craft room wall for small embellishment storage!

I also found the large shelf unit below for about $5 at Goodwill, but it was set up very strangely.  The top silver bar did not leave much room for hanging anything and the bottom one was originally across the top shelf.  So, at my daughter's suggestion - she's very crafty, by the way - I had my husband drill new holes to move the bar down so that it could accommodate ribbon.  Then, my daughter suggested that I hang more of the metal buckets on the nearly useless upper bar.  She is just too smart!

Sitting on the top shelf - and intended to hang on the wall once installed - are three wooden "baskets" from the Dollar Tree.  I also painted them and added wooden cutouts, decoupage, flowers and butterflies to match the spice rack.  I am just thrilled with how everything turned out and it probably cost me about $25 for everything!