Going to the Chapel..

Not me!  Been there, done that, don't want to do it again.

It's actually my (former) nanny.  She and her long-time beau were engaged on Christmas morning.  She's not actually getting married at a chapel either.  She'll be tying the knot at a ranch in Malibu.  Nice, eh?  Despite the swanky surroundings, she and her fiance, like many young couples, are working with a limited budget.  For that reason she's asked some of her friends to pitch in and help with the details.  I am proud to be included in this group.  

Aside from contributing a flower girl and a junior bridesmaid, my other contribution is scouring thrift shops and fleas markets for rustic table accessories.  She's envisioning vintage books tied in twine paired with glass bottles and jars filled with flowers.  She's also looking for vintage frames.  

As it happens, I loove thrift shops.  (I'll go into this in more detail in a future post.)  In fact, I have a garage full of thrifted pieces that are just waiting to go into my (currently non-existent) etsy shop.  (More on that later as well, but here's a teaser shot of one shelf in my garage storage closet.  Excuse the quality of the picture; it was taken with my iphone.)

The pieces above are primarily milk glass, which I love.  I used a lot of the tall skinny vases for my mother's wedding (which I hosted in my living room/backyard).  My bride friend is not looking for milk glass, however, so it was off to the thrift stores I went.

Here is a sampling of what I found.  Vintage books were not so plentiful, but I did find these two beauties for a total of $2.00:

Just for kicks I decided to pair them with some vintage bottles that I had lying around for a cute tableau:

Not bad for an amateur.  

At the next store I was thrilled to find thirteen identical vases.  Originally $9 apiece, I got them for $13 total.  They were made in Spain and although I don't think they're exactly what she's looking for, I bought them anyway.  I think they'll do well in an etsy store, don't you?  

I gussied that one up with a piece of twine.  Because I'm fancy like that.

The irony of all this is that I hated planning my own wedding.  Perhaps that story deserves its own post as well.  The short story is that I was overwhelmed.  It's a lot more fun helping with someone else's.