Stretching Your Thrifting Dollar

I have a confession--I am thrifty (i.e. cheap). So, while I save loads of money by thrifting, I am always looking for a way to make that thrifting dollar go a little further. When I spied a $7 large, sturdy basket full of faux greenery and at least 6 floral foam blocks I knew it was a good deal and that I could "part it out" to create several centerpieces.

On the same day I also bought two fake tulip bouquets in heavy cardboard containers. The tulips are silk and not what I consider good faux flowers, but I knew they would be perfect on my front breezeway porch area that is uncovered and gets a lot of weather.

There was so much greenery in that large basket. I took the tulips out of the cardboard containers and added the greenery to them. 

I added0 the pink berries to one of the containers and more of the budding flower clusters to the other. These were all part of the original basket.

I arranged more of the greenery and pink berries in a very vintage (it has a heavy wood bottom), thrifted wood basket. I used one of the floral foam blocks to secure the stems.

More of the greenery went into a mint green market basket that sits on my front covered porch. There is also faux baby's breath in this basket. It is also from a thrift store.

The pink, fuzzy faux stems that were in the large basket look lovely with the thrifted baby's breath in an antique vase.

Some of the greenery is being displayed in a watering can.

The silk tulips are a bright addition to the mailbox on my porch. Some are also in a bicycle basket on a vintage Schwinn that sits next to the porch.

The basket that the greenery came in is perfect for books, real plants, or bathroom toiletries. 

I will take and use real plants any day over faux. But, they do have their place and are perfect for outside when it is too cold for real or in areas of your home that don't get good light but need a little "life" or if you have a black thumb and can't keep plants alive.

The centerpieces and basket will be for sale in my POP-UP Shop this weekend. I was able to create FIVE pieces for sale plus use a lot of the stems in my own home all for under $12. I still have floral foam blocks for future use. I would say I got my money's worth, wouldn't you?