I Know Why the Caged Birds Swing

Since no clever tea inspired idea came to mind as our card collection device, we turned to the tried and true route of birdcages. They are not only classy and decorative, but for us they come with extra incentives. FFIL happens to have two golden antique birdcages, one of which housed a pet bird in the mister's home when he was a child. This translates to the following bonuses: 1. no purchase necessary (free and green), 2. color coordinating, 3. vintage coolness, and 4. added personal history.Why two? Why not?! The quaint one's like our home, the big one's our future rental. Ha! Anyway, I'm thinking the small one will hold red envelopes, and the big one can hold cards. To cover the battered trays on the bottom, they are lined with fabric and red beans. I bought the red birds from Michael's on sale around the holidays for dirt cheap (<$1 for both). Since the swing is quite high, I hung the ribbon and tag below to create more of a visual balance (monogram front, 'gratitude' back):The tag also serve an additional purpose (yeah... can you tell wedding planning has driven someone a smudge coo-coo?):

I'm also considering propping the door open for this small cage, since the birds are suppose to represent us and I'm claustrophobic...

And these below are returned RSVP envelopes. Many of them were cut out to make various tags in wedding projects, including the one above.

Cheap Tip #63: Before tossing any wedding excess, think about how else you can utilize them in other ways. Often times they already match in color, style, or theme and can be surprisingly useful if you think outside the box!

Side Note: I was baffled that the mister (and most of his family, a well read group, who were visiting over the weekend) had no idea about the post title reference. Where I'm from, this is common knowledge. Is it just a California thing? Or a hood thing??

Spice of Life

Numero dos! I like mixing things up, so why not have some variety? I began thinking about having a second centerpiece when I couldn't find any more tea sets from the first one on sale. I also thought it may be easier to give away two different sets than just one when the wedding is said and done. This too, started out differently:

I had intentions of including a tea tin to hold real flowers, but the tin's red was a bit too orange for my liking. Since I decided to use the silk flower, I used the saucer to hold it instead. The varying height of the components work better with this set up. I also like how this second centerpiece compliments the look and meets the same criteria as the first.

Cost Breakdown:

• Tea-for-one sets - $5.95 ea*
• Tea lights - $0.12 for 3**
• 1/4 bag of red beans - $0.25
• Silk rannunculus - $1.00**
• TOTAL: $7.32 per centerpiece

* I bought six sets from HERE to get the bulk discount and I used a free shipping coupon (saved me 46%!)
** See details in cost breakdown from centerpiece #1

Cheap Tip #50: Always search for a coupon when shopping online.

Evolution

Tada! Here is my first centerpiece. Sorry for the long tease, but I wanted to be sure.

I wanted the centerpieces to (be):
1. Affordable
2. Low - to not interfere with conversation at guest tables
3. Fit the theme (Chinese Tea)
4. Reusable for the most part
5. Easy to transport and set up
6. Incorporate something with life (flowers or plants)
7. Include candles as part of the centerpiece (as oppose to just adding votives around the piece)
8. Unique

I purchased 7 of these ceramic tea sets. Evolution of mockup is pictured as follows:

Version #1:
Added red velvet liner, red tealights, silk red hydrangea (meant to be replaced by real flowers later) to the original tea set Version #2:
Replaced velvet liner with red beans to add texture
Version #3:

Swapped silk flower with fresh carnation

Final Version:

Used large silk flower to place in tray instead of in pot

So my final version does not satisfy criteria #6 above. Hey, you win some, you lose some. Not having to set up real flowers on the day of and not worrying about the real flowers wilting under the sun is more than likely going to be worth the sacrifice. Remember that the details should be fun! I also dig the look of the flower on the side, at the same time it keeps the teapot much more defined. The carnation just kinda 'took-over', don't you think?


Cost Breakdown:
- Tea sets - Average $9 per set*
- Tea lights - $0.16 for 4**
- Red beans - $0.50 per half bag
- Silk Ranunculus - $1.00***
TOTAL: $10.66 per centerpiece

* Tea sets retails $24.99 but I purchased them from various stores (Amazon, Ross, Le Gourmet Chef) on sale.
** Red tea lights were on clearance (90% off).

*** Silk Rannunculus also on clearnace (75% off)

Cheap Tip #81: Keep an open mind. A centerpiece, for example, can be as imaginative as you can be! Look around you for things with potential and always remember that you have options.

Keep it locked here for the next decor installment to check out Centerpiece Version 2.0, and find out why that table name card looks so darn familiar!

Semi DIY 5 hour Tea-lights

I needed long burning tea-lights for the centerpieces. What I found were pricey and/or did not come in red. Your standard no frills tea-light runs cheap with usual burn time of 2-3 hours, I think.

I bought five 30 count boxes of red scented tea-lights from Pier1 when I stumbled upon them on final clearnace at 90% off (orig. $6 became $0.6, that's $0.02 per candle) with thought that I'd just deal with the given 2-3 hours. FFIL happens to be a candle expert, and we asked him if he can melt some of them to fill the rest to the brim of the tin container in order to extend their burn time. He came up with a much more genius idea:

That's right, just stack 'em baby*, virtually no work involved. Worried about spillage, you say? We tested it:

Uh-huh, not a drop**. Burn time: 5 hours 9 minutes. Cost: $0.04 per candle

* Most tea-lights are filled to the brim which obviously won't work, but Pier1 seem to consistantly carry these above which go on sale all the time for 20+% off. They carry a variety of colors depending on the season.
** I expect some spillage during actual usage, they are contained so it's fine as long as it's not excessive.

Cheap Tip #23: Keep in mind things you need but not necessarily in a hurry. Check out prices for those items at stores you visit anyway. You never know what good deals you'll find!

Amateurs!

Cheap Tip #17: Let experience pay you!

Whatcha think of these flowers? How about the photography? Not too shabby for FREE, right?

It's true, amateurs/hobbists like us (me the florist, my brother the photographer for pictured samples above) are not especially easy to find. Because they don't advertise, you must sniff them out. Because they don't do this for money (or they do it for little money and mostly love), you must be very flexible and respectful of their art. Because they lack experience, you must do much research to make sure one with high potential is chosen.

Here's how:

1. Dig around Craigslist. There's about 0.2% of gold,0.7% silver, 2.6% aluminum on CL, and the rest is pure crap. If you're a good miner, with a bit of luck, you just may find something usable. Also consider putting up 'wanted' listings on CL, you never know who may be stumbling by. Hobbyists like me, browse a little for gigs when in the mood.

2. Get the scoop from those around you with common goals. Participate on boards/forums pertaining to your interest and inquire about the sources of their great finds. If a knottie's bio include DIY projects you love which you're incapable of doing yourself, ask if she's interested in doing it for you for a small fee.

3. Find out about services provided by schools in your area. Students in programs like cosmotology, photography, graphic design, hospitality management, music... all are potential wedding vendors for a fraction of the price from professionals.

4. Get referrals from the experts. Love the work of a specific vendor you can't afford? Contact them and tell them your budget, they may have apprentices or others they have worked with to refer you to.

Keys to success: Time, Patience, Flexibility