Thrifting finds and wedding work in progress

4 months today and Andrew and I will be getting married!  I'm very excited but equally, there are so many things going on in the next 4 months that it almost feels like a lifetime away until the wedding.  I'm really enjoying the preparation so I'm trying to savour every moment!

  Practising the brooch bouquet

One of the only things I've allowed myself to craft for the wedding is a brooch bouquet.  I knew I wanted some kind of handmade element to the wedding, but equally I knew that I would end up taking on too much and it causing more stress than it was worth.  In the end I settled on a brooch bouquet as the handmade item, one for me and one each for the bridesmaids.  It seemed a nice compromise, a handmade element without it taking over my life and causing too much stress.  Plus, thrifting for the brooches was part of the appeal!


Thrifted brooch haul from the London car boots

I had a good haul from London car boot sales this weekend, as Frances, Vicky and I hit up Battersea, Pimlico and Vauxhall car boot sales, all on the hottest day of the year so far.  That is bridesmaid dedication right there.  Love those ladies.



Adding the stems

I had a self-imposed limit of £2 per brooch, which I'm pleased to say I stuck to.  Between the thrifted brooches and the Hobbycraft cream faux-hydrangeas, these bouquets will cost in the region of about £90 for three, which is a pretty good deal when you consider the cost of real bouquets.  Plus, we each get a bouquet to keep forever (assuming they don't fall to pieces!).



Other than the brooches, I also scored a silver Claridges tea strainer for £1 (in need of a good clean but hallmarked and possibly solid silver), 3 nail varnishes for £1 and a bird-print shirt for 50p.  All in all, a bargainaceous day!