Thrifty Chic?

I've been reading Lucy's blog over at Attic 24 (see sidebar) and am currently enjoying "Thrifty chic" the book she refers to :: (got it from the library as I'm too mean to pay for it!) I feel as if I have been living the thrifty chic style for some time now as much from necessity as anything else, but aso because I love the thrill of finding cheaply things that will fit in with my style.



I have an aversion to paying more tax than I need to so am avoiding pay VAT on anything I can. Obviously almost anything new attracts 15% VAT so in these difficult times it makes sense to buy at charity shops, car boots etc. It's also much greener, attracting a lower carbon footprint and reducing landfill.



I keep an open mind when I'm out and about so that I can take opportunities when they come up rather than having fixed ideas of what I'm looking for. Lots of people give me things these days as they know I will find a use for them. These pictures show my thrifty chic approach in the garden. The first has verbascum in a rusted catering size Nescafe tin! I have several of these which I have had hidden in the flower borders while they rusted naturally over the last couple of years. I also use one or two Victorian tiles to brighten up dull spots in the garden.



The second and third picture both show plants in old chamber pots which have been picked up for pennies but are both chipped. I've also been known to hang beautiful tea cups from branches if they have a chip rather than throw them away. There is a limit to how much you can have on display in the home! And when they get caught by the frost and break they're turned into crocks for drainage in the bottom of my planters (or end up as fragments for mosaic). These pots all stand on an old ladder which I meant to paint but didn't get round to. It's now been standing in a corner for long enough for ivy to have entwined itself and the whole effect is lovely if I say so myself!

Wend