Try-it Tuesday: Anthropologie Trinket and Treasure Candlestick Knock-Off

I have a problem paying more money. than I think I should have to for anything.

It’s a sickness, really.

Want proof?

Okey doke.

One time, somewhere in the midst of our house-building process, I took a little jaunt to Lowe’s to pick up some nails for my husband.

My good friend, Stef, accompanied me because she’s awesome like that.

I quickly found the brand my husband had described and reached for the box.

But then I froze.

Because right below it, for $6 less, was the exact same thing…I thought.

But I’m not a nail expert, and I was a little nervous that I would miss some sort of fine print that would render these seemingly identical nails utterly useless.

So, I stood, paralyzed by the prospect of a bargain, and debated with myself (and poor Stef who just had to stand there and listen) the pros and cons of buying the exact brand my husband had mentioned or saving him $6 by going with the alternative.

For 10. straight. minutes.

I’m pretty sure I tried calling Shaun but couldn’t reach him for some reason.

And the WHOLE TIME I stood there, hemming and hawing, shifting from one foot to the other, agonizing over this $6 difference, my sweet friend hardly said a word other than, “Yeah, that’s true,” or “Good point. That could work too,” every time I threw out a new reason why buying one or the other was better.

10 MINUTES OF OUR LIVES deciding on nails, folks!!!

Want to hear the best part?

I finally decided to go with the more expensive brand, and it was a hard, hard choice (obviously).

But when we checked out, and the price flashed on the screen, I said, “What? I thought it was way more than that!”

And Stef began to laugh and laugh.

Because, you see, my friends, I had been looking at the wrong price tag.

And there wasn’t a $6 price difference between the two brands.

In fact, the real difference was only 50 cents.

And Stef had known that all along (she thought I had too).

And the TRULY best part?

Even though my sweet friend thought I had officially jumped off the bargain-obsessed deep end by practically biting my fingernails to the quick over spending $0.50 extra, she never said a word about it until she realized that I hadn’t realized.

Because my love for a good deal is so well-known among my family/friends that it seemed possible to her that just maybe I really was insane enough to care about 50 cents in the grand scheme of life.

So, why am I telling you this?

So you’ll understand that, when I tell you that I have literally only ever ordered one thing from Anthropologie and that I actually searched Craigslist for good deals on Anthro gift cards so that I could get an even better deal on a small rug that was absolutely perfect for the space I wanted it for and which was already a surprisingly good deal…this is “normal” for me, folks. (I did manage to buy a $106 gift card for only $65, by the way, so I consider that worth the effort).

I also signed up for some sort of Anthro customer appreciation card (not a credit card), which saved me $15 in shipping.

And for all of my efforts, I got my beautiful rug and a neverending (so far) supply of Anthro catalogs, which, if you’ve seen them, you know are pretty much works of art. 

WHICH brings me (finally) to the real point of this post.

A month or so ago, I was paging idly through my newest Anthro book-of-pretty-things-that-I-will-gladly-accept-if-you-insist-on-sending-them-to-me (my birthday’s in October, in case you’re wondering) but-will-never-actually-buy-for- myself…

…and I saw these:

Anthro’s Trinket and Treasure Candlesticks.

I can’t even tell you exactly why, but it was love at first sight.

Perhaps it was the touches of  whimsy, the contrasting textures and shapes, the bight colors…

Or the combination of all of the above, but I loved every bit of it.

Until I got to the price.

$398??????!

REALLY, Anthro?

I mean, I know you’re kind of known for your steep price-tags, but FOUR HUNDRED smackers?

The nerve.

And right then and there, in the midst of my indignation, I made a solemn vow to myself.

I would knock these candlesticks off.

Going to Goodwill once a week has to be good for something other than finding cute clothes in 30 minutes or less, right?

Yes. Right. Sure.

(Pictures, you crazy, talkative woman!)

For the last month I have popped into Goodwill every chance I got to comb the racks for Secondhand or Bare Bottom but also keeping an eye out for cute, kitschy pieces that would work for my candlesticks, and here is what I ended up with:

This little owl with the creepy glowy red eyes is my favorite:

I gave everybody a bath in warm water and dishwashing soap:

…and discovered when he started disintegrating, that my creepy-eyed owl was made of some sort of weird, grainy substance, rather than ceramic like I’d thought.

Don’t worry, his edges are a bit less defined than before, but we managed to salvage his basic shape and, with it, a modicum of his dignity.

My biggest conundrum were those metallic “spacers (for lack of a better term) in the Anthro versions.

I racked my brain (and my husband’s…poor man) but never came up with anything affordable that would serve as a comparable substitute.

Until…I remembered these wooden napkin rings (8 for $1, by the way) that I used to hold our “napkins” for our special Christmas breakfast.

Are they as cool as the metal versions?

No.

But I figured I could make them work.

So, I bought some craft paint…

…did a bit of custom-mixing…

…and gave my napkin rings a coat of paint.

I wiped off any excess, then highlighted the grooves with my metallic gold paint:

Somewhere in all of this mess (pretty paint-hands, right?), the kids and I ate some of these:

Finally, it was time for Glenda the glue-gun to make an appearance

That’s right, folks. My brilliant plan for knocking off an Anthro masterpiece hinged on a hot glue gun. (Please tell me you’re not surprised). 

I did a fair amount of fiddling and consulting with the hubs until I found a configuration I liked, and then I started gluing. And gluing. And gluing.

And then, it was time for dinner, so Shaun glued and glued and glued, and I cooked.

(All this gluing produced zero burns, amazingly enough, and only one broken owl).

Gotta love a man who not only puts up with but actually participates in his wife’s **harebrained schemes!

**You need to make sure that you’re using a high-heat glue gun (with the setting on high…duh). Also, we learned the hard way that you really do need to rough up your smoother surfaces (like the glass and ceramics) with a little sandpaper before gluing or else it won’t adhere as well as you’d like…hence the broken owl…poor Frederico). 

After all that fun with glue, here’s what we ended up with:

And inside my breakfast nook, where they’ll live, at least for now.

Can I just say it?

Woooohooo!

Do I like how they came out?

Um, yes.

But do you know what I LOVE? (Because we’re coming all the way back around to that bargain-obsessed bit that we started out with).

I love that this was the average price of every item that I bought.

So, let’s just take a gander at the price difference, shall we?

So, doing the math—since 3 from Anthro would cost $1,292.50 with tax—I saved myself $1,277.50 (that I was never going to spend, anyway, but that’s hardly the point).

Wanna hear the kicker?

The Treasure and Trinket Candlestick collection is sold out on Anthro’s website.

Makes me wonder what I could get for mine.

Hmmmm…. : )

P.S. Thrifted or Grifted is baaaaaack tomorrow for Wardrobe Wednesday!

P.P.S. Don’t forget that this week’s getting to know you theme is:

via

This is your chance to tell me anything quirky, unusual, unbelievable or unexpected about little 'ol you.

 

_{Monday ~ The DIY Showoff Project Parade ~ Made by You Mondays ~ Embellishing Life Everyday ~ Just Something I whipped up Monday  ~ The CSI project ~ Menu Plan Monday ~ C.R.A.F.T.  ~ The Southern Institute ~ Making the World Cuter ~ Thrify Décor Chick ~ Metamorphosis Monday ~ Sumo Sweet Stuff ~ Gunny Sack ~ Singing Three Little Birds ~DIY Homes Sweet Home ~ Dittle Dattle ~ 1929 Charmer ~ Everything Under the Moon  ~ ModMix Monday ~ Sew Stylish ~ Coastal Charm ~ Under the Table and Dreaming}

_{Tuesday ~ Get Your Craft ~ Tip Junkie ~ Blackberry Vine ~ Crafty Confessions ~ Me & my Boys ~ A Bowl Full of Lemons ~ Home Stories A-Z ~ My Uncommon Slice of Suberbia  ~ Carolyn’s Homework ~ Sugar Bee Crafts ~ House of Grace ~ Passionately Artisitc ~ My World Made by Hand ~ Uncommon Designs ~ Trendy Treehouse}

_{Wednesday ~ Blue Cricket Design ~ Somedays Crafts ~ Sew Much Ado ~ Sew Woodsy ~ Handy Man, Crafty Woman ~ Savvy Southern Style ~ {Primp} ~ Midweek Fiesta ~ Rae Gun Ramblings ~ Polkadots On Parade ~ Lollipop Cards ~ JAQS Studio ~ Let Birdz Fly ~ Let Birdz Fly ~ My Girlish Whims}

_{Thursday ~ Transformation Thursdays ~ Somewhat simple ~ Show off your stuff ~ House of Hepworths ~ Delightful Order ~ My Simple Home Life ~ The Frugal Girls ~ Thrifty Thursday ~ DIY Diva Thursday ~ Tablescape Thursday ~ No Minimalists Here ~ Crafty, Scrappy, Happy ~ Thrifty Decorating ~ Between U and Me ~ 36th Avenue}

_{Friday ~ The Shabby nest  ~ Show and Tell Friday ~ Finding Fabulous ~ I’m Loving it ~ Simply Sweet Home ~ Whipper Berry ~ Chic on a Shoestring decorating ~ Spunky Junky ~ Delicate Construction ~ Homemaker in Heels ~ Family Ever After~ French Country Cottage ~ Common Ground ~ Young And Crafty ~ At the Picket Fence ~ Fingerprints on the Fridge ~ Miss Mustard Seed ~ Addicted to Decorating ~Bacon Time with The Hungry Hypo ~ Making Lemonade ~ I Can't Stop Crafting ~ Over the Big Moon ~ Shabby Art ~ Answer is Chocolate}

_{Saturday ~ I heart nap time- Sundae Scoop ~ Tatertots and Jello ~ Be different Act Normal ~ Funky Junk ~ 2805 ~ Making Lemonade Blog ~I am Along for the Ride  ~ Lolly Jane}

_{Sundays ~ Homemaker on a Dime ~ Sunday's Best}

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