Bargain Blessings

We made a little run to town the other day, heading to one of the local department stores. That, in itself, is a bit of a rarity. So as we’re cruising from here to there, we walked by some tables piled high with luxurious towels in yummy colors. Someday, I said, we need to buy us some new towels. It’s summer and with walking, yard work, golf and other outside activities, we’re in the shower multiple times a day. Not only are the towels getting lots of use, they’re showing their age as well.

As I ran my hand over the stack in front of me, I was mentally thinking just how great it would feel to wrap myself in the soft, thick pile after a good soak. How about today? said Wayne. They’re on sale. And not just slightly reduced but deeply discounted. The towels I was caressing were only $3.99 and the ultra thick ones were on sale for $6.99. Why, yes…today was the perfect day for buying towels, so I picked out some of my favorite colors and home they came.

I confess…I’m not much of a bargain shopper. The ads in the Sunday paper go unread by and large, and you won’t find me in the mall just because there’s a sale or passing up something I need in the hopes it will go on sale next week. But I do love it when the stars align and I find a great price on something I really need anyway. The same thing happened when we were shopping for Wayne’s new clothes. Everything we bought was 40-50% off plus there was a special discount of 10% of the total purchase. That’s some serious savings…a double bargain blessing this week on things we needed.

I recognize that retail stores are struggling in this economy…heck, we’re all struggling in one way or another. And let’s face it, those towels weren’t essential. We could have done without them, and perhaps that’s why the department store set such an attractive price. Whatever market forces were at work, I’m grateful for them. My bathroom has taken on the feel of an exclusive spa thanks to my new luxurious towels, and they seem all the more opulent given their bargain price. All of a sudden, I’m looking for excuses to shower.

Here’s the layout I created:

Supplies:
Cardstock: Bazzill Basics Paper
Patterned paper: KI Memories, Provo Craft and Scrapworks
Sticker: American Crafts
Dimensional adhesive: Glossy Accents, Ranger Industries
Pen: Staedtler
Font: Mostlios, Internet
Other: Chipboard

This isn’t the design I started with but it’s the one where the photo took me. The first one was a good one…one I’ve added to my sketch book in the hopes it will work with a different photo in the future, but I knew better than to force it with this photo so I went with a grid-like design and kept things simple. Almost all of the paper is from scraps but the white piece in the lower left is a journaling sticker. I knew I’d never use it for that purpose and thought the design/colors added some interest to the page rather than just another block of patterned paper.

I’ve been using lots of scraps of photo paper too since my pictures in this album are quite small. I save any piece of photo paper larger than 2”x3” to use for small photos and decorative elements. Simply adhere the small scrap to a full sheet of computer paper so it will feed into the printer correctly. I have a tape runner with little strips I can peel off individually so I put one on each corner of the photo paper to hold it in place. The photo here is 1.5”x2.25” so a scrap was the perfect choice.

The title is also on photo paper as it gives the text a little more depth and adds a little shine to the page. While it’s harder to find, I prefer semi-gloss photo paper so the shine is subtle, not overwhelming. And to compliment it, I covered the paper-topped chipboard circles with Glossy Accents. It’s the same thing I used to make raindrops a few weeks ago.

New towels in pretty colors would make me happy any day; getting them at a bargain price is a blessing.

***Each Friday's post is part of my 52 Blessing project...an effort in 2009 to be more aware of and grateful for the blessings in my life.

Comments

[Jeanne]

How serendiptitous (sp?) for you! I just love it too, when all the stars align just right. Enjoy your pretty new luxurious towels!

[Dana]

wow, what a deal on those towels. They are great!

[Janet]

Wonderful colors and design in your layout. Isn't it great that something as simple as fluffy new towels can brighten your day?!