Updating Accessories For Less

Every once in a while you just get sick of a perfectly good accessory, but you're too cheap (okay, maybe that's just me) to spring for something fabulous from one of the wonderful retail establishments you troll for design inspiration (oops, that was just me too). 

I recently decided I had enough of this...

There's nothing wrong with it really, I'm just tired of it.  It has been there for a long time and I'm over it.

So, after perusing the latest issue of Canada's House & Home (love that magazine) and Cameron MacNeil's Bringing It All Together feature, I decided to try this look...

It's not dramatically different from my current centerpiece, but enough of a change to make me happy...for a while anyway.  Plus, I already have all the elements except the glass lantern.  Oh, and one is fine - I didn't feel I needed three as my table isn't that large anyway.

I had two bags of river rocks I picked up a year or two ago at Tuesday Morning.  Wasn't sure at the time what I would do with them, but they were less than $2 a piece so what the heck?

I was too cheap to spring for the $49 glass lantern from PB, so I picked up this glass jar at T.J. Maxx for $9.99.

And here is my finished version of the look...

And here it is with an battery operated candle for when I want to leave the lid on it.  Obviously I think we all love real candles best.  Nothing beats or replicates the glow of a real candle, but you can't put a lid on it if you light it up.  Since I keep all of my candles in baskets in the armoire a few feet away, switching out my candles from real to battery is no big deal.

You've probably spied that price sticker still on the base and the initial sticker still on the top of the jar.  If you've read this blog before, you know I have to date most any accessory that comes into my house before I decide to make a commitment to it.  If you haven't read the blog before, where have you been?  This is fascinating stuff people!  Now, if you can tear yourself away from all this decorating brilliance, go make a new centerpiece and tell me how it went ;-)