Our Frugal Lifestyle

My photo
Passionate about eco-frugality. I used to party hard, clubbing my way from pay-packet to pay-packet. Never getting ahead, just getting by. Then came our much wanted baby with no savings in the bank - only an old car. Changes were made to our lifestyle and we didn't turn back. In the past 6yrs we purchased a flat, found employment, lived below our means, built an emergency fund, purchased a reliable car and saw the financial benefits of our frugal lifestyle. Our only debt is our mortgage. Our aim is to manage our cash flow wisely, pay off our home quickly and eventually work for pleasure, not necessity. Join us on our journey, share insights, tips and tricks to help us and others to get ahead while having a good time.

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Frugal Card - Invite Making

Many of our friends are artists, musicians, stylists, photographers and so on. The Rambling Expat himself is creative and works in a creative field. As for myself I'm the wanna-be-artists with no talent or skills in any of the areas. A hanger-on of the creative types. However the past 2 years or so of taking steps to be eco-frugal has lead me to to be more creative as a solution to stop purchasing the same old rubbish on offer at the shops.

This past year has seen me making a pillow, a soft toy owl, collaged boxes, yo yo necklaces, pretty chocolate wrappings, earrings, magnets and now party invitations. It's been a fun ride.

Dolly's fifth birthday is coming up and we are preparing for the Princess and Knight themed party. This afternoon we spent a couple of hours at the library where Dolly read and played while I found inspiration in 3 amazing card books.

Library Books To Gather Ideas.

Pages That Inspired Me On My Invitation Making Journey.


For the party invitations I'm using mostly resources from home dating back from the past 10 years such as pencils, stamp, card stock. Images are from a 50 cents op shop book. I did purchase 3 new items out of my FUN budget. A fleur de lys hole punch $4, a gold permanent marker $3 and a box of 50 gold pins for $2. They were not needed, these were wants however they will all last for years. Each invitation is costing me roughly 10 cents to make. I have 2 created and 8 to go. I'm enjoying this and finding it so much fun.

Kitch, Vintage Feel, Princess Invitations.
Kitch Princess Invitations.


I like my cards and how they are so different to the regular shop bought invitations. Each one will have a message on the pretty back (not shown), inviting a child to the party stating it's a Royal Party for a Princess being held in the Royal Gardens and please wear your Royal Gowns and Suits for Cake and Fun.

Is frugality making you more creative? If it is, do you enjoy it, resent it or even dislike it?
Posted by Frugal Down Under
Labels: ,

7 comments:

  1. BryallenJanuary 18, 2012 at 9:03 AM

    They're lovely. Can't wait to see what you dofor the party's theme! Any decorations in mind?

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousJanuary 18, 2012 at 9:14 AM

    Wow they are so amazing. Well done.

    ReplyDelete
  3. UnknownJanuary 18, 2012 at 10:12 AM

    I love these cards and the idea of using pictures to make them.

    You ARE creative and very clever. Can't wait to see what you have planned for the party.

    Sft x

    ReplyDelete
  4. AnonymousJanuary 18, 2012 at 12:13 PM

    Your cards are gorgeous. Last year when we were absolutely skint, I made all our Christmas cards. I'd not done anything creative for years, and I'd forgotten how much fun it could be, just losing yourself in making something from scratch.
    Tawney

    ReplyDelete
  5. ClareJanuary 18, 2012 at 2:25 PM

    These invitations are fabulous! We made our wedding invites very similarly, with a few newer bought bits an pieces, but saved ourselves nearly $1000! I'll have to do a blog post about it myself!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Frugal Down UnderJanuary 18, 2012 at 5:00 PM

    Bryallen, No decorations in mind yet. Trying to keep it simple and I don't know where to have it. We need cover as it often pours on her birthday. But our flat is too small for 10 little kids to play in.

    Thanks Anonymous. Books, blog and you tube have been inspiring my frugal life.

    Hi SFT, My creativeness is just starting. But it's mainly being creative in how to use stuff and repurpose. Trying to think out of the usual box while trying to penny pinch but making it fun along the way.

    Hi Tawney, It really is a case of losing yourself. It's very meditative and calming.

    Clare, I'm looking forward to seeing your creations.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Practical ParsimonyJanuary 20, 2012 at 6:26 PM

    Being creative and being frugal have always gone hand in hand with me. Sometimes the creative is beyond saving money for me, it is an expression of me, what I can do, and thoughts in my head.

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for commenting - I love getting feedback, sharing experiences and learning from you.

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)