Look What I found at the Dolla Store | Part One

I seriously questioned whether or not I should do this post. I mean, I don't want people thinking I'm a bag lady who only shops at the dollar store! I don't really mind what everyone thinks of me out there in bloggyland, but when I find out that people I know are dropping by to read my poorly composed dollar-store-centric posts, well, then I care a bit. Full disclaimer here: I am not a dollar store diva. I like to buy my pantry jars and other organizational items at the dollar store, but I do not and would not ever buy grocery items or clothes, or gifts for people at the dollar store. There's a time and a place people, and Dollorama aint the place!

That being said, I was surprised by all the pretty awesome things at the dollar store during my last visit. Sometimes, that same thing you'll buy at the mall, or on ebay, can be found at your dollar store for a fraction of the price. Everything is made in China by the same factories, right? Time we get our heads out of the sand. I recently bought an iPhone car charger there, and guess what? It works!

So while I was there picking up, yes, some more jars, I gave myself a little challenge. Why not see what awesome and cool things I could find at the dollar store that I wouldn't normally buy. And why not share them with you? I was shocked by the number of people who saw my pantry post and let me know that they rarely step foot in the dollar store. Well, people, you don't know what you're missing! And well, now you will know because I will show you.

So here it is, the first part to my series Look What I Found at the Dolla Store.

Again, I have never ever bought accessories at the dollar store, but this was a challenge so I had to, right?

This aqua scarf is actually my favourite thing I found. The colour is delicious in real life and I love the metallic sparkle in it. It isn't that long, but I've been thinking of sewing it end to end to make a spring infinity scarf. As is the case with most items I buy, wash it first to get rid of any heebeejeebees. Oh, and the scarf was only $1.50. Yesiree.

These gold bangles and cuffs I found amongst loads of other pretty hideous jewelry. Great for little girls I'm sure, but beyond that, yuck. I decided to give a little dig, and this is what I came up with. I don't wear a lot of gold jewelry. Don't get me wrong, I lurve the look of gold jewelry, especially in the spring/summer accented with pops of colour, or even just plain white. I just haven't made the transition yet. I haven't committed myself to it to splurge and spend a pretty penny on enough gold accessories to make it worth my while. Spending $4 to test out the golden look to see if it's somewhere I want to go? Done. I love that the set of bangles included a black and white twine bangle as well. Really helps break it up. The cuff is fantastic as well. I'm already thinking of a DIY I can do with it. Ribbon? Gimp? Rope? Not sure yet, but Pinterest will lead the way.

And despite my reservations, I can actually see myself wearing these now. At first, I was a bit "Ewww it's from the DOLLAR STORE, gasp!" but after much self talk, I realized the cheap costume jewelry I buy for fun at accessory stores in the mall, well, they do come from the same place. Don't fool yourself.  They do. Will this replace quality statement pieces in my jewelry box? Heck no! But hopefully will help beef up my arm party a bit! Call them "fillers" if you like.

My next vignette centered around this $2 frame. It's white. It's plastic. It has some nice modern lines to it. And if you don' t want to use it as a frame, throw some craft paper or a piece of fabric in there to make an adorbs little tray.

Perfect for accessories, throw it in your closet for some cheap and easy decor. Annnnd (I'm dying a little bit in side as I type this) I accessorized with some (gasp!) faux flowers. Eeeeek! I know it's spring. I know fresh flowers are incomparable. You're preaching to the choir right now. I get it. As a wedding planner I hammered the importance of real flowers into every bride's noggin. BUT, and I really mean BUT, sometimes they are ok. Example: you buy fresh flowers, you put them throughout your main floor, maybe a small bunch in your room, but mostly throughout your main living spaces. Now your guest room could use a pop of colour. Or maybe your closet. But you're not going to spend $ on fresh flowers that will be gone in a week for a room that barely gets used or seen, are you? Probs not. I don't, anyways. So this is the case in which FAUX flowers are better than NO flowers. Remember that little ditty. The multi strand bracelet is also from the $ store. I have some DIY plans for it that involve removing some strands and replacing with my own.

What are your thoughts? Am I crazy?

And stay tuned for the rest of this series! I will also be covering: home decor, tech gadgets and crafting. Have something else to add? Would love to hear it!