Just Another Hang Up: PB Drink Caddy Turned Centerpiece

Monday, May 17, 2010

PB Drink Caddy Turned Centerpiece

Several weeks ago I mentioned that I had purchased a galvanized metal drink caddy from Pottery Barn. I first saw this gorgeous piece of decor filled with beautiful objects -- not just beverage bottles -- several months ago on "someone's" blog. Unfortunately, I have spent the last 30 minutes trying to find that post amongst my katrillion "bookmarked" posts to no avail. I also can't remember the person who posted or the blog it was on! (Yes, that details the state of my muddied mind at the moment.) I hate it when I can't give credit where credit is due -- especially when her ideas were ones that I used. (So sorry.)

(Update! Good news. Today I was rifling through my blog list and came upon a site that I knew immediately was the one where I had first seen the drink caddy. Ten minutes later I had found the post! Go here to "No Minimalist Here" to see the original post I referred to in the above paragraph! I definitely want you to see Sherry's version because it is so lovely!)

{Above image from Pottery Barn website.}

Anyway, after seeing that elusive post, I high-tailed it to PB and bought a drink caddy to fill with luscious objects. I wanted to use it as a centerpiece on our dining table off our kitchen. The purchasing of the caddy was the easy part. Finding the "luscious objects" proved to be more of a challenge.

My first stop was to a few local thrift stores and flea markets to see if I could find three old milk bottles to fill with water and fresh flowers in to put into the container. I found one at a thrift store and two more at a flea market. The thrift store find cost $.50 -- the flea market finds cost $10 & $12. That's a good illustration of the difference between prices at a thrift store and prices at a flea market. Thrift stores always have better deals! Here are those cute little milk bottles...

Next I wanted to try to find some pewter cups to fill in a couple more spaces in the caddy. Instead I found these hammered silver tumblers on Etsy. I had a difficult time finding items that would fit well in the spaces provided. These worked like a charm!

I then went hunting for some silverware to put in one of the hammered tumblers. This time I was smart and went straight to a thrift store. I found some unmatched silverware (6 forks and 6 knives) for $.25 each. When I went up to pay for them, the cashier only charged me $.97 for all of them. I mentioned to him that he was only charging me 1/3 of the actual price. He looked at me like I was an idiot. I shut my yap and moved on. I don't know why I get pleasure out of mismatched silverware, but I do.

At that same store I also picked up this sweet little vinegar bottle for $.10. Love the ribs on it. I filled this baby with rocks, mostly because I couldn't think of anything else to put in it. I also wrapped a little tag on it that I received when I bought the next item.

These next items -- two little vintage linens -- were found here on Etsy. My kitchen and nook colors are blue and white with a few yellow accents, so I love these colors tied into the caddy.