#3: is secondhand good enough?

hell yeah!

when i moved into my first apartment after college, i was furnitureless. save an old futon and a lamp. but i wasn't too worried because there just happened to be an antique furniture store across the street. i was amp'd because i thought antique meant 'vintage' and 'cool' and 'marked down because it's already been used'. little did i know that antique also often means 'expensive'. i was so turned off by the idea of really old stuff costing a gripload of moolah, that i refused to ever really consider buying secondhand. ever. again. oh, except for stuff off craigslist. i heart craigstlist.

but a lot of blogs i've been visiting lately have been rooting the use of secondhand items to bring out personalization in otherwise common ideas. and i think that other than furniture or designer clothes (which can be uber pricey), affordable vintage 'other things' are definitely out there. so i think i'm going to start having an open mind about visiting secondhand stores and flea markets. afterall, when what you don't have is money and all you do have is time...searching for vintage, one-of-a-kind AFFORDABLE frills could be the best solution in creating an event that reflects you.

ideas:
*mismatched but coordinated old vases for centerpieces.
*paper for the invites/programs/seating cards/etc.
*favors (nothing edible, of course)

anything else?