Saving $315.00

About a year ago I went into Thomasville Framing store and asked if they would give me a price for putting a baby dress of the girls into a shadow box.  The dress is precious.  They each wore it on their first day of Sunday School, which is when they were 6 weeks old.  My mom always told me to do this, but I had been putting it off.  The lady helping me pulled out a gorgeous frame and the prettiest green fabric background you have ever seen.  It set off the pink and green smocking perfectly.  Then, after we had both “ooh-ed and ahhh-ed” about it, she told me it would cost about $325.  “Really?  Ok, well, let me ask my husband, and I will get back to you.  Thank you.  C’mon, kids, let’s go……,”  I said in a very sweet, calm voice.  Then, I got in the car and called Josh, “Can you believe they expect me to pay over $300 to have a dress put in a frame?!”  Josh said, “You didn’t do it, did you?”  “Of course I didn’t do it!….It did look really good though.”  Silence.

Fast forward to today when I was going into Michael’s because a friend sent me a 60% off custom framing coupon.  As I walked to the back, no one was around to help me, so I wandered over to the frames section, and I found a shadow box that was about the right size.  The frame was very simple, borderline boring.  The backing was just plain felt black.  HOWEVER, it was $19.99 with 50% off.  $9.99 was going to be the price.  It was mine.

Is it beautiful?  No.  Is the backing just perfect for the dress?  No.

But, I don’t look at the frame when I look at this.  I see the sweet little dress that my girls wore when they were itsy bitsy.  And they aren’t itsy bitsy any more!  For now, it will do.  For forever, it will probably do….unless we become trillionares that just need something to do with all the extra money.