In with the old, in with the new!

I am a self-proclaimed addict of bargain hunting and I get a kick out of finding stuff for free, or close to it. Case in point - our dining room.
This lovely little secretary was found in a Chicago alley (mirror above it, super cheap at a garage sale)

This piano was given to us for free (take note of the fabric I chose to recover the bench...hint: you will recognize it later in this post)

And this buffet was also given to us - we took it to my dad's custom cabinetry company and sanded it and refinished it with a nice rich mahogany-cast stain

Oh, yes, the rug was another great find - from Craigslist , beautiful rug from Restoration Hardware that I had been drooling over for years on their website and then found it on CL. Yay for CL! Anyways, the buffet has a slightly curved front, and has always presented me with a conundrum - what should I use for a runner? I have kept my eyes open in stores for something with the right color, texture and shape to match the buffet and the decor of the dining room, but to no avail. 

Well, one day the thought occurred to me, "Why don't you just make one!?" And so I went to my 'craft closet' and searched through my fabric scraps and came up with this lovely assortment:

Then, after a week of sewing, cutting, trimming and forcing my husband to put up with pins, scissors, ironing board, sewing machine, and fabric sprawled everywhere...and tantalizing the cats with the thread, pins and needles...

I finally completed the project, and although it took a while for it to grow on my hubby, I was immediately pleased with the results, most of all, b/c it was FREE!

Yay for being able to create something cool from scratch!
And speaking of something cool, check out this adorable candle-holder my mom gave me for my birthday