Houses of Hawk Run Hallow

I really really really want to stitch the Houses of Hawk Run Hallow by CHS. (Actually, I want to stitch the entire series.) But, I'm a broke newlywed. ;-) My mother mentioned once something about marrying for money first and then marrying for love, but I wasn't listening.

Not that she did that either, Dad was pretty broke when they first married. Grampa sent them money for winter coats one year, and Mom ended up buying a dog instead, so I figure money wasn't too important to her either. ;-)

Anyway, I've seen various HRH's done in the NPI silks called for, but they're out of my price range. Gorgeous, of course, but I'm pretty sure my new husband would murder me in my sleep if I spent $218 on thread. And, to be honest, DMC isn't my favorite. Some of the dyes feel weird in my hands. It's probably psychological, but I can't help that. So, I'm putting a question out there. Has anyone ever used some silk and some DMC in the same project? How weird would that look? Obivously I'd use all of one or the other for each color, but overall can you tell a difference when you're looking at it?

Or, is there another, cheaper solution to NPI?