Trash Pickin' Tutorial!

Good morning everyone!  I've had a few requests for tips on "trash pickin" or "dumpster diving" so here's my 101!

TRASH PICKIN LIKE A PRO!

When are trash pickup days in your community?  For my area, it's Monday and Thursday, but just a mile down the road it's Tuesday and Friday. 


What time does the trash get picked up in each neighborhood?  I try to hit the early 7:30 pickups the night before.  All others I have timed and I hit the neighborhoods in time order.  I pick in some neighborhoods that pick up as late as 9:30 am.

What are the best days to trash pick?  For me, it's the first day after the weekend.  People clean their garages out on Saturday and Sunday and I usually find the best stuff then.  With that said, sometimes it's worthwhile to drive around Sunday evening to see if they've put a pile out on the curb.

Other hot spots - People that are moving will usually put piles out before they move.  Know which neighborhoods have a lot of homes for sale and visit them often.  These are also good night time or early morning drive-bys.

Be aware of houses with workers or saws, etc outside.  They may be remodeling or replacing floors.  You can score cabinets & trim or even a good piece of carpet that you can have bound for a rug.


Types of neighborhoods good for trash pickin - I've found that the really ritzy neighborhoods (with the $1M plus homes) are often NOT the best places to trash pick.  I guess they hold on to their stuff!  The best neighborhoods for me are the middle-of-the-road additions, nice but not shi-shi.

Times of the year great for trash pickin - Right after Christmas is a great time and as soon as the weather turns nice people start cleaning their patios and garages and get rid of stuff.

Things to look for - I really don't have a rule here, just anything that catches my eye.  I typically don't dig through people's garbage cans.  I just look for things that are placed out on the curb.  I usually grab and run, instead of inspecting.  If I don't end up wanting it, I just put it back out with my trash.

Keep an open mind.  Accessories and furniture can be repaired and/or painted.  Upholstery can be cleaned.  Items can be repurposed.  My best finds are the things that people were too busy to fix!

DUMPSTER DIVING...Not for the faint of heart!

I haven't done much dumpster diving, but occasionally I'll look.  I know many people that have found great stuff in the dumpster.  Here are some tips if you are brave enough!

Attire - Wear sturdy waterproof gloves, a long sleeve shirt and pants, and closed toe ratty tennis shoes.   You could get dirty!  Bring hand sanitizer!!

Time to Go - Late at night is usually best for business dumpsters but anytime is good for apartment dumpsters.  Don't forget a flashlight if you are going at night!

Bring a friend - It's fun and you want a buddy for safety reasons.

Bring large trashbags or boxes for your finds

Bring something you can hook and grab things out of the dumpster with - a stretched out hanger with the handle as a "hook" works well.  A garden hoe works too.

So have I converted anyone to trash pickin?  Happy hunting!

A Trash Lover's Paradise!

I tell you, sometimes I just feel like the luckiest girl in the world!  

The Trash Picking Gods were definitely with me this morning.  I ventured into some new neighborhoods and scored!  I'm always amazed at what people will put on the curb. 

Check out what I found in the TRASH, for FREE!

Okay, they need a little help but these resin wicker chaise lounges are huge!  Like I could fit two of me on one!  I checked for labels and it's FRONTGATE, score!  These sell for about $300 a piece on their website.

Looks like someone had too many pieces of cake.....or too many beers!  Okay, so here are the problems with these chairs.  Any ideas on how to remedy this all you furniture rehabbers?  I'm definitely going to get cushions for both of them so whatever I do to "fix" them can be covered up.  How do I patch these where they are strong enough to sit on?  Ideas?  I'm thinking duck tape will be involved...

Cute little bench.  The frame is oil rubbed bronze and in perfect condition.  The seat just needs to be recovered.  Easy, easy with a staple gun and some fabric!

Okay the picture frame thingie on the left is a little cheesy but could it be something cute?  It's a pillar holder on top.  Talk about dual purpose!  Any ideas on this would be appreciated.  The basket has dark green trim but I think it will be cute painted white with a turquoise handle.

And here's the trash find I'm MOST excited about...

Remember the bamboo patio dining table?  Well, I ordered a glass top for it last week.  I ordered a 1/4" thick with no bevel and the price was $50.  This was in the TRASH and has a 1 inch bevel and it's at least a 1/2" thick!  I quickly canceled my glass order (fortunately they hadn't made it yet).  It fits the table almost perfectly; I'm so excited!!

So just remember, trash picking can be fun!  You never know what you're going to find.  If you find something cool in the trash drop me a line.  I always love to see what everyone else is finding!

Quickie game room re-do!

Another project I completed on my "computer break" was an overhaul of our children's game room.  This room has been a nasty PIT since we moved into our house 3 years ago.  See evidence here...

Okay, so it really wasn't THIS BAD, but close.  I snapped this pic after I started moving all the furniture out of the way.  This room has been the "catch-all" for our unwanted furniture, kid's toys that are never played with and after moving the sofas, lots of dirty socks and candy wrappers (yuck!)

I had NO budget for this re-do (which is ALWAYS a fun challenge!) so I shopped my house!  I'm always amazed at what I find hidden away in closets and boxes.

Here are the results!

I still need to figure out window treatments, but not bad for $0, eh?  See that rug?  That was a "trash day" find!  I can't believe what people will throw away!  After a dousing of Febreze and a good vacuuming, it's as good as new!

I had these prints from our old house, when I was in my "green & red" phase.

The gray blanket under the TV is temporary until I can find a cool runner.  Our old TV stand was scratched up and the drawers were broken, so this is another trash day find!  It weighs a ton (looked to be from the '70's!) and had a "dungeon-like" door in the middle which I quickly removed.

I consulted with my most favorite blogger Lindsay at Living With Lindsay on how to rehab this piece, since the veneer was all bubbly.  She suggested sanding down through the veneer (which, by the way, took about an hour and some "choice" words!) and then priming the heck out of it (I did 3 coats of primer!)  I spray painted it Rustoleum Colonial Red and then used a dark walnut stain with poly built in to "antique" it.

A big thank you to Lindsay for the advice.  It worked like a charm!

I found this license plate art at Garden Ridge on clearance for $5.  It's been sitting in my garage for the last 3 months waiting for a home.  This hangs over the TV.

I moved the bookshelves that flanked the old TV unit.  This wall has a small inset, so the shelves ALMOST look like built-ins.  The yellow chenille wingback chair was a Craig's list find for $25.  The door you see in the picture goes into the attic.  I like the fact that it's blocked off now (visions of my son playing in the insulation!)

These are the Kassett storage boxes from Ikea.  I love them!  They are cheap and more durable than photo boxes.  I printed labels to organize all the boys stuff.  Let's hope it stays that way!

This was another Garden Ridge find.  They look like lotto balls but they are ceramic.  I got them for $5 for a pack of 18.  Again, they were sitting in my garage waiting for a home!

Stay tuned....tomorrow I'll be showing you the re-do in my son's room!

I'm linking up to DIY Day at A Soft Place To Land and  Metamorphosis Monday at Between Naps On The Porch 

Check these blogs out for more amazing transformations!

HO, HO, HO.....HOT MESS?

Okay, I just completed a holiday project, but not so sure about the results!

I found 3 plates at Goodwill for $.50 a piece.  I liked the detail on the edges and thought with a little white spray paint, I might be able to come up with a cute holiday piece for cheap.  I had stencils already, as well as the acrylic paint for the letters, so the only other thing I bought was a can of Rustoleum Semi-Gloss Pure White Paint (hint - I buy the 2x cover spray paint, because the trigger is fat and you don't get spray paint all over your fingers!)

I started by sanding lightly and then applying 3 coats of spray paint.  All was going well until I checked the final coat this morning and here's what I found....

I don't know if it was the cold temperature (they were drying in the garage) but I ended up with this weird crackle effect.  Never a quitter, I just "went with it".  I experimented with some black & brown acrylic paint (mixed together, cuz that's what I had in the paint box).

I liked the way the dark really gathers in all the crackle and makes them look a little "grungey".

I had originally planned to stencil "wish", "peace" and "joy" but it wouldn't fit on the plate.  So then I thought, "I have 3 plates.  HO HO HO".  Decision made.  I used the same black/brown paint mixture to paint the stenciled letters and then went back over with a dry brush to smudge it a little, since I seemed to be going for a "rustic, french, cottagey" look (yeah, I make up design styles as I go along!)

This is the finished product...

 

Okay, I know the plate on the left is a little lopsided, but I was in such a hurry to get some pictures up, since I've been such a blog slacker lately.

It's either really cute or it's butt ugly.  I have a different opinion of it everytime I look at it.  Right now I've got them leaning up against the backsplash in the kitchen, but I'll probably hang them and run a wide satin ribbon behind them tied with a floppy bow at the top, just to dress it up a bit.

What do you think?  TELL THE TRUTH!  I've got company coming next week and I don't want to be laughed at!  Okay, really my company wouldn't laugh at me.  They would just smile and say "Oh, that's nice!" 

I've got exactly $5.00 invested in this project ($1.50 in plates, $3.50 in spray paint) so if it's meant to go to the decorating graveyard, it won't be the end of the world!

Let me hear from you!

Coming soon....

I'm working on a furniture trash to treasure project right now, so I'm sanding & priming my little fingers off!  Will post that one soon.  Hope I don't have any more disasters!

Trash to Treasure!

I love refurbishing old furniture!  I have about 4 projects sitting in my garage right now, waiting for some magic.   I don't know if it was the nice weather today, but I finally completed a furniture project.

This is an old piano bench that I picked up at Goodwill about 4 months ago...

Isn't she a beauty?  I love the carved detail on the legs and the fact that it could be a really neat storage piece...

 

Oh, what sorts of treasures could I put in here?

It was covered in this lovely burnt orange (really more the color of baby poop!) crushed velvet...

 

So with a little Rustoleum White Spray Paint and striped fabric I found in the clearance bin for $4 a yard at Hancock's, the bench now looks like this...

 

 

I apologize for the "shadowy" pics.  I was taking them at night and trying not to use the flash.

Total cost of this little 30 minute project?  $22 ($15 for the bench, $4 for fabric, $3 spray paint)

I don't know exactly where I will put it yet, but for now, it's in front of the tall mirror in my foyer.  Maybe I will put umbrellas in the storage compartment!

 

Craig's List - a new addiction

Need some new wheels? They are FREE. They're in the pasture out behind my Maw-Maw's house.

A chaise lounge for FREE, yes free. Okay, so it probably needs a little work but did I tell you it was FREE?!

Need some English Ivy? Just come on over and dig it up!

I hear everyone rave over Craig's List and I'm ashamed to say that moi, ever the trash picker, thrift store visitor, etc, has NEVER looked at Craig's List. Yes, I said it, NEVER. So I just perused the site and I will certainly be putting it on my daily rotation.

The coolest thing that got me *giddy* was the FREE section. Yeah, people actually list their unwanted crapola FREE to the first person. Oh, this could be dangerous. I'm seeing a storage unit in my future... I've shown some fine examples above of what you can get for FREE on Craig's List. I should also mention that a lot of the FREE things didn't have pictures, but there was everything from pine trees, to car parts, to baby formula!

Hey, economy's bad. I've gotta save where I can. They are even calling this FREE crap exchange "freecycling". Neato!

Don't forget your local thrift store!

I found a wonderful Goodwill store in my little sleepy suburb! I went in not expecting much and came out with 3 new projects!

Project #1: I bought a cute little piano bench with storage in the seat for $20. The carving on the legs is yummy but it's covered in a mustard velvet ala 1970's! I think I'm going to paint the legs white and cover the seat in a chocolate and white honeycomb print. That's what I envision anyway. We'll see what I come up with at the fabric store!

Project #2: A 3-tier wood table that would be perfect on the back patio as a serving cart for $10! I think I will add casters to the bottom and paint it a fun color!

Project #3: Glass jars w/ lids for $.79 to $1.99. Have you seen those ever-so-perfect pantries in decorating magazines where everything is in labeled cute glass jars? Well, I want to do that in mine too! Maybe it will make my dinky little pantry look a little more respectable! Now my mission is to hit this place every week to get more jars.

Don't forget your local thrift store! There is a treasure trove of decorating for CHEAP! One note on furniture. Make sure the piece is sturdy and is not broken to the point of disrepair. You can change finishes & cover ugly seats. And check back often. These places get new shipments every day!

I will post pics of my thrift store projects....when I can get to them!!