Curbside Pickings

Curbside Pickings on our street this past summer have been plentiful. Wednesday, early morning, is garbage pickup day. The cans go out Tuesday night, with one can for recycling, one for trash, one for yard waste and a pile for miscellaneous. DBH and I walk our dogs, am and pm down our street so our eyes are always on the lookout for the pickings left curbside.

 

This table was one of our biggest scores this summer. Neighbor Ed had set it out for trash pickup. We were walking the dogs that morning as the garbage truck turned down our street. I told DBH to run and check the table out to see if it was real wood. Just as he got there the garbage man was getting ready to throw it in the cruncher, without looking at it DBH grabbed it from him. We brought it home to check it out. On the underside was a stamping that read: SOLID CHERRY. Yahoo we hit the jackpot. We didn't need another coffee table so I put on my thinking cap while DBH started disassembling it. It was a few weeks  before I came up with an idea.

Our guest bedroom had been lacking nightstands by the bed. DBH cut the coffee table top in half for the two tops of the night stands, he used the coffee table apron wood for the sides and drawers and only had to buy wood for the legs as we needed 8 legs and the table only had four. When he was done the only thing we had left from that coffee table were those four legs. Volunteering at a greyhound rescue, I learned that the taller/larger dog breeds use raised feeders to eat. The leftover legs were perfect for a raised dog feeder. DBH made a feeder using those legs and the proceeds of it's sale will be donated to the greyhound rescue.

We invited our neighbor Ed down to see what we had made with his thrown out coffee table. He was amazed that it  looked so good. The table had been in his family for 40 years and was so scratched up that he didn't think it had any life left in it. I think he was having second thoughts about it...

Another Curbside Picking

 

Our neighbor Sherry and her husband Hugh were moving. She had grown tired of these Florida style chairs so Hugh was carrying them out to the curb for garbage day while I just happened to be driving by. I had been searching for some new dining room chairs but just couldn't justify spending the money when the chairs we had were okay. These chairs were a big upgrade from our current chairs. The style wasn't what I had in mind but they were free. I grabbed them, touched up some scratches and got a bargain on some new fabric for seat cushions (which I haven't done yet). The style is growing on me and they are a lot more comfortable than our old chairs. After talking with Sherry I figured I saved about a thousand bucks after hearing what she paid for them. Thanks Sherry for the chairs!

 

Another Curbside Picking

 

Neighbor Bill and his wife Elizabeth from across the street were also moving. I could keep an eye on any curbside pickings from their house thorough my sewing room window. I spotted these wood boxes one day and sent DBH over to check them out. Not sure what I was going to do with them but they were made out of great rough sawn cedar wood with nails that had discolored on the sides. They needed a good scrubbing which I did before bringing them inside. I set them in this spot in the great room so I could ponder on what to do with them. Then I had one of those AHA moments! So simple and no tools required.

 

 

 

Stacked up, they became the small book shelf that DBH hadn't gotten around to building for me. The only thing left is for DBH to put some small feet on the bottom box so it isn't sitting directly on the floor. Though the pickings on the street have slowed down, the snowbirds will be arriving soon and it should "pick" up again.

Happy Pickings, Karla