Some of the nicest salvage I have found was in the dump on a small island in the Bahamas. The local people crave new items from the mainland and will often dump beautiful cast iron bed frames with elaborate scrollwork and replace the bed with something bought in Miami. I remember when I packed up my shipping container, the locals were horrified at the "junk" I was taking home with me. Lots of ancient ballast jars from 1800's ships, bed headboards, hand carved wooden doors -- I left most of my modern furniture in the house.
If you dare to venture into the local trash dump on your travels to unusual places, you can find some really beautiful treasures among the trash. You will have to pick side by side with the poorest people on earth and there could be danger, but I guarantee you will find cool stuff.
Also, digging around old abandoned shacks will provide you with bottles from the 1800's and early 1900's that were thrown out the back window into the "dump" behind the house.
Today I will reveal one of my fave side of the road salvage items. It is a work in progress - I'm fixing the cracks and then will paint this horsie as a Paint! Probably black and white, but any suggestions would be appreciated. My boyfriend saw this put out with someone's trash and knew I needed it to adorn my back garden. I can't believe someone would throw this out!! What were they thinking?
Race right down to the Goodwill store. They have started putting out all their winter jackets and coats. Yesterday I got a brand new (with a couple of spots which came right out) faux white sheepskin drapey jacket just like the ones shown in Vogue and Harper's Bazaar this month for $3.99!! Most coats are priced at $3.99 or $6.99. As you may know, stores now sell to Goodwill some of their overstock or last year's styles - some with tags still on. Hurry up!!
Just getting up and started on this new blog. It will be about me and my eternal search for free or nearly free crap I find on the side of the road or in my favorite store "Goodwill" or at a garage sale or in someone's garbage.
My boyfriend and I have built two houses out of free stuff we found, so trust me when I say that this will be a valuable source for you in your search for clothing, home goods, cars, trucks, interior and exterior design junk and stuff with absolutely no value at all - I just had to have it.
Feel free to chime in on your favorites or tell me to apply for the Hoarders show. All comments welcome.
