I have been busy with newborn life lately and haven't had much chance to get stuck into my blog. However, if you miss me (ha! I make funny) a piece I wrote has been published on Domain.com.au !
I am pretty excited and I have to say immodestly that I really do like this story. It is called 'Confessions of a Verge Picker' and it details my love for trawling the streets, staring at people's junk (minds out of the gutter nerds, not that kind of junk).
My old craft room makeover - done on a very tight shoestrong budget with a few vergeside finds! Photo by Heather Robbins of Red Images Fine Photography.
I pick up junk off the curb all the time. I can't remember if I ever found anything of major value but that is not the point. Just last week, I brought home a small little table (currently in beat up mustardy yellow) with turned legs that I think will look much better in glossy black (although I realize the mustard is in vogue right now). The week before, I found a planter that is an Inka version of the Jonathan Adler's Dora planter. I still have not decided if I will keep it or if I will give it to my neighbour (for whom I picked a lovely hanging basket off the curb a couple of weeks ago). And two years ago, when my TV of the old box-y kind finally died (and I could purchase a thin version) a friend of mine and I dragged it to the curb on a nice sunny Saturday and about a minute after we returned indoors we heard a bang from the street. You would not believe it - a guy with a pick up truck already picked up the TV and was closing the door. He literally must have driven past my house the moment we closed the front door. I hope he was able to fix it (I was sure it only needed a new part).
Best thing I ever got from verge trawling was my 3 piece deep red velvet club lounge. Saw it driving home one night, raced to my brother-in-laws house around the corner where my husband was at the time, dragged them away from their dinner to come and get it with me. By the time I got back there another car was coming to a standstill next to 'my' loot, so I jumped out of the car, sat on the couch and told the persons in car that it was mine. Always had dreams of getting it re-covered but hey, 6 years later it's not done, and I love it even more. Was just telling my daughter the other day that we have only ever bought 6 pieces of furniture for our home, our 3 brekky bar stools, our bed, and my sons bed. All the rest of a heavily furnished house is hand-me-downs or verge picking. Gotta love the council for doing away with Tip Passes!