Happy Weekend!

This week has been a long one and I'm glad the weekend is here. Thought I'd share another treasure today...a treasure chest!

Found this wicker chest about a month ago. It was a little frayed, but some repairs with some Crazy Glue were an easy remedy. I love the idea of chests, they can hold all kinds of treasures, from family heirlooms to magazines haha. And there is something very romantic about this one, the little bit of damage it has gives it a lot of character. I instantly fell in love with the bird engraved on the latch. I wonder what the previous owners used it for?  It currently holds magazines in our living room, but I'm sure I'll find a more honorable duty in the future :)

-Barbie

Pictures of Me Booty!

Here's some photos of my previously mentioned treasures + last night's find: a huge rolling suitcase.

I've decided that I really don't need the coat since I have one that is similar, so it will be donated along with the other things, including the suitcase. If you are local and want anything I haven't claimed please let me know, I love to find homes for things!

Barbie

I just have to laugh.

A little background on my "dumpster diving": I'm not actually hopping into a dumpster and scouring through knee deep garbage searching for things. The main place I get my treasures is from our neighborhood dumpster area. We have a community trash compactor (stupid idea, it is very inefficient and stinky) and next to the compactor is a little area designated for bulk items such as couches, tables, chairs, etc. However, people put anything and everything they want in there. I also occasionally pick things up off the curb if I happen to drive by.

Now, don't think that I have a garage full of junk. I don't actually keep everything that I find, a lot of it I give to other people whom I know could get use out of it, or I simply donate stuff to thrift shops so it can get a second chance at life.

I just can't let it end up in a landfill, it's such a waste. Whenever the big trucks come around that pick up the bulk items I make myself not look. Otherwise I get very upset seeing wonderful items (including VERY nice furniture) being sent to their death. I know, I'm weird, but everyone has their quirks. I just know that somewhere out there is a family in need of another dresser, a child who wishes for a bike, but for whatever reason they don't have the means to acquire these things.

Before I start to ramble on and on let me list the treasures I found this evening:

Things I'll keep:
- A really funky, Asian looking, paper lantern thing. Totally functional and very zen, perfect for my "studio" (more on that later).
- An awesome Simply Vera : Vera Wang purse, in black. Perfect condition.
- A Jones New York coat, size 4 (it was meant to be). Looks a lot like this one, but it only has 4 buttons. Has pet hair of some sort on it, so I'll probably get it dry cleaned.
- Bloch girls leather ballet shoes. Size 10 1/2, so I still have some time until Aliyah fits in them (she has notoriously small feet), but perfect condition.
- An old canvas print. It's ugly, but slap some gesso on it and I have a free canvas ;)
- Three push pins, because they are always handy lol.

Things I'll take to a thrift shop:
- An unopened package of water wings. We aren't allowed to use them at our community pool.
- Two really nice lampshades, seemed to have barely been used, but they aren't my style.
- A Safety First children's car shade.

Things I'll donate to a shelter or vet:
- Perfect condition cat scratching thing, even has a little poofy ball thingy to play with. Meow!
- Two throw pillows and two very luxurious Nautica towels. I'm sure some poor pup will find them comfy.

Things I haven't figured out what to do with yet:
- Foreign currency. Yup, someone literally threw money away. I mean, I know it's not really usable until you exchange it, but seriously? It's not alot: 3£ 55p, 1 piso, and 10 euro-cents. Why the different currency, we can only wonder.
- A My Little Pony puzzle. My Sweet Pea is currently a MLP fanatic, but she's not ready for a 24 piece puzzle yet. It's in fair condition, haven't decided to hang onto it or donate.

So a good haul today. It just blows my mind that people would throw things like this away. Most of these things are in pristine condition, and some weren't cheap. That purse for example, is still in stores and sells for $70! (yes, i know it's on sale right now, but that's not the point)  I don't know about you, but I'd have a hard time throwing out $70. I want to think that they hope someone will come along and pick them up, but most people think dumpster diving is "icky" or beneath them, and most aren't checking everyday for goodies like yours truly. Plus, the area is open to the elements so things can easily get ruined by rain. My only conclusion is that people are ignorant and lazy. Don't get me wrong, I know there are some things that really are at the end of their life, but so many aren't.

Sigh. It's always bittersweet to find spectacular treasures, so I just have to take it in stride and laugh.

I'd love to hear about any treasures you may have found, so keep an eye out!

Barbie, Dumpster Diver Extraordinaire

P.S - I'll add pictures tomorrow :)

Treasure Mateys!

It's been a little while and I think it is finally time for my first treasure post! It's been good pickings at the neighborhood dumpster area, I guess with PCS season upon us everyone is purging.

I'm really excited about a find from yesterday evening. We've been thinking about upgrading Aliyah to a high-back booster now that she is big enough for one, but have just procrastinated on purchasing one. Lo and behold, what to I find while dumpster diving? You guessed it, a high-back booster. And, it's pink!

For anyone who doesn't know my daughter, let me give you a little tidbit about her. She is 100% girl and pink is her number one favorite color. I swear it's because I wanted a boy when I was pregnant. So it was serendipitous that I come across something that she would treasure as well.

It was completely perfect functionality-wise and had no damage to it at all (I wouldn't use anything that seemed unsafe). Only negative was the state of filth I found it in, and I wasn't sure I could get the stains out of the cover. However, a pre-treating session with some detergent and an old toothbrush (GREAT way to reuse them, they clean more than teeth!) and a run through the washer, and the cover was good as new. I cleaned up the base with some disinfecting wipes, slid the covers back on, and voila! A perfect seat for a princess.

A quick glance at the Graco website revealed that it is actually their current booster seat, pattern name Annette, and has an MSRP of $49.99.  I also downloaded the instruction manual since it obviously wasn't thrown away in conjunction with the seat.  Overall, probably my favorite find so far. So go out and do a little dumpster diving yourself, you'll never know what treasure you may find!

Happy Hunting!

-Barbie

Menchies Munchies.

I had an appointment in Annapolis this afternoon and Aliyah tagged along (when doesn't she?). While there we explored Annapolis Town Centre. I dropped off some of my old Brita pitcher filters at Whole Foods to be recycled, went to Target to pick up birthday gifts for some of Aliyah's friends, and discovered this wonderful frozen yogurt shop called Menchies! (ignore the low quality of my cell phone pictures)

This place was adorable. If you are lucky enough to have one near you I recommend trying it out. It is completely self serve. You choose the fro-yo flavor(s) you want, how much you want, and what kind/amount of toppings, which include local fresh fruit. Then you pay by weight. So essentially you could have a little dab of fro-yo and fill the rest of the dish with strawberries and hot fudge hehe! But there are so many options you could go crazy, so I just let Sweet Pea choose and I shared with her.

We enjoyed a dish of strawberry/peach swirl with gummy bears.

She also got a free sticker and tattoo! When we got home she asked me to put her tattoo on her foot so she can be like mama :)
As we were leaving I realized they even had a playroom for kids, how I missed it coming it I'm not sure, guess I was distracted by the deliciousness. Now I know where I'll be going every time I head to Annapolis!

Wordless Wednesday

Life is just a bowl of cherries. (and strawberries)

I took my three year old daughter, Aliyah, strawberry picking last week. In this super-industrial society that we live in, I hope to show her the simplicities of life. Sure, she watches TV and can use a computer better than my mom (sorry to call you out!), but I strive to balance out her activities with things that are more down to earth - literally. I don't want her to think that our food just magically appears at the grocery store, and since I've never picked strawberries myself it was a learning experience for both of us. I had my good friend and her daughter tag along too, so Aliyah had a pal to pick with.

We went to Larriland Farms in Woodbine, MD, and I highly recommend it to any locals. It is a nice 30-40 minute drive, I always enjoy getting out of the metro area to see the countryside a bit, reminds me of home in Nebraska (I know, I know.) The day we went was the first day that the raspberries and sweet cherries were available for picking. Spinach was ripe as well, but surprisingly Aliyah wasn't too interested it that crop....

We spent a good two hours picking goodies. First we hit the strawberry patch where the picking was good! I felt like a kid on a treasure hunt, every time you lifted a leaf a ruby gem was there, waiting to be plucked. The strawberries weren't the jumbo size fruit that you see at the supermarket; they were small, plump, and almost seemed like props because they were so perfect looking. Aliyah put maybe two berries in our basket, then she just started putting them in her belly :) I ended up carting away 5 1/2 pounds of strawberries, and there is a certain satisfaction in knowing that you selected each berry yourself.

Next we checked out the raspberry bushes. There weren't enough ripe berries to take home a good haul, so we just meandered the row a bit and sampled the fruit. Again, the berries just taste sweeter straight from the source, and I was very satisfied after just a few. Aliyah really enjoyed the one she tried, until she discovered the seeds. I don't blame her, most adults hate raspberry seeds too.

Our last stop was at the sweet cherry orchard, and I think the girls enjoyed this spot the most. They struggled a little with the strawberries because they had to make sure they were red and ripe, but basically all the cherries were ready to pick and the branches hung low enough for them to reach. I took home just under a pound of cherries, and Aliyah actually didn't eat any of her pickings (of course, I did tell her NOT to eat them because of the pits).









After we got home I had an immediate request for strawberry-banana smoothies and I gladly obliged. I froze about half of the strawberries. We've been having strawberry shortcake for dessert almost every night and snacking on the cherries (pits removed for my sweet pea). There are just a few fresh strawberries left, and I think they'll taste fine dipped in chocolate. Perhaps some cherries will join in!

We will definitely be returning throughout the summer to pick more fruits and veggies, I think I'm most looking forward to peach season. If any of you local ladies want to join me we'd be happy to have more picking partners.


Now I'm off to dream strawberry sweet dreams...




Until next time,

Barbie

The birth of a blog.

Well here it is!

I've been talking to friends about starting a blog for awhile, just as a personal project. Some of my most admired friends have blogs (you know who you are) and they've inspired me to start my own digital journey. After much procrastination and little preparation I signed into Blogger and bravely clicked that ominous orange button. I'm an avid Facebook user and it's a great way to connect with friends and family, especially when you're stuck with with a three-year old all day, but I know that my "other" Facebook friends could easily get overloaded if I really posted ALL the pictures and ramblings that is my life. This is just a creative outlet for myself, I don't care if anyone even glances at it.

I first had the idea to strictly post about the treasures that I find. I'm a bit granola and a huge pet peeve of mine is when people throw out useful things. In the age of Craigslist and Freecycle, there is absolutely no excuse as to why you would put things in the trash that others can use. It's a huge waste of resources, manpower, and money. That being said, I appreciate all the awesome finds that I collect from my neighborhood dumpster area. That's right, I'm a dumpster diver and proud of it! I just thought it would be a great idea to show the world that one man's trash truly is another man's treasure so be on the lookout for future posts highlighting my dumpster diving gems.

In addition to my treasure hunting posts, I'll blog about whatever inspires me and gives me tranquility in our crazy world: music, art, literature, yoga, nature, gardening, my home, my friends, and of course my family.

That is all for now, my little sweetpea wants to play outside now that the clouds have cleared.

Until next time,
Barbie