Wordless Wednesday

For the Kids in America (woahohoh!)

 Things have been busy around here. We are visiting family this weekend and, since I hate coming home after a trip to a dirty house, I've been cleaning like crazy the past couple days. I've only gotten a few treasures the past couple weeks, but I thought I'd share a little collection of kid-friendly findings.

I already posted about the awesome booster seat that Aliyah now has, but here are a few toys and things that I've come across in my DD "career":

- A Little Tykes wheelbarrow (donated)
- A small boys bike with training wheels (donated)
- Various children's chairs and stools  (I use to elevated potted plants on my porch)
- A Spongebob outdoor table and chair (used for a bit then donated)
- A Step 2 baby swing shaped like a dolphin (still up for grabs!)
- A Disney Princess playhut. Was missing the pastic poles but my neighbor was kind enough to rig it with some bamboo he had on hand. (definite keep)

There may be more that I can't think of right now. Alot of it was found before I started taking pictures for the blog. But I know of at least a two to get a smile out of my finds....

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!