Trash night is the best night.
Paul was away for work last week. A rare occurrence that affords me the opportunity to eat peanut butter for dinner and contemplate the prevalence of ax murderers.
Have you noticed how there are at least 12 times more ax murderers outside your house when your husband is away?
Before Paul left, he said – please do not put anything in the garage while I am gone.
So. Now all these pots are sitting in our driveway.
Prior to marrying Paul, it would not have occurred to me to get out of my car and sift through someone’s trash.
Paul is the one who taught me that trash is not trash… Trash is stuff that other people have been stupid enough to leave at the curb for you to steal.
Paul would bring home a corpse, if he thought he could salvage something useful from it. But he does not have the “collecting” gene.
Obviously I could not leave behind a crate of perfectly good Mason jars. Never mind that I do not make jam. Or can. Or preserve. And even if I did, there is no way I would put food in jars that may last have held cyanide.
But they will be perfect for some simple holiday decorations. OR, if you like your Christmas decorations more complicated… Stick around! I am going to make your wildest dreams come true.
(I have been spending way, way, way, way too much time on Pinterest. My IQ has plummeted to negative.)
Anyway. This was the best part of the trash.
It’s a Flexible Flyer baby sled, model 28. And the best part is that it is stamped on the bottom- made in Philadelphia.
I tried to get Elvis to model it for you. And you can see how that worked out.
This is now my second vintage item that is cat-appropriate. Which is exciting, because once you have two, it can become a collection.
The first was a vintage doll stroller that I bought specifically for her. Which is A – weird on my part. And B – not something she wanted to have anything to do with.
I am pretty excited about the sled as holiday decoration. I skipped Halloween. And Thanksgiving. If I do not do Christmas, they will take away my blogging license.
(Obviously I am kidding. There is no license. Any idiot can have a blog.)
However, it IS true that I am legally required to create fantastic and whimsical tablescapes. And what could be better than putting an ENTIRE sled on your dining room table?
I removed the handle and the wheels. I was afraid I’d have to get Paul to grind the bolts off because they’re rusty, but some oil loosened them up.
I have 57,000 other things to tell you, but I am having a totally disorganized week life.
My entire downstairs is an explosion of holiday crap… Exactly like last year when I wrote a post asking myself WHY DO I HAVE SO MUCH CHRISTMAS CRAP?
Followed immediately by me getting EVEN MORE Christmas crap in the form of a giant bin of disco balls.
This year I have really outdone myself… considering that today I am expecting a delivery of ONE POUND of German glass glitter AND 200 FEET of garland.
I am tired already.
I will love you EVEN MORE… if you share me with your friends.
November 21, 2013 @ 8:59 am
I envy you the mason jars. I would can with them. Just clean them well and run them through the dishwasher. Glass doesn’t absorb chemicals.
November 21, 2013 @ 8:59 am
Christmas crap is fun! And so is trash picking! I’m a master at it, scored all kinds of outdoor toys for my guys when they were wee. It was fun. There’s a town near me that does a twice yearly large pickup trash collection and everyone calls it “Christmas in Collingdale” because there is SO MUCH STUFF. Like, awesome stuff. Including Christmas stuff. It’s awesome.
November 21, 2013 @ 9:41 am
An entire town committed to trash picking? I love it!
The best I have is the weekend between July and August when all our college students have to move out of their apartments. Mom bought that great arm chair – we don’t need it anymore. That end table? It’s just in the way.
There’s always some beautiful stuff at the curb.
November 21, 2013 @ 9:00 am
Totally awesome finds!!!!! I am sure that Paul will forgive you; after all he was the one that taught you to trash pick! I just pulled five outdoor lanterns and two posts with hooks on which to hang them this morning. Yay for trash day!
November 21, 2013 @ 9:03 am
I adore the baby sled and Ican’t wait to see what you’ve done with it. I’m sure it will be spectacular!
November 21, 2013 @ 9:03 am
I so look forward to your posts. They are hilarious!
November 21, 2013 @ 9:04 am
I love you. Today you speak Asheville (Asheville being Curbside Trash Heaven of the World). This makes Asheville love you. It does.
November 21, 2013 @ 9:04 am
My grandmother lived in Connecticut for a time, when I went to visit her from California, I found a full sized, vintage wooden sled. I lugged that thing home on the plane, begging the stewardess to store it where they used to be willing to hang your coat (centuries ago). She did and I used it for Christmas decorations for about 1 year! The child size is so much better. Way to go, Paul will be so proud.
xo,
Karen
November 21, 2013 @ 9:05 am
Ah, mason jars can be all kinds of fun! I am not crafty AT ALL but I can see fun uses in my imagination already. Maybe I’ll have a heroine make them. 🙂 Because, of course, fictional characters can do it all.
I am sure Paul will be pleased with your Stuff Placement. 🙂
November 21, 2013 @ 9:06 am
Love the sled on the table! But if I put a sled on mine I’d have to find somewhere else to put the folded, clean clothes. (Cooking is a strong suit of mine. Housecleaning, not so much.) Love your blog!!!!
November 21, 2013 @ 9:53 am
this made me laugh out loud and scare my dog.
November 21, 2013 @ 9:08 am
Oooooooh – that sled……………. ooooooooooooooooooh……….
November 21, 2013 @ 9:09 am
You’ve stirred me into action! Time to get out and thrift! I love your posts. That lovely sleigh is a real treasure.
November 21, 2013 @ 9:14 am
Wow – what an awesome find! I wish my neighbors had good trash :))
And you can’t beat the price — FREE – Yeepie.
November 21, 2013 @ 9:15 am
My first Christmas gift…..a good laugh. I needed that so much. I am in the process of trying to stow all my good stuff after a move. Slow going. People tell me I need to get rid of it all. Imagine that! They don’t know good stuff. I will let go of a few items though. So I can my “Paul” happy. That will also free up some
time to enjoy your collections…..vicariously.
November 21, 2013 @ 9:21 am
Your blog makes me chuckle; thank you! I don’t know where you all live, but here in Fayetteville, NC all we have in the trash is trash 🙁 And I’m a “junking” expert from living in Germany a couple of times. Missing the good stuff!
November 21, 2013 @ 9:23 am
My Christmas spirit has been coming in and out like a weak radio signal. Thanks for the inspiration. I love the Thanksgiving placesetting idea, great find!
November 21, 2013 @ 9:23 am
Please, please tell us what you are doing with the glitter. I want to order it before it’s sold out, which it will be soon since you mentioned it. Please? I’ll love you forever if you tell me 😉
November 21, 2013 @ 9:28 am
What am I doing with the glitter? Please. The question is – what am I NOT doing with the glitter?
Even the cat should be worried.
November 21, 2013 @ 9:36 am
Ok, I get it! You are a kick! Can’t wait to see the results! And I love the placemats and canning jars. Great idea. Yes, Pinterest can suck your life away in increments of hours/days and make you feel like either you are the most UNcreative person in the world or give you feelings of grandeur that you can DO ALL of this( which when you don’t do all of it, you feel like a failure), darn it! But it’s so fun!
November 21, 2013 @ 6:39 pm
I love how your cat is a family member, my 2 are wonderful! Don’t you think you should have another cat though? Because I just KNOW you have strong potential to be a cat collector. And they would be gorgeous with glitter. Percy’s favorite thing is “helping” me make jewelry. The shinier the better!
November 21, 2013 @ 9:24 am
Thanks for cracking me up this morning. So refreshing to see a holiday tablescape consisting of a giant sled.
November 21, 2013 @ 9:27 am
I hope you are keeping the bankers chair that is in the picture with the pots. I love it!
November 21, 2013 @ 9:29 am
Thanks for the laugh! I’m glad to see that you survived all of the axe murderers. Can’t wait to see what you do with the disco balls, glitter and garland!
~Amy
http://www.lifeonhillst.com
November 21, 2013 @ 9:30 am
You are so much fun. The sled is a great find and should be worth quite a lot when you get tired of it. Not sure I like it on the table though. I donated my Christmas decorations (or most of them) last summer since I was hoping to be moved by this time. Still here and just listed my house. My dogs won’t mind not having a tree, etc. and I will just put Christmas scarves on them.
You could be a blogger who decides not to decorate and start a movement. Blessings