Tuesday, October 7, 2014

Firsts of the month

My favourite days are the first days of the month. This is when some of the local towns have their large item pick up day. This month I discovered that another nearby town also had a designated large item day, so I went to check it out...it was amazing! This area is a bit more affluent so the amount of stuff at the curbs was mind boggling. I really wish I had a trailer to save all this stuff, but alas, I once again had to leave some stuff behind.

The sad thing is that this town has 2 "treasure hunt" days every year to promote Earth Day and recycling. On these days, you can put out anything you want to give away for free at the curb, let the town know, and they will publish your address on their website. People go around with their lists and maps and hunt for "treasures". I have been to the treasure hunts 2 years in a row and it seems all anyone puts out is crappy little trinkets, wicker baskets, old kids toys, and water bottles.

All the stuff below was found 4 days after the treasure hunt. None of these people signed up for it, or left their stuff out on the treasure hunt day. Instead or recycling or donating, they decided to dump instead. :( Seems the real treasure hunt is on large item garbage day instead.

Let's take a look at what I got on Tuesday night...

My first pick up was this toddlers trike. It may be a bit faded, but it is still in good condition and ready for another child to play with it.


Next up, a large bird cage. Nothing at all wrong with it. There were some wood shavings at the bottom, so maybe it was used for a rabbit or guinea pig. Maybe the pet died or they upgraded to a better cage, who knows, but a perfectly good cage was headed for the dump. I ended up dropping this one off at my friend's house. She has a bunch of birds, and helps/rescues anything that comes near her, so I'm sure it will be come in handy for her to have an extra.


This baby swing is still swingable! It's just a bit faded from the sun. To the second hand store it will go!





The next stop had these 7 hula hoops in perfect condition at the curb. Leftover's from a party perhaps? I donated them to my kid's little school as they go through outdoor toys like crazy. This place also had a beautiful twin sized kids bed frame out. It was made of real wood and I wish I could have taken it. Hopefully someone else did.



And then I came across a huge pile at one house. There was so much stuff! I wondered how I would fit it all in my car, but somehow I managed!

Here is the first box I grabbed...


What was inside? A bunch of books, some instructional DVDs, a small magnetic mirror, hand cream, a pen, a small bracelet, and some single wrapped tampons. There was also a Movie Scene card and a $5 movie theatre coupon.


On top of all that were 3 purses. The one on the left is an XOXO purse, the middle one doesn't seem to have a brand, and the one on the right is a Chanel. Most probably a fake.


Box 2 was much bigger and heavier.



Inside I found...A novelty hockey team beer bottle piggy bank, a few VHS tapes, an unused face cage for a hockey helmet, a few toiletries, a soap dispenser, a timer, an electric razor, a stainless steel toothbrush holder, curtain ring clips (still in the package) a tray that says "Bath Girl" on it and features a little cartoon woman in a bubble bath, a hockey medal, 2 trophies, a battery charger with one battery inside, a few hot rod magazines, a fake flower, an LED monkey keychain still in the package, a drillbit, a dictionary, and a camera case.


There was also all kinds of electronic and computer cables, text books, 2 software CDs and one bootleg photoshop CD, an autographed Drake CD, "Marine Sharpshooter" triolgy CD-rom game(s), another unidentified CD, an entire season of the TV series 24, and an empty unused 2G memory card.



This photo frame still has the stock pictures in it


This wooden carved head is really neat


and this 3 piece painting ended up on my living room wall.


On top of the leather couch they were also throwing away, I found various pieces of art




including this massive canvas print.


I also grabbed this big bulletin board which I'll probably put up for my kids who are always hanging their paper drawings all over the house.


This cord cabinet was still unused in it's box


This bag was tossed on the pile


 as was this awesome like-new carry on bag that was stuffed full of... stuff


 Inside was 2 beachy tote bags, a binder, an orange slice make-up bag, and 2 other purses. The pink bag on the bottom left is a "Chanel", most probably fake as well.


Inside the purses I found: 2 combs, wrapped maxi pads, hair elastics and bobby pins, a pack of matches, a sewing kit and shampoo from a hotel, a small kiddy spoon, a paint brush and .53 cents.


 Out of one of the bags also fell this ring. It's marked as 925 silver and it's missing the center stone. I shook the purse out hoping the loose stone was in there, but nothing else fell out, so it must have been lost at another time.


At this time my car was stuffed to the point of exploding, and it was nearing 11pm, so I had no choice but to head back home. The next morning I was waiting for our computer guy to show up at 10am. I couldn't stop thinking about all the things that were still out there, all the streets I missed, all the stuff I didn't see in the dark and all the stuff that was going to get chewed up by the garbage truck. I was thinking that I would be back out there saving as much as I could if I wasn't stuck here waiting. As luck would have it, the technician called and said he wouldn't be able to come until much later in the afternoon. I quickly gathered up my youngest and headed back out.

I did spot the garbage men a few times ( I counted 3 different trucks) but I did manage to save the following:

A perfect like-new baby bouncer



a  booster seat



This wooden piece is actually a hamper


a great little round table


and this beautifully decorated faux leather trunk/foot stool. There is a tiny 1 inch slash on the top but it is barely noticeable. A little Krazy Glue, and 5 seconds later...it was repaired! Now you can't see the slash at all :)


Again there were many things that just wouldn't fit in my car that I wish I could have taken...someone actually put an entire jungle gym with a twisty slide at the curb! At least now I know about this town and will be able to save more stuff from the landfill. Here is my car stuffed with donations for the second hand store. Yes, I kicked the cat out before I left!


Wednesday night I headed to a very small near by town that has their large item day on the first Thursday of the month. It's so small I can usually cruise the whole town in about 15 minutes. I wasn't really finding anything when I came across a pile. These people had a big exercise bike and a stepping machine out along with a large round table and a chair. I stopped to take a look, but decided that the exercise equipment was just too heavy, and I didn't really have the room for it at home. I also checked out the chair on a whim. I couldn't find anything wrong with it, no scratches, no stains, no tears, nothing. It was clean under the cushions, and last but not least, it passed the sniff test. However, I never really pick up furniture unless it is really something special, so I drove off.

As I was driving, I couldn't stop thinking about the chair. It was so awesome looking, so perfect, I couldn't believe anyone would just throw it out. I tried to get it out of my mind and told myself I didn't even have room in the car for it because of my seats. Then I pulled over, popped the back hatch and looked at my seats. I popped them out, and shoved them as far forward as I could and drove back to the chair. 

As I came around the corner, I could see a pick up truck had stopped and I thought "Nooo! I'm too late!" But as I pulled up, he was just finishing loading the exercise equipment into his truck bed, he looked over at me and gave me a friendly nod, and drove off. *phew!*

I popped my hatch and hoped that I could fit the chair in. Not only that, but I hopped that I could actually lift it! I don't know how I managed, but the neighbour and the person that lived across the street watched as I squatted down, lifted that chair, walked over to my car, and pushed it in. Thanks for the help there guys, geeze! :P

Here it is in all it's comfy, faux suede glory. It's so amazingly comfortable...I'm so relaxed in this chair, I love escaping here with my tablet or book. I can't imagine why anyone would throw it out! It's in like-new condition. The only thing I could think of was that maybe these people bought a couch that had this matching chair thrown in and it just didn't fit in their house. But then again...why just throw it out?!


To finish off the night, I also found this high chair in good condition. If I can't sell it, I'll be taking it to the second hand store.



Thursday night I headed off to yet another town to scope out their large item throw aways. In this town on my first stop I found...

This light generator set for a bike. I looked it up online and it was made in 1971. 43 years and still in the package, never used!


I also picked up this box and bag at one stop that turned out to be a 90's blast from the past. This wardrobe looked straight out of Beverly Hills 90210


Here it is all washed and ready to go to the second hand store. 2 items that stood out were a little hand knitted baby hat and mitts, a figure skating skirt with a club logo and achievement badges sewn on to it...


 and this faux suede jacket


Next stop threw out this carved wooden sun and clouds which I think will look great in a kids playroom, nursery, or even at a home daycare


They also threw out this large Christmas candy cane decoration. The lights don't work, but they can be replaced. There is a huge suction cup on the back so it can hang on a window or door.


 On another street I found this kid's activity table. The batteries were still in it, and it still works fine. You can kind of see that one of the lights is flashing on the telephone in the front. It is missing the little telephone handset, but when I was looking up this table online, it seems that a lot of people were selling it with a missing phone piece. I guess it was easy to lose!


 Next up, these 2 folding chairs. They are in a bit of a scruffy condition, just the lacquer is a bit chippy, but I think it gives them character and I like the way they look. I won't be able to keep them though, so they will either be sold or donated.


 This footstool and garbage can was at the next stop. The foot stool is in great condition except for a few stains on top. You can actually see the pattern of a shoe that made the marks. I grabbed it on a whim and decided I will spray paint it brown on a nice dry day and see how it turns out. I figure this way the stains get covered and the colour will help future stains from showing up. If it doesn't work, no loss, no gain, right?


I can't imagine why this 3 compartment garbage can was thrown out. It's in perfect condition. Each compartment is a bit small though, only fitting those small white kitchen garbage bags. Being too small is the only reason I could think of as to why this would be thrown out. It's so cool, I wish I had the room to keep it, but I don't. I listed it for sale online for $20 and already have a 7 person line up for it.


The  next few stops netted me a bunch of art...

This giant canvas print


This mounted Renoir poster



Ballerina Girls. I love how vintage this is. If only I had a girl's room to decorate...


and this buck. He's magnificent! :P Totally not my style, but I do like the colours used in the painting. It's an actual paintiung and it just screamed "SAVE ME!"



The last stop for the night got me these twin mirrors in which Marvin, my garbage cat, is admiring himself in...


And this great vintage bread box. I love the style of the writing. The B and the P were a bit faded, but I got one of my kids colouring pencils in a matching colour and filled it back in. It's perfect again! 


The 4th town I hit the next night was even smaller than the second town, but I didn't come away with much. I found a hockey goalie stick for my son in pretty decent condition, and this real leather foot stool. My husband claimed it right away so he could put his feet up at his desk, but I think it's too big for the room. I'm not sure what we're going to do with it yet.



 Lastly, by chance on the weekend when I went through a town I don't usually visit, I came across a curb pile that contained an old stove, some baseboard heaters, wood scraps, and this mountain bike. I checked it out and it looks great. My son spent all of Sunday riding it around. :)


And that ends my first of the month adventures for October! I can't wait until the firsts of next month!

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