Talking Trash

Dumpster diving, roadside reappropriation, trash-to-treasure, or curbside shopping… No matter what you call it, scouring the roadside on bulk trash day can yield some terrific furniture finds.

The trick is to be suave about it...

Or simply shameless.

Now, MY technique? Well, I may SOUND bold here in the safety of my comfy Internet home. But when it comes down to the actual ACT of garbage-picking, I am a big ol’ scaredy-cat-- deeply afraid of embarrassing myself.

Not that that prevents me from TAKING the trash, of course. It just means I lean more toward the Stalking method.

You know the Stalking method? I see a potential find… size it up... drive by... maybe drive by again, and wait for the perfect unobtrusive moment... to pop it in my trunk, dive behind the wheel and burn rubber.

It’s kind of like a Mafia kidnapping...

So I hear.
Now if the item is on MY street, I might saunter out onto my front porch and pull at a stray weed or two, keeping the prey in my peripheral vision.

I listen for traffic... la, la, just me weeding here, nothing to see...

Wait for the guy walking the pug to go by… “Yes, hello, sir, howya doing? Nice day. Fine pug...”

Allow three minutes for the curly tail to shrink safely into the distance and...

Go!- GO!- GOOOOO!

Like a Navy Seal on a tactical mission except, you know, not in water or actually athletic, I run across the road, a red-headed blur, and seize the item.

A glance right, a glance left, and another lightning fast jaunt, and I’m home safe with my prize.

I waited out my first roadside chair for FOUR HOURS, stalking that thing until my neighbors-- who were chatting on their front porch-- finally went inside and allowed me to get down to business.



In those days, I was right out of college, had nothing to my name but three milk crates and a fold-out bed, and I really needed the furniture.

And the chair was a sweet little 1930s number with Tudor legs and a bad wood finish-- but lots of potential.

Today it’s this. I stripped it, reupholstered the seat, and now it resides in my Medieval/William Morris styled living room.

The biggest expense ended up being the tapestry for the cushion, which I purchased at the Greater Pittsburgh Renaissance Faire.

Below is another roadside discovery, and one of my absolute favorites.

The chair was originally this cream shade, but a bit stained. So I repainted it, distressed it a little, and gave it a new seat cushion of vintage pink velvet. It now lives merrily in my guest room. How cute are those spindles?


Now these two chairs below were my most recent finds.



As you can see, I’m in the process of recushioning them from the weird cream burlap on the left to the vintage hunter green velvet upholstery fabric on the right. I’ll be giving these to a friend’s mom, who could use some replacement dining chairs for her well-worn set.

The funny story behind these chairs is they weren’t put out to trash the same week. The first week was the armchair. And then the next week before trash pickup, I looked out the window and… could it be?

It was. I lifted the chair, tucked it inside the house, went off to work, and no one was ever the wiser!

Okay, so you may be thinking, “Are chairs the only thing you can get from the side of the road?”

Why, no! In fact, many good pieces of furniture are put to the curb every day, in search of new homes. The reason my pictures here are so chair-centric is more related to my physical limitations, than curbside quality. It’s much easier to do the Stealth technique with a dining chair instead of, say, a seven-foot long buffet when you’re one gal trying desperately to be subtle.

Also, I have a compact car.

Oh-- and before I go-- one more pic!

This picture is courtesy of one of my friends, the current owner of the chair. This was a roadside find I reupholstered... and which adopted my friend as new owner because it went so well with her existing decor.

So one more roadside chair has found its place in the world! And it’s easy to feel good about curbside shopping when you can uncover treasures you love and can really use. In a society that’s becoming more and more disposable, I just like to think I’m helping do my part by turning potential landfill into a little luck.

All Hail the Regent Square Yard Sale

What’s that old Who song about how “I’d walk 900 miles”? Well, apparently I’D walk 900 miles if a vast neighborhood yard sale were involved...

And I’d FEEL every mile of it the next day, too.

But in a good way. At the Regent Square annual neighborhood garage sale, a little bit of physical pain is to be expected. It just shows you really put in the time and the effort in search of little treasures.

And let me tell you, the little treasures seem pretty darned big-- or at least weighty-- after three to four hours of trekking, carrying them.

It was not quite eight a.m. when one of my friends and I began our adventure last Saturday, powered by some serious caffeine, and wearing our most sensible shoes. The vendors were just setting out their wares, and even so, it seemed pre-sales in some areas had intervened, making certain purchases impossible.

“We already bought all this,” a lady said protectively to a few of us lookey-loos, giving a sweeping gesture across some 40s panther lamps, a Shabby Chic-ed up mirror, and a pile of other things that were too numerous to register so early in my caffeination process.

It was okay. I am not in lack o’ stuff, and my deep lamp obsession apparently doesn’t extend to pottery panthers.

So my friend and I trekked on. My first purchase was some green Depression glass-- I think the larger of the two is for butter. The other smaller, lidless container I’m currently using for Sweet ‘n Low (doubtless, the Depression-era manufacturers would be surprised at this new use).

A little way down the road, my friend added to her Avon Cape Code ruby glass collection with a vase-- for just $3. And further still, the local antiques store, Le Mix, was having a sale in their back alley, where I came across these old greeting cards, Valentines and Easter programs.


It looks like someone had used them for a bit of roughly-executed crafting, stapling cream-colored lace around their edges. So I’ve been spending a little time removing the staples from these where possible and trying to get them back in a better form.


In some cases, though, the lace just looks really pretty. So maybe I’ll just remove the staples, give it a new backing and glue.

By this time, the rummage sale on Mifflin Avenue was open. And there I came upon this little Madame Alexander “Alice in Wonderland” doll.


As you can see, she needs a bit of TLC. (The photo below kind of makes me laugh, because in person she doesn’t have the creepy, overly-alert look that got captured via the camera. The Alice above looks like she’s got Gothic, nefarious plans.)

Anyway, the little gal has her original dress, pinafore and underthings, but a little research seems to show she’s been given shoes and socks different from the black Maryjanes and stockings she was supposed to come with. Her face also has some smudges. If anyone reading has tips on how to clean the face of a plastic doll without harming her, I would love to hear from you. Also, if you happen to know of anyone who sells replacement stockings and shoes for Madame Alexander dolls like this.

Thanks!

The next church rummage sale was at the Waverly Church on the corner of Forbes and Braddock. There I got a number of pieces of French pink glass that fills out a set I’ve been accumulating through thrift stores. At three pieces for $1.00, it was an exciting find.


So what lies ahead next week? Join me as we revel in, and renovate, some roadside finds. There’s nothing like the early summer to support one’s trash-to-treasure dining chair habit!

Have a wonderful week, my friends!

Meet the Arts: Art Deco and Art Nouveau

I view the Art Deco and Art Nouveau styles like fine old relatives…

I love to see them, I value them for their character, and they’re absolutely welcome in my home.

Funny thing is, only recently have I come to learn the differences between ‘em.

And maybe it’s just me-- but initially I found it VERY CONFUSING when these two particular style terms were bandied about.

(I used to get Grandpa and Great-Uncle Irvin confused all the time, too.)

But I realized lately I’ve been doing more than my share of, um, bandying here on this site. Which seems kind of unfair.

So today, for anyone else out there who’s as confused as I was about the difference between Grandpa and Great-Uncle Irvin—

(Wait.)

--The difference between Art Deco and Art Nouveau, today I hope to make that just a little bit clearer.

And for you folks who know this stuff already and are yawning politely into your hands, I hope you’ll stick around today, anyway-- for the spiffy photos, the camaraderie, and the tuna ball.

There’s no question, for anyone who likes to decorate, it’s infinitely useful to be able to identify particular types of design. Certain design movements automatically compliment each other, and having a little insight into style and time period of an item can often explain just why that is.

This makes it easier to make better choices in picking out accessories. It means there’s less trial-and-error in your purchasing. And you have a better chance of snapping up some great vintage finds cheap! (Which is totally what I’m about.)

So when it comes to decorating, as a wiseman once said, “Knowledge is half the battle.”

Well, that was the “GI Joe” cartoon. But still. Wise words.

Ahem, moving on...

What IS Art Deco and Art Nouveau? Merriam Webster has this to say:

“Art Deco: a popular design style of the 1920s and 1930s characterized especially by bold outlines, geometric and zigzag forms, and the use of new materials (as plastic).”

And this:

“Art Nouveau: a design style of late 19th century origin characterized especially by sinuous lines and foliate forms”

But, really, sometimes a picture’s worth... well, two dictionary definitions.

And I think by far the most popular recent use of Art Nouveau I’ve seen has been within the “Lord of the Rings” films in the elfin village, Rivendell. (Credit for these photos goes to the original photographers... I just think this is a really good modern example... Mind the Hobbits.)

You can see, art nouveau is organic, with sinewy vine-like lines. It’s an interesting usage because historically, women depicted within the style ARE a bit elfin or otherwise mythic, with flowing tendrils of hair, a lot like the vines themselves. Art nouveau can be very ornate.

In contrast, I’d say one of the most wonderful examples of art deco architecture is the Chrysler Building in New York City...

Though you’ll probably see a more down-to-earth deco in the architecture of almost any unrenovated 50s diner. (Again, copyright lies with the original photographers. I am only using this for educational purposes. I make no profit from this.)

Art Deco may use mythic subject matter the way Art Nouveau does, but it’s more geometric, using shapes like rows of straight lines, Greek keys, pyramids and lozenges. The women in deco are often more streamlined, and less detailed than nouveau ladies, taking on the modern flapper qualities and less of the Victorian heroine or goddess look.

So how does this apply to your home? On to accessorizing! (This is the fun part.)

Here we have some nice examples of art nouveau and art deco in jewelry. You probably recognize one of them-- at left is a pin based on one the characters wore in “Lord of the Rings.” (And yes, I am a big nerd, why do you ask?) But to be honest, I own this because it really couldn’t be more Art Nouveau. It’s a leaf, but more stylized, with silverwork that winds in unexpected ways, almost like Celtic knots.

With it is a rhinestone pin from around the 30s made by a company called Coro. I got this at the U.F.O in Greensburg, PA. The pin is made up of various geometric shapes, almost like a labyrinth. Very deco.


When you’re talking Art Deco in pottery, Fiestaware-- like the little yellow vase below which I got at the Goodwill recently-- has it in spades. Tidy and streamlined, the form is equally at home in an arts-and-crafts home as it is a modern one. (Notice the tiered geometric pattern at the bottom of the yellow vase. You’ll see that in the Chrysler Building as well. That kind of linear tiering is typical of Deco.) While the little Art Nouveau jobby next to it elaborately uses a Christmas cactus motif as the basis for its design.

(Admittedly THIS style can be more of an acquired taste. When I got this vase from my great-aunt as a teenager, I affectionately referred to it as, “The Ugly Vase.”)

Well-- hopefully you all are not snoring face down right now, and maybe even feel armed with a bit of extra info to support your thrifting, antiquing, and just mainstream decorating.

And for you folks who were already Deco- and Nouveau-savvy, and you still managed to stalwartly make it through today, I am a gal of my word. Here is a recipe for Tuna Ball.

(Weren’t expecting that, were ya? Ha! :-) )

Tuna Ball

--1 can tuna (water packed)
--1 large cream cheese
--few drops of lemon juice
--Salt and pepper
--Garlic salt

Make sure cream cheese is at room temperature. Add drained tuna to cream cheese, salt, pepper, garlic salt and lemon juice. Form into ball and serve.

Extra points go to anyone who can mold it into the shape of the Chrysler Building.
(grin).

Next week? See what treasures were uncovered at the Regent Square neighborhood garage sale. FOUR HOURS of walking, wheeling, dealing, photo-snapping and dog-petting. See you then!