Fall Clean-Up Week

In my area, it's apparently the bi-annual clean-up week. The piles start slow and gradually grow, until you feel like you are driving an obstacle course. Last year, the scavenger bug hit me and I joined that group of people that lurk amongst the piles in the night. I felt like the outcast robots from the movie 'AI'.



At work, I gained the nickname "Dumpster Diving Donia," which should have offended me since I have never dived into a dumpster, but I just took it as a compliment to my creativity.

The first find of the night was a huge, and I mean HUGE, panda bear and her baby. Who would want to throw that away? The next morning I understood why. Unfortunately, momma panda had an accident and stuffing beads spilled out and completely covered my mini-van's floor. While it was a noble idea to save momma and baby, it was not meant to be. She promptly went to my own dumpster.

But, by far, the best find of the night was a metal office chair. This chair was VERY vintage and right up my alley. It wasn't pretty at the beginning, but I saw the vision. A fresh coat of paint and floral fabric took the rusty, greasy chair to a comfortable, pretty chair. Plus, it's a great addition to my vintage metal chair collection.



While I love vintage shops, garage sales and flea markets, I don't think I can "dumpster dive" again this year. I just don't feel it and I'm not ready to lurk through the night. I'll leave that to the brave ones.