i don't know what the actual definition of hoarding is. frankly, i don't want to look it up, because i'm afraid some of it might ring too true with me. here's what i know about myself: i'm pretty creative and i see new and cool things in other people's junk. this self-proclaimed creativity leads me to do things that might be considered hoarding. for example, if i see something that i know i don't need, that i will probably never need, and that no one would ever need, i buy it. being a garage sale and thrift shopper makes buying these useless things easier because they really don't hurt the pocketbook as much as a new item would. so instead of calling it hoarding, i like to call it "seeing the potential" in things.
instead of a diy today, i am going to show you a few ways i have used some of my otherwise useless items. i bought all of these items thinking that i would maybe use them for the wedding; some i did, and some i didn't. chris wanted to throw some all of it away, but i couldn't/wouldn't/shouldn't do it. to prove him wrong, i used them.
item(s) #1: vintage crates
i found most of these crates at a garage sale. one garage sale. i remember the day fondly. i was with the kids and the first garage sale we stumbled upon was a gold mine. i literally filled our range rover – the kids had their feet resting on things, the passenger seat was at capacity, and i could barely see out the back window. gold mine. they were not selling these crates, but i thought i'd ask anyways. at flea markets, these go for anywhere from $10–$50. when i asked if they were selling them at this garage sale, the woman said "i guess...how about $1 each?" i quickly gave her the money before she could change her mind and packed them in the car. and now we have a new "linen closet".
the lack of closet space in minneapolis homes is ridiculous. we do have a linen closet that we keep all of our medicine, lotions, etc. in, but i needed a place to hold toliet paper, towels, brushes, and the 500 bottles of perfume i own (not a hoarder).
item #2: ladder trellis
i found three old ladder trellises at an estate sale for $3 each. it was another great sale – someone who loves quirky gardening was getting rid of everything, so naturally, i bought it all. you can see some of the items i bought in
this post (two long wooden planters, and two more of the wooden trellises). anyway, i happen to have a lot of jewelry (please don't judge, and please don't send me the definition of hoarder...ignorance is bliss, people), and i needed a nice way to display/store it. i was using a very cute old crib mattress spring (pictured below), which i loved, but the necklaces kept falling off the s-hooks i was using to hang them from the springs. because it was annoying and frustrating, i either wouldn't wear the necklaces, or when i did, and tried to put them back, they would just fall behind my dresser. so i grabbed a few nails and one of the ladder trellises and went to work.
before:
the green jewelry armoire holds my earrings, and the pink suitcase was full of belts.
and after:
the belts are now stored in an old dresser drawer i found thrown in someone's alley. it's resting nicely under the dresser (you can kind of see it in the picture above). this is what i mean about seeing potential in things. someone else saw garbage in an alley, i saw a belt container. you are now probably slowly backing away from your computers because you think i'm crazy.
nora also gave me ben's old dresser (above) which i adore. all in all, i think this looks way cleaner than the old spring did. oh, and look, i even made my bed to take these pictures!! i mean, i make my bed every day. honest.
so, not really a diy, but i wanted to share a few of my easier projects and show that it really is true that one man's trash could, in fact, (literally) be another man's treasure!
happy friday!!
xo,
megan bird
