SAXTON B. LITTLE FREE LIBRARY
319 Route 87 Columbia, CT 06237
Phone: 860 228 0350 Fax: 860 228 1569 E-mail: staff@columbiactlibrary.org

Monday, Friday, Saturday 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday 10:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.

Home Adult Services* Library Services Children's Corner Hot Spot (for Teens)

Home

About the Saxton B.

Library Board

Friends of the Library
(updated 4/08)

Online Library Catalog

iConn.org

Event Calendar

Contact Us

Library Passes

Links

Diary of Saxton B. Little

Comments

Speaking Volumes

Keeping you up-to-date on what's happening at your library. We invite you to join in the conversation!
DECEMBER 29, 2008
One Man's Trash!

 They say that one man's trash is another man's treasure. So, it is that you find me recently at the town landfill, vacillating whether or not to take this Santa home. He had just been unloaded from the man's truck, all boxed up, an old Christmas decoration, no longer with a home. The man explained he was cleaning out his parents' place...I never asked, but wondered if he meant his parents had moved to smaller dwellings or had passed away. I just knew that this 4 ft. jolly ol' elf brought a smile to my face and needed to come home with me. Still, I hesitated. Why?

Anyone that knows me and my husband, know we are junk pickers. There are nicer words for what we do but in the end that's what it is. Actually, we have always called it scrounging and over the years we have done our fair share of this. Early in our marriage, when we lived in New Britain, we had some of the best times, riding in Paul's truck all night long, gathering other people's discards left out for heavy collection. We'd spend hours going up and down the city streets curbside picking. We found such wonderful things. Some we used, some we sold and other items just got stashed away. Anyone and everyone we knew would come to our “store: when looking for something. We were bound to have it and loved to share our treasures. But as we get older we find it's time to let the stuff go and so have been making an effort to rid our home of unused items. Still, old habits die hard and we still find ourselves looking at all the glorious things left on the swap table at the dump. So I put Santa in the truck and then thought better of it and said “No, take him out. Let someone else have him.” Paul looked at me and knew I truly wanted him, and pointed out we could always just use him this season and bring him back next year. A deal! but one I don't intend to keep. I've enjoyed having this Santa decoration adorn my porch this year. He is bright and cheery and has made good company for the snowman I also have residing there. It would be a shame to split this new friendship. 


 


Ok, now to link my prattle to books.

There are many books available to give you ideas on how to use found treasures in your daily life and decorating scheme. Here are a few suggestions from our collection and some you can find through Interlibrary Loan or in neighboring libraries.

That might be useful : exploring America's secondhand culture / Leslie Naton 306.34 LESLIE

Junk beautiful : room by room makeovers with junkmarket style / Sue Whitney 747 Whitmey PBK

Simply green giving : create beautiful gift wrapping, tags, and handmade treasures from everyday materials / Danny Seo 745.5 SEO

Protecting your collectible treasures : secrets of a collecting diva / Judith Katz-Schwartz. 745.10288 KATZ-SCHWARTZ PBK

The dumpster diver / Janet S. Wong ; illustrated by David Roberts. ; E WONG 

ILL these:

How to make a fortune with other people's junk : an insider's secrets to finding and reselling hidden treasures at garage sales, auctions, estate sales, flea markets, yard sales, antique shows, and ebay / G.G. Carbone.

Flea market makeovers for the outdoors : projects & ideas using flea market finds & recycled bargain buys / BJ Berti.

Dime store decorating : using flea market finds with style / Jill Williams Grover.
Junk style / Melanie Molesworth ; photography by Tom Leighton.

Rachel Ashwell's shabby chic treasure hunting


   Add a Comment
Enter your comment below, then click Submit.
Nickname: (displays with your comment)
Comment:
Enter the letters you see on the left:

-------------------------------------------------------

Comments

sharon said, on Dec. 29 at 5:38PM
For help in getting into the right frame of mind for getting rid of clutter, I have found this book to be the most helpful. I'm on my third reading of it! It's all too much: An easy plan for living a richer life with less stuff, by Peter Walsh.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ckubala said, on Dec. 30 at 6:39AM
Thanks for the heads-up on this one Sharon. It sounds like a great book to help a person get started ridding their life of physical and emotional clutter and helping with not feeling overwhelmed by the task. As one who frequently thinks "It's all too much", I've Interlibrary Loaned this book to see what it might offter. Hopefully the author will also offer some advice for a paper junkie like me! Carol

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mercedes said, on Jan. 6 at 11:54AM
I'm not much for resolutions but I do want to get some good organizing and downsizing done this year (especially with another little one coming, we need to be as creative with our small space as we can get). I'll have to look into the books that have been suggested. I think the biggest problem that contributes to too much stuff is a basement. Why throw it away when it can just be chucked downstairs? I must get down there and clean out!

Subscribe via RSS
Search

Categories