Monday, June 29, 2009

one man's trash...

...is another man's treasure. Some people may frown on the idea of dumpster diving/picking up random treasures off the side of the road, but for several years I've seen this as a way of acquiring new and eclectic pieces for my humble abodes.

Since I'm not ready to completely settle, I have found it easiest to decorate my apartment with Craigslist findings or the occasional trashed treasure then forking over buko (sp?) bucks for a bookshelf or a side table. Each piece has a story and character--every dent, scratch and loose table leg has a tale to tell.

It's incredible how much junk we accumulate. I consider myself a minimalist and like clean lines with less clutter (although I have been known to have a pile here or there) so when I moved about a month or so ago, I was surprised by the amount of junk I had accumulated in one short year. This got me thinking about how many of us base so much of our successes on what we can buy/afford. I'm a culprit. As I was packing I found things that I had never even opened - lotions, shampoo, clothes. It's ridiculous. It was the two for one sale that got me...it got me good...on several occasions.

Well, it's not going to happen anymore. In fact, as I was perusing the internet, looking at various furniture websites for items I didn't even need, and I across junktion: http://www.junktion.co.il/about.html. Although the idea isn't completely foreign or new for that matter, it refreshed my thinking and brought about this creative and inventive thought process that's been lacking for quite some time. It becomes so easy to fall into the trap of: "I must buy this and have it, even though I don't need it" - especially when those around you are constantly trying to outdo the other. I hate it. But I don't have to keep up with any Jones'. I feel encouraged. Instead of throwing out the broken picture frame and old soup spoons, I'm gonna get crafty.