Road Side Decor

Discovering a new life for a patio set on a roadside garbage day is like finding a lucky treasure. The thrill of seeing value in what others discard on the roadside is an excitement I can't resist.

Moving across the country, I was determined to lighten the load of moving. I gave away a lot of stuff and sold most of the furniture. The movers even commented that it was one of their smallest household moves across Canada. It felt liberating to clear out my collection of STUFF. When we arrived in Nova Scotia, we had only a couple of suitcases, a sketchbook, Jim's guitar, and some paperwork all jammed in the back of a Toyota. Everything else was in a small storage container, waiting for a year and a half until we figured out where to live. 

We moved into our newly designed house in 2013 and had a $0.00 budget left to buy stuff to fill it! But no worries, as my Road-Side eager eye will find more great pieces at the Road-Side Decor a-la Eastern Shore shopping. Some of it I have painted and recovered, and soon I will be getting into painting with Annie Sloan paints to funk-i-fi our Beach Shack found furniture. 

Here are some of my Road-Side Decor pieces:

The faded fabric was also fraying, but the cushions
Inside was clean and in great shape.

* The outdoor set was in great shape, just some rusty spots.
* The tabletop is glass and not broken.
* HEAVY metal and glass are great for ocean-side winds.

*a fresh coat of BLACK marine oil paint.
*good-sized glass table that
will easily seat 4 large adults. 

* 50% off the outdoor heavy-duty fabric with a yellowish-green weave pattern.
* sunproof thread to ensure it will last.

We dedicated a spot in the electric room to store the cushions over winter.

TA-DA! New Roadside Outdoor Decor, a la Eastern Shore shopping!
The centerpiece is a roadside chipped plate with favorite rocks & shells!

The total cost to renew:
$40.00 fabric & thread plus $10.00 marine paint

Biking along the Rails to Trails, I noticed a guy with a wheelbarrow filled with outdoor furniture taking it to his roadside. HHHMM I thought...' Hey there, I called out, 'Is there anything wrong with that set?' He said no, just fading, and his wife bought a new set. So peddled home, got my leading man and his wheels to drive over to the Roadside shopping spot. Took it home and made it NEW again. We love to sit out at dinner on the back deck on our new comfy OUTDOOR set!

Once a year, the Highway Roadside Sale brings everyone together. It's a chance for locals to connect, earn a few dollars to replace their stuff, and give new life to what doesn't sell. I found a gorgeous two-sided silk fabric that fits perfectly on my $40.00 Kijiji table, and it only cost $5.00 from a neighbor!

Celebrating the Roadside sale, just had to make this delicious strawberry chiffon pie using my Road-Side latest cake stand with the new vase and glass trivet on the double-sided silk fabric.

recipe here:www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/strawberry-chiffon-pie-393003

Found a collection of knick-knacks on the roadside, a la Seaforth, and LOVE the shiny mirror pine cone-shaped vase. I use it all the time for my little flower arrangements. The glass trivet came with the vase!

Baking Day: Bundt Cake & Sourdough, celebrating
The new Canada Day tulips in my Road-Side Vase.

60's? Lucite Plastic tubes of white, green, and blue swag light. My favorite finds at Road-Side Decor made me slam on my brakes and spin a 360 to see this beautiful blue-hued hanging lamp destined for the dumpster.

I was surprised to see the only slight damage on one tube that no one would see, and was PLEASED to bring this BLUE ball into my kitchen as a feature shape hanging from my ceiling.

60's? Lucite Plastic tubes of white, green, and blue swag light. 

60's? Lucite Plastic tubes of white, green, and blue swag light.
I love this globe, and it is a conversation piece!

The simple coffee table still had some life left in it and was rescued from the roadside garbage. I refinished it with sanding and a light stain, followed by a rub-on varnish.

Sad to say, though, the varnish did not waterproof the surface, so it left stains with every drop.

I will soon use Annie Sloan's paints to transform the surfaces of a few items that need a new look.

The sun-bleached chair had seen better days, but I dragged it home, took some blue paint, and tiny stitched orange spirals into the headrest.

The dog Ziggy loves this chair, so it's now his.

I LOVE this chair, the size, and the overall design. I would love to manifest a complete set of these chairs.

The country chairs had seen better days, and legs were falling off, etc., but I brought them home as a temporary set of chairs, slapped on some white marine enamel paint, glued the legs, and threw a used RICE bag on them for seat cushions. I will use them till I find something else to replace them.

My Roadside Decor, mismatched dining room set. Table decorations are white antique candlesticks and a dish I found beside a dumpster, with hopes that someone like me will rescue it.

Having an eye for cool stuff can create HOARDING issues quick enough, so I am going to INTEND to collect only things that I can find helpful and that fit in the room.

See you see me, roadside shopping! Minaz