My Favorite Roadside Finds

Every time I walk my neighborhood, I keep my eyes peeled for treasures, because the streets and alleys around my house yield the most amazing things.

Here are my favorite roadside rescues from over the years. First up, these Waterford candlesticks I found in a pile of trash. I'd been getting teased by my Lovely Daughters about my "trashy" habits, so I ignored the pile for a week. When I couldn't stand it any longer, I gave it a stir, and these beauties appeared!:

This fiddle-backed chair was a bit beat up and had an ugly, faded pink fabric seat. But underneath, a handwritten note seemed to indicate it was made in the 1840s. I had it professionally restored, and the restorer said, Yup. It's from the mid-1840s, American made:

In anther post, I'll show you how it looks now that it's all fixed. 

When I first saw this sofa, it was very beat up and had hideous, clunky fretwork and ugly Chippendale-style legs. (No "before" photo; sorry!) I had it stripped down to the wood, recovered, and fitted with graceful, curvy legs. 

Now it resides in the living room of Lovely Daughter #1. (I know purple velvet might not be everybody's cup of tea, but she--and I--like it.):

Then there was this hutch, which I spied when I was out walking a dog. I practically ran home with a panting pup and said to my husband, "You have to come NOW! Help me get this hutch!" Luckily, it was still there when we went back with the minivan:

I gave it a good cleaning, added retro-style glass knobs, and now it is a lovely addition to our family room. I enjoy changing out the things I display. This was its July look:

I found this curvy, beveled mirror behind a beauty shop, resting next to the dumpster. Just to be sure I wasn't taking something I shouldn't, I asked before sprinting it home. Now it's in the guest bathroom and looks like it's happy there:

This little turquoise rocker was in an alley. Seriously, how cute is this? Now it sits in a corner of our family room, where it just looks cute, all day long:

 (Yes, Mu Shu, you look cute, too!)

Another alley find. This twisty-legged table has a logo branded into the wood on the underside, indicating that it's American made and from at least the 1930s, if not a little earlier. I may end up painting it, but for now, I enjoy it just the way it is:

Of all the things I've rescued from the side of the road, this little terrier is the most precious. I found her zooming down the street in a sheer panic. Luckily, I was in my car, so I followed her carefully until she dropped, panting heavily, in the corner of a garden. With a little bit of coaxing (and a bowl of water from the dog supplies I keep in my car), I was able to get her to a vet to find out if she was microchipped.

She was, and the next day she was reunited with a grateful owner.

I wonder if her name might be "Waterford."