Post #29: Dumpster Diving 101 [or 11,000 projects in one?]

Dumpster Diving 101

  You can do it,
yes,
it's
fun.

Don't have room?

It doesn't matter.

You'll fit in in,
whilst you natter.

OK, enough silliness...let me tell you about the masterpiece I discovered one day shortly after my DH and our little dog Alice and I  moved into our new digs, into what we affectionately now refer to as our “cozy little cottage on the water.” I was taking my dog for a walk one bright, sunny afternoon...no, that isn't entirely accurate...SHE was taking me for an exercise walk, when right next to the trash dumpster I spotted a painting.

Alice, my personal trainer on a string

As Alice and I approached through the parking lot to get a closer look, my mind did all those funny things it does, all those thoughts popping into my head in rapid-fire succession, all seemingly in a nanosecond...wow...I love the colors...I wonder who threw this away?...how sad that it has a gash in it...I wonder if that was accidental or not...was it thrown away by the artist or by someone else?...as I glanced around: I wonder if anyone is watching...who cares?...we just moved in, no one here knows us...should I take it home?...where will I put it?...I'm a freaking nut...what will DH say?...nah, that's not an issue, after 16 plus years of wedded bliss, he already knows I'm nuts...will they put me on hoarders?...wow...I can cut it down and salvage the good parts as a smaller painting...and use some of it to add color and texture to a gourd purse I'm working on...I can use other bits of it to...well, I shan't tell you folks ALL of my thoughts, now, huh? But I can tell you that I have plans, lots of plans, for this piece of one-man's-trash is truly this-woman's-treasure.

Now this is no small thing, this acrylic-painting-found-by-the-dumpster on a bright day, measuring 3 feet 4 inches tall and a full 5 feet wide. Did I mention that our cozy little cottage on the water is a teeny-tiny place? No worries, I can always make room for free and interesting crafting materials, so with Alice in tow I proudly carried that five-foot-long painting through the parking lot to our humble yet cozy little cottage on the water. I can always make room for more color. Someone else might have seen trash; I see raw material for a lot more UFO's. Smile.

Finding peace in creativity,

Meryl