This is my dumpster dive find ... the flower photography on top is a gift from my Dad, who is a talented nature photographer

Outside of my apartment building, there is a free-for-all area where the contents of entire apartments get dumped when people move. I don’t know why, but it seems like they literally just empty the entire apartment and dump everything out back. On Wednesdays or Thursdays, it all gets picked up when the city collectors arrive. Until then, it’s Open Season on rummaging.

Since it’s the beginning of a new month, last night there were two apartments worth of stuff out back.  I braved the crowd of other rummaging residents and scored this wicked little crescent table. I really don’t have a spot for it per se, BUT I’m going to practice my furniture distressing skills on this piece before I attack my dresser. I bet that when I’m finished, I could sell it for $30 or so. That’s how much you’d pay for it in Wal-Mart, but instead it’s custom painted and made of real wood.

I recently found this blog called Centsational Girl, and I’m in LOVE. I’d been searching for a word that describes my style and the things that I like, and through Centsational Girl I realized that my style is Shabby Chic. It’s perfect for me because it’s recycled elegance … I can dumpster dive from behind my apartment, do an hour of finishing, and have a beautiful original piece. I’ve been looking into this decorating style, and half the fun is scoring all these funky pieces from flea markets, and refinishing them to make them your own.  Cheap, custom, and timeless.  Beautiful!

In apartment related news, I’ve decided I probably don’t want to paint, except MAYBE two walls in my kitchen a pale sage green. I’ve grown kind of partial to the paint colour in my unit, an almost-peachy neutral, which is really warm in the mornings and kind of neutral at night. It would cost about $50+ per room to paint (I have no supplies of my own, I’d have to buy rollers and trays), and even though it’s illegal to ask someone to pay a fine to repaint the walls after you leave, I know it’s common practice for many large apartment corporations, and I really don’t want the headache of knowing that they’ll go after me when I leave. Maybe I’ll change my mind in a couple of months, but for now, it’s not worth the stress, either now to paint, or when I move to fight the property management. For now … I can hardly wait to show you the photos from the dining room, in a month when I can afford a centrepiece of pink and white hydrangeas, it’s going to be a stunner!

I have also had some ideas for businesses that I want to start in a couple of years. I’m enjoying my job at present and it’s a great way to build some capital, while using my evenings and weekends to work on projects that will develop the skills I’ll need. But I am already plotting some ideas … I’m throwing around the idea of a Euro-sabbatical, going over for a year or more to live. It’s going to be entirely dependent on my work situation, my romantic situation, etc., but I don’t want to wait TOO long to go on a big adventure. Life’s too short … but at the same time, I could really use the stability for a couple of years.

So here’s the plan:

-Work for and live in Toronto for a minimum of two more years, pay off my car, build my investments and cash supply as much as I can, have as many adventures as I can

-Travel as much as possible in the interim – try and take a three week trip to somewhere, like Tanzania for Kilimanjaro, or Machu Picchu.

-Go on Euro-adventure for a year; live in France, England or Ireland, continuing to work in some capacity. Either put all furniture into storage, or sell it (don’t worry Mom, I would DEFINITELY store your beautiful kitchenette set and whatever bed frame I end up buying). Find a way to store my car, or sell it.
-Come back and start my own business

The thought of selling/storing all this stuff that I’m working on accumulating is making me feel a little nauseous, but at the same time, life is meant for having adventures, and I don’t want to NOT go on an international adventure simply because I have “stuff” holding me back. So even as I acquire all these beautiful things, I’m doing my best to put myself in a mindset of detachment, ready to let go of it all if necessary. I should be grateful that I have the opportunity to have such lovely items, before they get donated/given away/sold to someone else who will appreciate their beauty.

After all, all I need is a really solid dumpster dive when I get back, and I’m back in the game.