Curbside Coup: Vintage Wrought Iron Candelabra

Sometimes it is worthwhile to be a little gutsy and go curbing in the light of day. After all a girl has got to get her vitamin D and a little touch of sun is good for you too. And sometimes you can find something fab. Something so hidden in a pile of overwhelming debris that you wouldn't dare approach at night. Whether you fear something small and furry might already be exploring or you really don't want to catch something dreadful by running up against something truly horrid. (Believe me--its not always so easy being a slightly oc, shy, type a, germaphobe curber!) You might just have missed the most glorious find.

Just look at this wonderful candelabra that my mom and I found! We like to do this together when we can and she claimed dibs on this one. Isn't it exquisite? The pics just don't do justice to the glorious patina. I am not sure of the age of this but it certainly looks to date to the early 20th century. I think it might have come from a garden or possibly a church but for right now, it has found a new home on my mom's porch .

At the same place where we found this, there were all sorts of goodies including some vintage iron salvage pieces that still had tags from an antique shop on them. I will be sure to share them in future posts. The gentleman of the home was very graciously pointing out certain treasures he thought that my mom and I would appreciate and encouraging us to take them with us as he continued to pull out goodies while doing some spring cleaning.

I would love to find some sort of citronella chunky pillars to put out on it to keep those pesky mosquito's away when she is entertaining on her porch. Especially since they seem to think I am the human equivalent of Dom Perignon. Does anyone know of any place that sells them?

The Curbside Chic Mission

My goal here is to share my love of curbing and garage/estate sale-ing (technically you have to go over a curb to get to a garage!) with the world. I want to share my finds and my ideas and plans for them. I would also love to feature your finds and ideas.

What is curbing you may ask? It is when you see that fabulous antique dresser, pretty pot or formica table sitting there on the curb nestled between the trash can and (one hopes) the recycling bin. It has been abandoned by its former family because maybe it needs a little tlc or because their tastes have changed and it doesn't fit in any more. It just isn't loved any more. But like an abandoned puppy or kitten you see its potential and realize you do have space in your heart and home for it. You pull over to the side of the road (hopefully signalling and giving those behind you plenty of warning, perhaps circling back around the block so as not to cause a bigger pile at that curb!) and get out and wrestle your find into your vehicle and take it home, where hopefully you will have a long and happy relationship.

If you are like me, you might feel a little furtive and want to channel your inner cat burglar but it is ok. Be strong and remind yourself of the service you are doing for this find and for the environment by keeping such finds out of the landfills.

Where I live it is perfectly acceptable to curb...many take a lot of time to display their goodies much like the "free kittens/puppies" signs you see in the country so you don't have to ask but depending on where you are and your local curb culture it might be a good idea to ask the owner before you take anything away with you. Certain municipalities actually have outlawed curbing so be sure you know your local laws. If that applies to you, know that you have my sympathy and remember you always have garage and estate sales. Or the option to take your curbing elsewhere.