On our walk home, we opted for the route that would take us past a cute local florist. It appeared that they had done some late Spring cleaning that day, and we were about to benefit from their hard work and cleanup efforts. Sitting, perched precariously on top of a line of black trash bags, was a beautiful bundle of curly willow branches. I know it probably looked like a bunch of sticks to the average Joe, but given my history of looking past what others may see as trash, my heart began to race. I knew I had just scored some serious loot. Here I am in action:

While I enjoy seasonal decorating as a whole, Halloween is my holiday. While others may revere Christmas or even Mother's Day as their time to go all out, come September I am in full blown, no holds barred, bats hanging from every surface decorating mode. And this beautiful bunch of curly willow is the perfect accoutrement to my autumnal efforts.

I love to use a mix of bittersweet and curly willow to adorn our two mantles, the transom window above our front door, and sometimes as a centerpiece on our dining room table. 

There's just something unpredictable and creepy that makes them the perfect accessory for Halloween decor. And given their popularity, they can be difficult to find as well as what I consider extremely expensive for "a bunch of sticks." I've seen bunches, a fraction of the size of my find, run for $20 or more at local farmers markets.

Maybe it was the schooner talking. Or maybe I'm just a Halloween nut. But in my opinion, it's never too early to start planning your holiday decorating efforts...especially if an opportunity presents itself.

Does anyone else have a holiday they're obsessed with? Or any great trash-to-treasure stories about re-purposing found objects? Please share. In the meantime, I'd better get to safely storing my new find. For some reason, our four-legged crew members were chewing on the branches all weekend. I can only hope they're practicing their Dracula bit for our Halloween party.   

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"Someone is going to see you" he replied as, with an embarrassed look on his face, he tried to distance himself from me in an "I've never seen her before" move.

Inspiration comes in a number of ways, and I had just spied my new family room end table in a pile of cast offs just a few houses down the street. There sat a dirt encrusted, paint splattered narsty wooden stool that I knew just had to come home with us.

Proud of my find and reassuring Alex that this stool wasn't going to end up on his honey-do list, I immediately set to work when we arrived home.

• First I gave the entire stool a once over with our sander with a 120 grit paper to remove the pesky paint splotches.
• Next, I hand sanded with 220 grit to continue prepping the surface.
• Finally, using a small piece of a Trader Joe’s paper grocery bag, I gave a final “sand” to the entire surface, thus rendering it ready for primer.

Heading to the paint store, and after some deliberation, I decided on a quart of Benjamin Moore high gloss metal & wood enamel oil paint, premixed in Classic Burgundy, the exact shade of red I was looking for. Once home, taking the stool outside into a well ventilated area, I applied one coat of oil-based primer that we already had on hand and waited four hours for it to dry. Later, I applied two coats of the red, allowing for 24 hours dry time as well as for a light sanding in between each coat. Just to play it safe and not wanting to mar the new finish, I waited another two days before setting it up in the family room and placing anything on it.

I'm thrilled with the finished result, and for only $25 (the cost of the paint) and a little elbow grease, I’m the proud new owner of a charming end table and a “you were right” from my other half.

I admit that my pulling items out of the trash may indicate I have a problem. That is, after all, how we acquired the frame for a dining room painting, our garden potting table, and the storage cubes/bedside tables in our guestroom.

They say that admitting you have a problem is the first step to recovery, but I don't see an additional 11 steps in my future. This is an addiction I don't want to kick anytime soon.

Anyone else have any free finds or trash-to-treasure tales? If so, tell us your story!

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