My French Heaven

Of all my vintage French postcards, and there are beaucoup that live with me, this is the very best one. The chambermaid is presenting a beautifully set table, including a riot of Peonies stuffed in a vase at the center of it all. The caption reads, "Madame is served!"  

This, my friends, is what heaven will be like.

Did I Pay Too Much?

It was 50 cents.  50.  And it's not just any spoon rest.  It's a gourmet spoon rest.  I might have even paid $1 for it.  I especially like the radish.  Pardon me, the gourmet radish.

A Christmas Tree Created From One Gal's Trash

Merry Christmas!  I SO wish I could take credit for this most festive of Christmas trees.  It's currently in the shop window at Patti Smith West in NE Portland.  Crafted from torn corrugated boxes, vintage recycled glass ornaments and lights.  The "tinsel" is shredded sheet music.  Genius!  Fantastic!  Made by Trina Hesson.

Want a closer look?  Of course you do!
Patti Smith West is located at 3746 NE 42nd St. Portland 97213

You're Preaching to the Choir

It has always been my habit to peer into dumpsters as I drive by them to see if anything looks interesting.  Well today, something looked very interesting.  So interesting in fact, that I slammed on my brakes, did an illegal U-turn and sped back as fast as the Kia Rio would take me. 

When I arrived at the dumpster, I got a better view.  And look...another passerby saw something he liked, too!

In less time than you can say "preacher's pulpit", it was safely ensconced in the back of the Rio.

At the Bottom of the Barrel

The other day, I stopped by one of my favorite junking spots. It's the kind of place that has stuff in large quantities. Barrels of old wine corks, barrels of bottle tops, barrels of discarded ribbons. You know, barrels. One of them held an impressive variety of fake flora, mostly the plastic & synthetic stuff that makes my skin crawl. However, on this particular day, look what was at the top of the pile....

A vintage bump chenille flower. And it was ORANGE. How lucky can a girl get only 3 weeks from Halloween, the orangiest holiday of the year? I snatched it up and started to dig further and further into the synthetic flotsam and jetsam. HELLO! The rest of the bump chenille bouquet appeared!

I promise you that I gasped out loud when I saw it. No one heard me, so if it's like that whole tree-falls-in-the-forest thing, I have no way of proving it. You can trust me on this. I gasped.

And now, look at the happy arrangement in my pure black English Ironstone jug. Girls, sometimes in this life, you just gotta dig.

Somebody (Almost) Just Like Me

Well girls, I've decided to re-launch my blog.  I've been on an OGT hiatus while tending to other projects, namely THIS.

What better way to get back into the swing of things than by highlighting another lover of trash?  I saw this incredible sight the other day and just about drove off the road.   At first, I thought a tree had fallen onto the roof of the car.  But as I passed by, I could see there was much more to the story.  Like, a string of holiday lights, tinsel and various other bits and bobs.  In the middle of it all...a ginormous stuffed bunny holding (I think) a plastic doll.

Don't get me wrong, I'm a collector, too.  But my junk is on display at home, or tenderly packed away in boxes marked: "even more stuff I can't get rid of".  I don't drive around with my treasures piled into an arrangement on top of my car.  To each her own, I guess.

All Good Things Must...Move to Another Website

Dearest friends of One Gal's Trash,

For the last several years, many of you have checked in here regularly to read the ramblings of a junk-loving crazy lady in Portland, Oregon. And I thank you. You've seen photos of my vintage holiday decorations, heard about scary people at estate sales and even read about my hellish trip abroad with someone famous.

About 18 months ago, I headed in a new, but related direction...as a vintage market producer. Plucky Maidens Junk Fest! launched in August 2011 and has grown by leaps and bounds.  We host 3 large and festive vintage shows a year, in and around Portland. Our "Smorgasbords of Vintage Wares" feature 50+ vendors, refreshing cocktails, yummy food & live music. We drink! We nosh! We dance! And my o my, how we JUNK!

The stories I used to share on OGT can now be found on the Plucky Maidens facebook page HERE.
Come on over for a visit and "Like" us, will ya?

Our other big, fabulous news is that we're launching group buying trips to the flea markets of Paris and London this year. More information can be found on our website HERE.

As for my One Gal's Trash blog, I don't have the heart to shut her down. I'm just going to officially put her on hiatus. Many thanks for all the junky love over the years.

xoxox
Pam