One man's trash...

...is another girl's treasure!

The end of the month is an exciting time in New York City - people are moving out of apartments and leaving items they no longer want on the curb, making a walk down the street just about as good as a trip to the mall.

This morning I walked out the front door of my building and immediately saw a white bookshelf outside the building next door. It practically jumped into my arms (or maybe I was just hugging it!), but not knowing if it was up for grabs or in the process of being put in a moving truck (note: there was no truck in sight), I peeled myself off and ran on down the street to throw my clothes in the laundry. If the shelf was still there when I returned, my self-imposed statute of time limitations would have kicked into effect and it was mine for the taking. Sure enough, it was still there, but my fear of hearing "stop, thief!" during my jaunt-down-the-street-with-loot-in-tow made me stall. The shelf was so perfectly what I had been looking for that I decided I would wait by it (note: in the hot sun) for up to 35 minutes (note: precisely the amount of time until my clothes were finished). After waiting only about five minutes, a guy and girl shuffled toward the door carrying another piece of furniture, and my heart sank thinking they probably were just in the process of moving.

Before I could even get my question out, the girl's words were a gift to my ears, "Take it - it's yours! My roommate moved out and left it, and I don't know what to do with it."

Jumping and clapping and shouting, I called Emily to come help me get the bookshelf inside the apartment and up the steps to its new home as the newest member of my "Hall of Finds"!

Oh my gosh, I'm in love! It's so perfect!

My first road-side find - the dresser I nearly killed myself getting back to the apartment.

Our cute Ikea couch (free on the curb off 28th Street - don't worry, we washed the slipcovers immediately!) and the red ottomans (free from a remodeling dance studio - carpet cleaner worked wonders on these!) that double as a coffee table or extra seating.