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Margaret Megard
Editor

Growing up in a family with more creativity than money, Margaret’s parents embarrassed her by decorating their home with second-hand furniture and castoffs they lovingly painted, varnished and restored. Today, she thinks they were incredibly resourceful and talented and is happy to report that some of that resourcefulness spark has rubbed off on her. After a decade of editing home magazines such as Our House and Country Home Ideas, Margaret has seen tonnes of houses and when it comes to home decorating, she is keen to share what she thinks works and what doesn’t.

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Alphabet Heist
April 13, 2011, 1:23 pm

Alphabet Heist

It’s always exciting when you get something for nothing – and that’s why I always keep my eyes open when going for a walk. Just recently, my colleague Sue Kontic and I set out for some fresh air and a bit of exercise on our lunch break and we noticed some construction work around one of the buildings near our office. As we passed by, we spotted the big metal letters that spelled out the name of the company had been removed to make room for renovations. Some were a bit bent, some rusty and all were covered in years of grime. Excited by this find, to complete this classic secondhand score, we asked the workers about the fate of this pile of letters and when told they were scheduled for the scrap heap, we ran for the car and loaded them up. Long story short – we have now decorated the walls of our offices with very stylish vintage letters, just the kind you see sold in trendy shops. So, the lesson here is to keep your eyes open. These unplanned and surprising finds can happen any time and any place. Let us know what you’ve found recently.

If you want to see photos of the letters, check us out on the Facebook Country Home Ideas Magazine fan page at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Country-Home-Ideas-Magazine/101777179903098