What I'd Buy on Craigslist this Week

Hi Friends!

Are you in the Polar Vortex, too?

This is ridiculous.  It's been so cold for so long, I think I've actually given up hope that Spring will ever come.  So, let's think about things that are more fun.  Like furniture.  And paint.  And painting furniture. :-)

Off we go.

1. Lingerie dresser.  $75

Love what Tami from Curb Alert did for a super girly, French look.

Oui, oui! So cute.
But what if you need it for a boy's room?  Swap out the hardware for something less frilly and go dark and numbered like this one.

2. Midcentury stuff isn't for everyone.  But in small doses, it can really wake up a room and make it look contemporary...the stuff is wildly popular right now.  (Because of things like Exhibit A, this gorgeously staged black number from Natty by Design)

For those not sure they love it, here's about the smallest furniture investment you can make and still get the look...a $20 desk.

I love a $20 desk, people.
This one is small enough that it will never overwhelm a space and its clean lines make it great for kids or grown ups, boys or girls.
As it turns out, Natty by Design has a knack for making awesome midcentury desks over.
Exhibit B.

Nuff said.

3. This is a great set of furniture for $150! Classic lines, and "good construction."  can't ask for much more than that.  (And it must be the week of the lingerie dressers)

I love a hutch. It makes great use of vertical space without the need to install shelves.  If this set looks as good in person as it does here, I'd go for it in a second.  Don't just think you have to leave it in the bedroom, either.  I LOVE the woman who put a set, almost identical to this, in her craft room. Here's a peek.

Ack!! Look at how awesome that is!
And check out the rest of the board for more pics of the room, including a black and white settee.  Be still, my heart...

4. It's not often I can show you a virtual before and after with two identical items (found separately - the internet is an amazing thing sometimes.)

You know I love gossip benches, phone stands, whatever you want to call them.

I especially love the curved wood on the phone stand part and the wavy slats on the chair back. This one is $60.
If someone is interested in trying their hand at a furniture project, I think this is a great place to start. You can easily recover the seat and wa-la... have something like this!

How cool is that?!

5. Find artists and people who love furniture as much as I do. I'm seeing more and more pieces that have already been transformed, listed on CL.
Since I do very few pieces that don't already have an owner or buyer, I think you should check them out.
People are getting out there, getting their hands dirty and saving pieces of furniture and they should be supported!  Just my two cents. :-)
Here are a few pretty finds I love.

http://cincinnati.craigslist.org/fuo/4294520646.html

http://cincinnati.craigslist.org/fuo/4291170973.html

http://cincinnati.craigslist.org/fuo/4264313106.html

If you're interested in finding a piece already done, search for things like, "painted" "upcycled" "restored" "vintage" "distressed" "waxed" or "refinished".  And remember, if you have a smartphone, use it to set up a search for those words, both in the Furniture and Antique categories, on a Craigslist app.
It will alert you when there's a match.  I find the app to be a great tool to help navigate a sometimes not-so-user-friendly, or organized, website.

That's all for this week. I hope you are staying warm and safe.

Have a great week!

XO,
Anne

PS - I'd love it if you shared this post wherever you are active online. Thanks!

What I'd Buy on Craigslist this Week - First edition in 2014

Happy New Year!!

I hope you have been savoring winter break as we have - with lots of family, friends, food, church, naps, football, and presents. Not necessarily in that order. :-)

There are some cool finds this week…here we go! (If you are visiting for the first time, I live near Cincinnati, Ohio, so these items are all local to me.)

1. Vintage white cabinet listed for $250.

I know that's more than I usually spend on Craigslist items, but I like this one for its size, its condition, and its flexibility. Here's why.
First, its size - dimensions are 70 " tall, 30 " wide, 12" deep. You can fit a lot of stuff in that.
Second, its condition looks good - not perfect - but not like it would need a complete overhaul before you could put it in your house.
And third its flexibility. I love this for a kitchen or bath, as the listing suggests, but I think you could also store extra linens, books, or household supplies in it.
Here are a few pics to get your juices flowing.

Midcentury Home Office by Other Metro Media & Bloggers Aesthetic Outburst

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I'm not sure, but this may be an old medical cabinet, and my Uncle Dan & Aunt Pat (who are walking encyclopedias of furniture knowledge and have a booth here in Lexington, KY) just told me that medical items are hot right now. 
(READ: I think this could easily sell for more than it's listed.) 
I can't tell whether it's metal or wood, but if I had room for it, I'd buy it.

2. "Old school" desk chairs or office chairs. I love 'em. Metal, wood, doesn't matter… they are just SO superior to those newfangled things they make now. (wink) So, that said, go scoop these up. 
Cosco Propeller Chair $35

Vintage wood chair

Think about how cool they'd look in a boy's room!

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3. How cute is this old toy piano? 

It looks beautiful and would make an adorable addition to a nursery or playroom. 

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The two like it on Etsy are more expensive than this one. They are asking $45. Go for it!

4. OK this item has been on Craigslist for a while now. In my mind's eye there is a boy (what is it with boys rooms in this post?) who has an awesome vintage-y train room. 
Maybe like… this one.  
(Because HELLO it has a train track running around the top of the room. Please don't tell my son. Thank you.)

And in this mythical train room, folded over the back of a cozy chair, you'd find this cool blanket.

It's from a Pullman sleeping car!

I totally have a movie-like image of men dressed in suits and women in pearls taking a trip, eating and sleeping aboard a train in the heyday of rail travel. 

That's the era these blankets belong to! 
It's stuff like this that takes a room from catalog-designed to uniquely personal. They are conversation pieces, and they are a way to pass on some history to the next generation. 
So someone please buy this cool blanket and do up an awesome vintage train room.  Again, thank you.

5. Last, here's a gal after my own heart. Cute side table, all painted and ready to go. Would make a great addition to a living room near you! $80

This winter weather and ridiculously cold temperatures have me dreaming of yard sale weather….

Just saying.

:-)
Anne

What I'd Buy on Craigslist this Week

It's almost the end of the year.  Hard to believe.  And there seems to be a lot of people who have things they want to get rid of, because Craigslist has been smokin' hot this week!

I'll get right to it.

1. This settee.  $60

I know I've included settees before on the blog, and explained why, so I won't do that again, but I included this piece for a different reason (besides the fact that I just plain like it - excellent lines and very pretty wood carvings on the back.)
If you look carefully at the post, you might notice that the seller spelled settee wrong.  I'm not trying to harp on anyone's grammar or spelling, because that's not why I'm here, but I point it out to you to because it may hurt the seller's chances of finding a buyer. If someone is indeed searching for a settee, they very well may not find this listing. That may mean you have an advantage as a buyer.  And likewise, if you're selling, use spell check! (This goes for eBay, too.)

2. This vanity… is awesome. It is so so so pretty. And $50!!

You'd need to reconstruct the seat, but it would be equally as lovely in a grown woman's room as it would in a little girl's.  I love how petite looking it is and just classic with beautiful hardware and those vintage casters.
And here's a little secret -  I did actually buy it on Craigslist this week this for someone special! (I'll share more later on that)

My Dad and I are going to refinish it for my sister for her birthday in March! I'm already looking at finish options.
White with a dark stained top?

Or red? I'm getting ready to buy a quart of Annie Sloan Emperor's Silk which would be gorgeous…and my sister is the "red" girl so she would love this.

Lots of fun. My parents and I sort of raced over to the seller's house because he said he had someone else coming to look at it. No way was I letting this one get away. Can't wait to get started on it.

3. This is something I haven't seen before. It looks like an old table that would have been in a hospital, perhaps?

I'm assuming it also lays flat. That opens up possibilities for this piece. What about making it the bedside table in your guest room?  This woman found one and put it to work as an end table in the living room.

So cool! Or you could give your child who is studying an instrument a place to put his or her sheet music. It's just a great conversation piece. They're asking $100.

4. Here's a piece that has an issue.

It's an awesome old dresser but it's missing a drawer. What to do?
For $75 here's what you do. Buy it. And then you get creative.
Like this piece from Sweet Pickins

Or this piece

Or this piece from Shabby Story.

5. When I saw this piece, pinned to someone's board, I fell in love.

Of course, it's Pottery Barn Teen and a gazillion dollars. *eye roll*  Nonetheless, this is sort of a dream project for me. I would love to put this in my daughter's room, which is the smallest bedroom in our house, where floor space is at a premium.
So when I saw these on Craigslist, you can imagine…the wheels started turning.

For $100 you could do so much with these!! They would work equally as well for either a boy or a girl.
And they are solid wood. Amazing. You just don't run across stuff like this every day. I just don't know if I can take on a project of this size right now……hmm….

That's it for 2013!
Thank you for sharing part of your lives with me here, even if it is just a little bit.
I feel blessed and lucky to do what I love.

May health and happiness be yours in the New Year.

XO,
Anne
PS - As always, if you buy from Craigslist be careful and take a friend with you. I can't vouch for these sellers or their items.  If you end up buying any of these, please let me know!