What I'd Buy on Craigslist this Week

Hi friends and Merry Christmas!

What an awesome time of year. I've taken several weeks off from doing this post, but I missed it, so here we go!

1. Beautiful King size caned bed

You cannot go wrong with a classic like this. Ballard Designs has a gorgeous option that will run you $1000.
So the seller's asking price of about $200 seems like a good deal to me!

2. The gift of a dollhouse is timeless and what little girl wouldn't love a house like this one?

It does say it needs some work, but isn't that what January is for? A good project to pass the time… For $80, I just love this.

3. I've shown you chairs like these before, but as I have also mentioned in the past, finding things in pairs can be especially difficult if you are buying secondhand.  And things in pairs can be especially helpful when it comes to decorating and staging your living spaces.  Symmetry is your friend.
So GRAB these for $35 and run.

And you are already imagining them with new upholstery, aren't you?
This Etsy seller did a fantastic job.

Never gets old, does it? :-)

4. I love a simple wooden bench like this, called a deacon's bench, I believe.

It is beautiful in its spare design... so unfussy.  Great in a foyer or bedroom or hallway if you have room.

What about using this at your kitchen table for a change? Just a thought.
For the life of me I cannot find a good photo of a room where someone has done this, but I think it would be really great looking.

5. What fun is this table?

We put our crack team of investigators here on the case to find out what this is, and in case you didn't already guess, it is a sewing machine table.  According to this woman, who also found one, 

it dates back to the 1890's.  Very cool. And so striking with the cast iron bottom.

No sewing machine included in the one for sale now, and as you can see the pedal at the bottom is missing, as is the original cabinet on top, but the stand alone I think is worth the $65 the seller is asking.

I found old ads for these machines… here

How cool is that? 

Even if you are not a sewing type person, this would make a fabulous addition to your home.  Instant history.

Try this:

And I cannot read one word of this, but I don't need to.  This is gorgeous in any language.

So there you have it. 

As always, if you choose to buy from these sellers or anyone on Craigslist, please be smart, be safe, take a friend with you, and as the song says, "don't outsmart your common sense."

To anyone whose eyes are on this page, I just want to say thank you for taking a few minutes to spend with me here. This is more fun for me than you'll ever know!

And Merry Christmas.

May all the blessings of the season be yours.

XO,

Anne

 

Learning to edit photos is actually fun!

Hi y'all! Summer is winding down. The World's Longest Yard Sale has come and gone (my finds...coming in a separate post).
A three piece vanity set has just been delivered to its happy recipient. A big ol' buffet is in the works right now. Suffice it to say life and good and full!
 I am slowly learning all about this blogging/furniture designing/entrepreneurial stuff. Today, I decided it was high time I learned how to edit some photos because I really needed some good Before & After pics. I mean, they are just SO gratifying, are they not?
 I introduced myself to Picmonkey.com and boy, do I love it!!
 So without further ado, here are the collages I've made to show others, and especially potential clients, my work. Thanks for viewing.

 Have a great day!

Belated reveal of our upcycled hall tree for charity!

I didn't get to post this when it happened just recently, but my Dad and I finished the hall tree we created out of an old interior door and an ugly bathroom vanity! Here's my earlier post on it.
This was part of a design challenge issued by a local reuse/salvage store that benefits Easter Seals.
We got $100 to spend in the "store" and then had to create something new and fabulous.

You might have seen this pretty image floating around blogs and pinterest...

It's from an awesome blog called Pretty Handy Girl.  It was exactly the spark we needed to make our hall tree!

And here she is:

That's my sweet Dad who worked happily with me to create this - and make sure it won't collapse when someone sits on it.  :-)  Thanks, Dad!!

The only things "new" about this piece are the cushion (I made it...foam, fabric, and piping from Joann) and some plywood my Dad used to reinforce the bench.  Everything else - even the four matching hooks, mirror, and door pulls came from Building Value.  Lovin' it!!  So, this is my completely uncompensated pitch for you to scout out your local reuse and salvage outlets and USE their stuff.  Very cool.

This little beauty was auctioned off for charity, but if it wasn't, I would happily have this piece living in my house right now!

Here's the befores:

And here's the after!

Have a great day!

Anne

Bridal shower gift reveal!

I had forgotten how much fun it can be to get excited about wedding gifts. I mean, I have been married for a DECADE now, so you know... you forget. But I had the chance to attend a bridal shower for a family friend and his fiancee. And of course, I had to make them something. My inspiration was from the blog Lines Across My Face - isn't this gorgeous?!

I love the modern stitching and negative space. After looking at the couple's registry, I decided it would be perfect. I used a steely gray suede-like fabric and white thread. First, I did some decorative stitches around the pillowcase end. Very simple with my machine.

I decided to use white embroidery thread so the pillow could be used in any room, with any color scheme.

I'm so happy with how it turned out, nevermind the fact that I really underestimated the amount of time it would take me to finish it.  (I was, ahem, finishing it IN THE PARKING LOT at the shower. True story.  haha)

Congrats you two crazy kids! ;-)

XO,

Anne

You can't take burp cloths to a bridal shower? Darn.

Morning!
And by that, I mean, I've been up since 4 a.m. for NO reason and am super happy about it! ;-)

I have a bridal shower to attend this weekend and I don't know the bride very well - she's marrying into a family we've known for a long time.  I'd like to make something but I am struggling with what to make.
Baby showers have been very fun and pretty easy... I mean, it's baby stuff.  It's all so stinkin' cute!

Here's the set of burp cloths I made for a relative recently.

She does not know what gender her baby is, so I went with a fun, neutral palette.  And actually everything came from my stash, which is even more awesome!

I had found some Gerber cloth diapers on super sale somewhere a while ago.  The polka dot fabric was from Joann with a coupon.  The orange was a remnant at Joann.  And actually - ready for this?  The yellow was from a thrifted T shirt!  (washed well, I assure you.)

I had a ball making these.  I'm not a very precise, planned, or anywhere near perfect seamstress.  I have a simple machine and I do simple designs.
I kind of just went with what popped into my head (and Lord knows what that could be these days) although I knew I wanted to do bunting.  I mean, it's everywhere and it is SO cute!!

So I cut the little triangles (and for that matter, all the letters, and other appliques) out of fabric, and then used Fray Check on them all.  Once they were dried, I pinned them into place and sewed away.

The bunting was super easy.  I used white thread to sew down the triangles, which actually worked very nicely because it made the bunting look "real."  Then once the triangles were done, I switched over to some brown thread and just loosely followed the tops of the triangles, to make the "line" they were hanging on.  I am really pleased with how it turned out.  I will definitely be doing this again!  

Wouldn't it make cute kids bedding??  Hmm... (mentally filing that one away.)

I sketched out the letters with pencil and then cut them.  You could obviously use a stencil if you have one.

The argyle was easy, too.  I sewed down the diamonds, then used the machine and some red thread and eyeballed it to make the X's on top.  It is not perfect, but I kind of like it... it looks a little shabby chic.

These honestly didn't take that much time, and were a hit with the mom-to-be.  I got the nicest thank-you note.  Thanks, cousin!!  Wish they lived closer... they will be fantastic parents. :-)

Now... back to the curbside chair I am destroying reupholstering.

I believe I have now spent 5 hours pulling staples out of that thing.

Cheers,
Anne

Oh, and I'm linking this up!