What I'd Buy on Craigslist This Week - In Dallas!

Hi friends!

Once upon a time I asked some of my Facebook peeps if they'd like to have a post on what I'd buy on Craigslist done in their cities. To my utter shock, people jumped at the offer!

So better late than never, per the request of Heather from Queen of Everything, we are off to the Dallas/Fort Worth area!

1. If you're in the market for a piece to reupholster, but you kind of, well, don't really know what you're doing yet, you need a guinea pig piece. I nominate this one.

Adorable, right? And ten bucks! Get a good staple gun, some cute fabric, and get ready to YouTube your brains out.

You can SO do this. And, as a bonus, I also nominate this cute ottoman/footstool to become your new chair's partner in crime.

And since you asked so nicely, here's my pick for a fabric to upholster them both:

If that doesn't scream "Spring!" I don't know what does. Happy dance!

2. I've never picked a quilt rack before, but this has a few things going for it.

It's got very pretty legs, known as "barley twist" which is something I'd never heard of before Heather said she liked that style of furniture. You've got expensive taste, girl, because everything I found that was called "barley twist" had several zeros behind the list price!  This little gal is only $45, and would make a charming addition to a guest room or family room. It's been painted a bright white, and looks like it's lightly distressed. Hope you like it, Heather!

3. What a great deal on a bright chair! It could be the fact that I'm plotting a redo of my guest room in red and white, and this chair would be perfect, but I just think this is so cute!

It's currently on the Pier1 website for $80, so this, my friends, is a true steal!
Put it in your entry (like this one) for an instant pick-me-up.

4.  Maybe you have an old light fixture you want to switch out.  I think this wicker pendant is adorable, and they are everywhere right now.

Remodelista compared some higher and lower end lights, but even the "steals" out there are no match for the $20 price tag on the Craigslist find! I love the idea of hanging it over the living area like this.

5. I don't yet own any campaign-style furniture, but I sure would love to, one day. And if you would, too, then I suggest scooping up this coffee table for $20.

You can clean it up, and use it as-is. It comes with a glass top, too, which is super nice and prevents you from worrying about spills, etc.
And, you'll get the look of this coffee table, which retails for almost $3000. Yes, there are three zeros in that price tag.

Or you could paint it a bright color, in a lacquer finish, and have a showstopper.

via Desert Domicile

Painted campaign furniture can be such a stunner. 

via Etsy

I love the pops of brass against the colors.

So there you have it. My picks for you crafty, thrifty, awesome Texans out there.  And here's the disclaimer I always feel the need to include in my Craigslist posts.  I've been buying and selling from Craigslist for years. I have yet to have a problem. I always use my common sense. Take a friend or relative with you (especially the large, male type if you have one.) If a piece is small enough, you can ask to meet in a public spot, like a well-lit grocery store parking lot.  Be careful. Be safe.  And have fun.

Hope you've enjoyed this!
If you would like to see more of these kinds of posts, you can catch me at these spots:
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XO,
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!

What I'd buy on Craigslist this week and two awesome thrift store finds

Hi friends!

Made my first pot of chili... I love fall.  But it's also the time of year that yard sales tend to start winding down where I live. So, besides the thrift store, Craigslist is my fix. :-)

So here goes:

1. This adorable white spindle table.  It has great lines and detail.  And it's $35.

Put it in a girls room.  Or the guest room.  Or the bathroom.  Or the living room.

I think I'd leave it white, although this looks awesome painted bright blue.

2. This $25 planting table/workbench.  If you have room for it, please buy it so that when I build my garage I can buy it from you.  :-)  

This one is featured at HGTV.com

I must be feeing lazy this week because I actually like this just the way it is, too, although this one in white is so great.  Doesn't it just make you want to plant something??

I just love the idea of a place to store your tools, and pots, and watering can and cute garden gloves.  Organize it all this fall so that when spring comes, you're ready to roll.

3. Pick up this very vintage 70's looking queen/full size headboard for $30.

Don't make that face.  I'm telling you, bad 60's and 70's furniture with all the carvings and turned posts on it is the BEST stuff to paint.  Looks fabulous.
Don't believe me?  Now, it's not identical, but our friends over at Pottery Barn would ask you to cough up $1500 for their white version, the Caroline bed.

But if you don't want to use it as a headboard, you can do what this brilliant woman did and turn it into a fantastic front porch welcome sign.... what?! I love that!!!

Heck this other headboard is a measley $10.

Paint the panel with chalkboard paint and rotate messages.  Seriously? People are so smart.  This is just adorable.

4. These $6 footstool legs are so great (so long as they are sturdy - and I'd ask when I contact the seller.)

Besides having a pretty footstool around to look at,

I think it's great to have in case a little one would like to pull a chair up to the coffee table and color or something.  Get a piece of plywood, some foam and batting and cover it in anything you want! You could easily add higher sides to it like this one, also.

I also think it would be cute to put next to a kid's bed if the bed sits up high.  Sooo cute.

5. I think this is a very old antique rocking chair.

And I bet it would look amazing recovered and updated in a very special little one's room.  Can you see it?  I sure can.  That's exactly what these people did.

What a cool piece!

As I mentioned up top, I went thrifting this week (to escape the madding news coverage of the government shutdown #furious) and scored two great pieces...one for me!

Here they are - a vintage 60's or 70's coffee table (remember? great pieces to paint) and this unusual arm chair.

It was the woodwork on the front of this chair that had me at hello. SO cool!! I cannot wait to see it in a fresh new fabric and a coat of paint. Those turned legs and carvings are just going to pop!

And I am keeping the coffee table.  More about that later.
Remember, friends, if you decide to buy something on Craigslist, BE SMART.  I do not know any of these sellers - and I always try to make my Craigslist interactions as transparent as possible... take someone with you.  If the piece isn't huge, you can ask to meet in a public place like a grocery store parking lot.  If your gut tells your something isn't right, listen to it.

Now, that said, get out there and do something awesome!

XO,
Anne