What to Buy on Craigslist this week

Hi friends!

It has been such a busy week here - husband traveling, kids off school for Columbus Day and a teacher in-service day, and we have determined that we are hosting Thanksgiving, complete with family members flying in from the West Coast. Woo hoo!

So I am getting myself in gear for some serious home improvement work to be done between now and Turkey Day.  Work has not slowed down for me, either (for which I am so grateful)!

This week I worked on a good friend's nursery.  She just welcomed twin boys and as they are still too small to come home, it was the perfect chance to make good on my offer to paint their initials on the wall over their cribs.  Here's a peek:

Such a cute room.  Can't wait to show it to you!

Now onto this weeks finds.
I have hosting company on the brain.  I think that probably will explain some of my choices.

1. A Murphy Bed.  You know, the kind of bed that folds up against the wall when you're not using it?
These things are so cool.  AND save a ton of space.  And I have a hunch that at $100 this one is a steal.
It is described as a restoration project (and the pic is dark), so you'd have to investigate a little and see what kind of shape it is in, structurally.  But I love it!

Look at how pretty this one is, shown on Houzz.

Traditional Bedroom by Quakertown Design-Build Firms Sullivan Building & Design Group

Traditional Bedroom by Quakertown Design-Build Firms Sullivan Building & Design Group

Bring on the guests!

2. This totally beautiful table - such an unusual shape! There is a tiny repair that needs to be done, but it is so unique. Worth $75 if you ask me. 

I'd love to see it with a scalloped bracket on top to mimic the shape, and a pretty initial in the center.

So pretty!

3. You could also give your dining room a little pick-me-up if you're hosting this Thanksgiving.  I doesn't have to cost tons.  Maybe switch out your two captain's chairs for something different.
These are great and they are practically free.

Chairs like these are SO easy to recover. Turn it over. Grab a screwdriver or drill. Unscrew the seat.
Get 1/2 yard of fabric. Pull it around the edges tightly.  Staple.  This is not brain surgery, people! Chair seats like these are the perfect place to do a little bit bolder or brighter color or pattern.  There's almost no commitment.  If you don't like it next year, take it off and put something completely different on.
This project shared on Hometalk is a perfect example.
Here's the before:

And AFTER:

Love it. LOVE.

4. Upgrade your sleeping quarters with this beautiful daybed.

I'm thinking about doing just that in my daughter's room - we would like to add a trundle underneath for sleepovers. I have to be honest. I want to paint whatever daybed goes in my daughter's room, but this one is killing me because it's cherry. Ugh. Have to think on that one..... But rooms like this from Just A Girl are so pretty.  (bonus on this post - she painted that awesome tree on her daughter's wall!)

That's all for this week.
Stay warm!

XO,
Anne

DIY Holiday card display from a cabinet door

Hi friends!

It's about that time...we are getting ready for Halloween right now, but before you know it, it will be the holidays and with them will bring all the yearly greetings my family looks forward to so much!

We love seeing all the smiling faces in our mailbox every day.
But I have always struggled with a way to put some of those beautiful cards on display.

This year, I have made something I love, and I'm going to share it with you :-)

It involves supplies from three of my favorite places to shop - the Habitat for Humanity ReStore (or whatever similar place exists near you), the dollar spot at the craft store, and the home improvement store!

The ReStore near me was selling these cabinet doors for $1.00

I should have bought them all!
If you decide you want to make this project, I'd just call ahead to the place you're planning on going. Often times cabinet doors like these are in supply, but typically stock changes, so I'd call first. (That's another reason to start now, in case it takes a few weeks to find the right door.)

Then I hit the dollar section at the Michaels. They had a variety of pretty wood holiday themed words, again, for a $1.00! 

At the home improvement store (or possibly the dollar store depending on what they carry near you) you'll want to pick up clothespins,  twine, wood or craft glue, some screw-in eyes, and a hanger to attach to the back of the cabinet.  Other supplies/tools I used included a pair of pliers and my Ryobi drill, to create a pilot hole for the eyes we'll screw into the front.

Think about your home and your holiday decor and you can make this look coordinate - paint it, distress it, Mod Podge some pretty paper on the inside panel.  The sky is the limit.
I sanded my edges a little bit, and left it alone.

I cleaned my door with some plain white vinegar - a good natural degreaser.

I grabbed some of our old Christmas cards, that are 5x7 - that seems to be the largest size we typically receive. The cabinet door I bought is roughly 17" wide by 23" long.  I laid out the cards the way I liked (don't stress over this - it's a holiday card display, not going in the Smithsonian. :-) and marked the spots where I wanted the eyes to go with a pencil.

The top two were about 5" from the top of the cabinet.

Drill your pilot holes (they should be slightly smaller than the actual eye you'll screw into them) and using the pliers, twist the eyes into place. You'll want to leave room above the place where the eyes are placed, because the tops of the clothespins will stick out above that.

Mark the next spot where you want the lower row of cards to hang. Drill your pilot holes and screw in the eyes again.

Smile - this is SO easy!

Get your twine. Tie a double knot around the eye. Thread the twine through the other eye and pull it as tight as you can. Double knot. Trim.

Repeat with the next set of eyes.

I grabbed my wood holiday word from the craft store,

and used some wood glue to add it on the top.

Add some hanging hardware to the back and find a special spot in your home for this.

I can't wait to start getting those holiday smiles in the mail because now I have a smile-worthy (and ridiculously inexpensive) place to show them off.

I'd love to see if you make a display door for your family.

Happy early holidays!!

Anne

What to Buy on Craigslist this week!

Hi friends!
It's been a busy week here - I am in full-on house purging mode.  Man, it feels good to get rid of stuff, to actually know where my belongings are, to see my basement floor again.

I also have been switching up and adding to our wall decor all over the house.  Here's a sneak peek of a super cheap DIY project for displaying my kids school work that is now residing in our kitchen.

These were old cabinet door samples that someone had tossed......More to come on that in a future post.
Now onto the Craigslist buys for the week!

1. I love this solid oak chest of drawers, but something is bugging me about it - I think it needs legs.

Like this one from the blog Chrissie's Collections.

She did not have to add the legs, but don't you think the proportion is so much better with them? For $60 plus the cost of legs, I say go for it.  This piece is so stately and lovely!

2. This vintage stereo cabinet ROCKS.

I'd strip out the inside, redo the outside and make it a fantastic buffet, media console, or otherwise gorgeous storage piece. Take a look at these pieces where folks did just that.

Etsy yellow cabinet

Wonderful white cabinet

The seller also has another stereo cabinet that would be worth picking up.

He's only asking for Best Offer. Do it!!

3. A couple little antique side tables like this one

and this one

might stump some folks...after all, there are only one of each of them, so you don't have a matching set.  But that really is OK.  In fact, I love it.  Mixing it up is what keeps your home from looking boring, dated, or too matchy-matchy.  Paint them a bold color like this project (that has a secret twist - posted on Hometalk.) 

Or this sunny yellow one from my friend Shanna at Restoration Redoux.

Or a vibrant red like this one seen on Apartment Therapy, originally listed on Etsy.

You can stick these great little useful pops of color anywhere! You'll smile every time you look at them. Promise. They're $25 each.

4. This amazing, walnut, vintage drop-leaf table. DROOL.

Love those pedestal legs! I don't have anything else to say about why you should GRAB this table for $50... all you have to do is look at this picture, also shared on Hometalk.

That is just stunning.

5. I know I featured another rocking chair recently. But I think this one is unique enough that it warrants being on the list.

Love this.   It's listed for $65. The picture is kind of fuzzy, but you can still see those arms! They make this chair for me.
Recover it, freshen it up with a nice, soft coat of paint like this one, and get ready to have a new favorite chair.

And rockers don't have to be confined to baby's rooms.  What about your guest room? Reading nook? This, to me, says "slow down. read a book. close your eyes for a few minutes." Aaaah.

**As always, if you do decide to shop these or any other pieces on Craigslist, be smart. Be safe.  Always take someone with you to pick up an item and if it is small, you can also ask to meet in a public place like a grocery store parking lot, or, you can ask the seller to bring it to the front porch, etc.  I don't know these sellers, and I cannot vouch for their items.  These are just the things that caught my eye!

If you would like me to purchase and restore or redo any of these pieces for your home, let me know! I am happy to do it.
You can email me at
writetoanne13@gmail.com

That's it for this week!
Have a great weekend!

Anne