Craigslist love, part two

Hope your weekend was FAB! My “claw” is back – I spent much of my free time over the weekend painting various things around the kitchen, and let’s just say there were numerous coats each. FAB. (I hope to show you those this week!)

For now, the Craigslist luvin’ continues peeps. I told you last week how I am starting to fall in love with this ahhhhmazing invention where people sell lovely stuff for really good prices. Um. Brilliant.

That is, as long as I’m going to the seller’s house and they’re not coming to mine. And I've told hubby exactly where I’m going. And it’s daylight. And I may have done a drive by past the house first.

THEN I’m loving it. :)

Last week I showed you my new perfectly-perfect-I-love-it buffet I found on Craigslist. Well, I had originally purchased a dresser to go in that spot. When I asked the length of the dresser, and the seller’s response was “53 inches -- but it was measured by my 15-year-old so I wouldn’t quite trust it.”

Hmmm. OK. I figured, holding a tape measure up against the dresser couldn’t be THAT hard, so I trusted the 15-year-old. (Note to self:  Teach the Bub how to use a tape measure before he’s 15.)

When the dresser was too long to fit into the back of my SUV, I started questioning the skills of the teenager. We finally got it in, and when I got home I did a quick measurement – uhhhh, let’s try 63 inches…not 53. Which made it way too large for the foyer.

Drats! I would just have to put it somewhere else. :) And I knew just the spot:

I changed up this space a bit a few months ago – it started out as a very dark spot and with a little spray paint, it got a quick and easy transformation. (YES, you regular Squeezes. I SEE the cord. That is a very rare occurrence around here!)

But pretty much everything was still bugging me – the sconces on the wall just weren’t working anymore. I loved the lamp, but it seemed out of scale for that space. And I was always trying to add more light and it never seemed like enough. (By the way, that lamp is the one on my IKEA sofa table in the kitchen, and I got it from HomeGoods.)

Sooooo…I dragged the massively long dresser into that spot in our family room and oooh baby. I was in luuurve.

When I went to pick up the dresser, I could tell the seller was a bit hesitant to let go of it. It was her grandmother’s for something like 40 years. She showed me the wear on the top:

And that’s when I said what was probably totally the wrong thing -- “Oh, that’s OK, I’m just going to paint it anyway.”

Ouch. Probably not what she wanted to hear. :) (More on that plan later.)

Then she mentioned the brand name and I didn’t hear much more after that because the birds were singing too loudly in my ears:

It is in really good shape, other than the top. With some conditioning oil, it really started to shine:

And the longer it sat in our house, the more I fell in love with it. Even the knobs (that still need to be cleaned) make my heart go pitter pat:

And soon, the top didn’t even bother me. It didn’t look worn, it looked loved. Like it had been in our house for 40 years.

When I tried out just about every lamp we own on the dresser, it was dwarfed. I checked out a couple of Goodwill’s and didn’t find anything – so it was off to HomeGoods I merrily skipped drove:

Um. If it is possible to want to flirt with, then date, then introduce a lamp to my parents and then marry it, this lamp would be the one. It is chunky. It is green. It has character. It has a drum shade.

I ask you, what more could you want out of a lamp?

Nothing I say! NOTHING.

Thank you sir may I have another?:

(C’mon, I know you know that movie quote!! If your husband/boyfriend/significant other/best friend is male, you do.)

The lamps were tall and substantial enough that I didn’t even need the sconces anymore – funny how I never considered just not having anything next the art!

Can we talk about how the lovely lady lamps perfectly pull out the smidges of the green on the Ballard discount print?:

OK, sue me. My symmetrical-ness won out on this one. I love how simple and classic it is:

     

And shall I even mention all of the fantastical storage?:

Once I get liners in here, I have some great ideas to free up a bit of space in the kitchen. Can’t wait!

This time I was a smart cookie and kept the tag to the lamps – I know some of you will love them too:

I just got them last week and our HomeGoods had a bunch left, but if you can’t find them there, you maybe you can email the company to find out where to buy?

The cost for the Drexel dresser? One hundred buckaroos. And it’s HEAVY. They don’t make them like that anymore. Well, they do -- but not for $100.  ;)

The lamps were $40 each, and I wanted the second one so bad, I returned a lamp from another project just so I could get it. I heart them.

I think the transformation in this spot, which never seemed right:

Was well worth the price for an I now LOVE it spot:

And you know what? At least for now, I’m not going to paint this beauty. Even with the bit of damage on top, I think it’s perfect as is. It’s warm and lovely and I can’t bear to paint over it. :)

And this is where I lie and say I’m not picturing Christmas decor on there.

I’m not!

:)

What’s your greatest Craigslist score? Or are you still too sceered to try it out? I don’t blame you – but the first time you try it, you may find yourself hooked too.  Don’t say I didn’t warn you.  ;)