Craigslist And Estate Sales Are My Friends

Yes, indeed they are.

I needed to refresh the stock at my antiques booth,

so a couple of weekends ago, my daughter Anne and I hit up several house sales,

and picked up a washstand, ca. 1870, from a Craigslist posting.

(The washstand in our sunroom, awaiting
its beauty treatment.  The top drawer is out.)

We stuffed the minivan; Anne has excellent packing skills.

But we had to pass up an Eastlake bed.  That was painful.

A very BIG Eastlake bed, it was in excellent, gorgeous condition, 

with rails, and already converted to queen size.  I know!

Why didn't we take it?  

I negotiated the price from $275 to $100 

-- it was the last day of the sale, and I was buying other things -- 

but when I stood next to the bed, and realized that it was taller than I, 

and certainly wider than 48" . . . I knew I couldn't fit it into the minivan.

Dang.

But we got an adorable old cherry one-drawer stand, with uber-patina.

And an antique repair to its top.  

(Please excuse the sneakers, dog toy, and vacuum in the picture.

Real life is messy sometimes.  Or, always.)

Not a very professional fix-it job, and it may win the prize for 

most nails used in any furniture repair ever, but I just love it.

It cracks me up.  It would have given my father fits.

Also in our house sale haul, a wonderful old chestnut drop leaf table, 

with three original leaves.  A rare bird, indeed.

The picking gods were with us that day.  It has not just 3 leaves,

but a holder to keep them protected.  I never saw one of those before.

It's possible I have lead a sheltered life.

Haha ... those are Howard's feet on the left; we were in the parking lot behind the shop, 

delivering these things to the booth this past Sunday.  

I have shrunk my booth down to 1/2 its former size, 

so it was a tight fit to get the new things tucked in.  But we did.

The rustic little one-drawer stand sold today, one day after its arrival.

And someone put a "hold" on the drop leaf table.

Yup, house sales are my friends.

And ... I just noticed my giant handbag on the drop leaf table.  Well, at least I didn't leave it there.

The house sale also netted us a nice sturdy country Windsor chair,

and a sweet pine desk/vanity/hall table that needs a teensy bit of TLC

before it's ready for its closeup, Mr. DeMille.

Sunday was such a lovely day.

Maybe Howard and I should have had lunch al fresco in the parking lot!

Side note:  A couple of days after I got the washstand from a home in Chatham, NJ, I got an email from the owner; she had found the bail of one of the brasses in her garage.  Did I want it?  Yes!  I was ready to hunt for a replacement.  Instead ... this lovely lady mailed it to me.  I know people worry about Craigslist dealings, but so far I have only met the very best people in my Craigslist purchases, or sales.  Even the hermits.  :-)

And it isn't much of a collage/mosaic that I've done, but even so ... 

I'm hitching it to Mary's Mosaic Monday at Little Red House.

Confession:  It's been SO LONG since I've done a blog party linkup that I forgot how.

True.

A mind really is a terrible thing to waste, isn't it?  See you soon! 

-- Cass

The TBDBT List, and Too Much of a Good Thing

Now, I am not complaining.

But . . . 
I am getting a little tired of living
in the midst of a roadside flea market. 

This situation is entirely my own fault.

I'm pretty good at finding lovely old bits of furniture and smalls

at auctions, estate sales, thrift shops, and on Craigslist.
Sometimes, too good.

 Oddball, orphaned tables, chairs, chests, rockers, and beds,

along with clocks and china and mirrors and artwork,

are squatting all over the house.  Not even paying rent.

Sofas?  We have three needing new homes!

I'm covered in sadness.

No, I am not.  You catch me fibbing.

I'm covered in thankfulness.

How lucky, how amazing, to have the problem of abundance.

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Although speaking of abundance,
Thanksgiving is a terrifying mere 34 days away.

I can't put a big table full of relatives in the dining room

if I still have it full of these interlopers.

 Time to get serious.

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It's time for the annual T.B.D.B.T. List,

or,

the To Be Done By Thanksgiving List.

I have been making one of these monsters for years.  And years.

"Wishes" about sums up the TBDBT.

My list is probably quite similar to the one penned by the hardy

souls who landed at Plymouth Rock back in 16-something-or-other.

1)  Don't thee die.

2)   Make thee friends with the locals.

3)  Invite thy new friends in for a nice cuppa.

4)  (Should be #2-1/2) Build thee a house to invite them into.

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Okay, so my TBDBT Lists are a little less ambitious than this,

although one year I included "Build A Garage," but crossed it out

before my husband could see it and get his hopes up.

2010 - Howard & Turkey Shirt

2011 - Howard & Turkey Shirt

I am way, way behind this year.

August and September were not my most productive months,

so I have streamlined my list.

Here it is, the slimmed-down 2012

To Be Done By Thanksgiving List.

1.  Send the orphaned furniture on its way, even if that means to a storage unit.

2.  Finish sewing the new draperies for the dining room, with the fabric bought during the TBDBT craze of 2010.  (Not fibbing.)

3.  Install the rest of the matchstick blinds in the Study, which includes trimming 4 of them.  

4.  Call Dave the Plumber and say Yes to a new upstairs bathtub, and also a new powder room faucet.  Ask him if a food disposal is possible in the kitchen.  Or, just outright buy his 4 kids all their Christmas presents, and his wife a nice warm mink.

5.  Touch up paint - kitchen, study, upstairs hall bath.

6.  Relax and realize that Thanksgiving will come, regardless of whether there are new draperies in the dining room, and everyone will be gently stuffed with good food.  Which brings me to my last make-sure-to-do point:

7)  Don't poison anyone.

A beautiful turkey with a cleverly disguised
ICBM strapped to its back.
The Commies will never see this one coming!
(A little joke there for us Cold War kids.)

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Adorable graphics courtesy of Karen, The Graphics Fairy.  Visit her amazing blog here!

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Link Parties!

At My Romantic Home, it's Show And Tell Friday.  Click here!

Feathered Nest Friday makes its home at French Country Cottage.  Click here!

The Charm of Home features Home Sweet Home on Fridays.  Click here!

It's Vintage Inspiration Friday at Common Ground.  Click here!

Miss Mustard Seed hosts the Furniture Friday Feature.  It's a must visit -- Click here!

We may or may not head East to the beach house.
I'm thinking That Old House is insisting we stay home,
and tend to her needs.  She's such a boss.  -- Cass

Death of a Camera, Birth of a Business

I knew it was coming.
For several months, its pictures weren't as sharp as they once were.
Its Macro setting would no longer Mac.
Its batteries lasted 12-and-a-half minutes before draining.


But on Sunday, when my little Canon Power Shot digital camera would not
take any pictures at all, insisting that every card I inserted was locked . . .

I knew it was time.

Goodbye, old friend.

And a temporary Hello to my nemesis, Howard's Nikon D3000, which I try my darnedest to use

like a simple point-and-shoot, because that's my level of expertise with cameras.

Admit it, that's one scary looking camera.

It's heavy, it makes me use the view finder thingy, it's cumbersome, it asks me to think . . . 

but it does make that nice, satisfying chunk-chunk sound when the shutter opens and shuts.

Like a real camera.

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 So, you say, what about this Birth of a Business stuff?

Well, you see, it's like this.

I really enjoy the hunt for old stuff.  Furniture, mostly, which is why right now there are way too many legs

in my sunroom, and only two of them are attached to me, and only four are attached to the dog.

The others are attached to oddball pieces of furniture that I brought home

because I couldn't not bring them home.

Does that make sense?

Dion DiPoochy, lower right, is not so sure about all of this.

 Last Thursday I went to Pennsylvania and brought home 3 small tables

and one old nursery rocker with a splint seat.

On Saturday, Howard and I circled New Jersey, and came home with a wrought iron patio table and chairs.

It's in storage now, but it will get fresh paint before Spring.  It is an old, very heavy set.

At that seller's, I spotted a huge and weighty old serving tray, silverplate, with gorgeous curves,

that had been painted white and was serving as the cover for their outdoor recycling bin.

The owner was very surprised when I wanted it.  Did I mention it was covered with mud when I spotted it?

Yes, it came home with us.  Wait till you see it; no pics yet, it's too gruesome.

Also found on Saturday: a small kitchen table, and four chairs that we are using

around the oak table in the Sunroom.  But that small kitchen table?  It's in storage, too.

On Sunday, we picked up some estate-sale leftovers.

Are you getting the picture?

From my PA trip -- a one-drawer stand with reeded legs.  Will be painted.

Also from PA -- a small table; it too will be painted,
but the top will be polished and waxed, left natural.

Not all veneer is bad veneer!

From PA - I love this table.  Arts & Crafts?  Asian?  Rustic?
Whatever it is, it's getting sanded and painted.  Black.

From the estate sale "dregs," a small trumeau mirror.
I can't bear to tell you how little we paid for this sweet old thing.

Yes, it needs a good cleaning, both glass and frame.
I will leave it in the old gold color - I think it suits.

Also from the estate sale leftovers - a professionally framed picture.
Ink and watercolor.  Just needs a bit of cleaning.

What brought us out spelunking for junk on Sunday was this table, found on Craigslist: 

 It's not often that my heart flips over for a Craigslist find, but this one was special.

It was listed at $25.  I called right away.

When I saw it, and realized that the top is just 3 wide boards -- one for each leaf, one for the center (although sadly

the top has a split for most of its length) -- and that it's got the wackiest pattern of use & abuse from decades past,

along with a fabulous color and patina . . . well, I had to have it.  This old gal is old.

"How much?" Howard asked.

"Ummm . . . twenty?" said the seller.

Sold.

I haven't yet turned this table upside down to get intimate with her and learn more of her story.

But I will.

Am I nuts that I love those old scars?

Don't answer that!  :-P

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So, what about that business tease?

I'm doing what I need to do so as not to end up on an episode of Hoarders someday:

I am taking a booth at an antiques mall not far from here.

This means that I can continue to hunt and bag trophies, and choose to either keep them

or pass them on to someone who will love them, too.

I'll share my process and my set-up with you; right now I'm still figuring out

how much I can fit in a little 6-foot-by-9-foot space!  Howard just shakes his head.

Happy Monday; I hope yours is sunny and your only blues are in the sky!  -- Cass

Peach Pie and Vintage Craigslist!

Ummm... peach pie and vintage furniture bargains -- I'm having a grand Friday here at That Old House. Join me on a whirlwind tour of crazy Craigslist bargains, and then settle down for a slice of my daughter Anne's delicious peach pie!

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When we moved to That Old House last year, we had an extra 1200 or so square feet to fill, compared to our last house. Thus began my love affair with Craig -- whoever he is -- or more accurately, with his amazing creation -- Craigslist -- a giant free online garage sale.

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So today I am Hooked On Craigslist, and sharing a Peach Pie my daughter Anne baked. (Kids who can cook and clean are the pay-off for those years of diapers and spit-up.)

Toddle over to Julia's Hooked On Houses to read of other obsessions (click here!) . . .

and for some summer recipes that will get you into the kitchen visit
Designs by Gollum for Foodie Friday (click here!).

If you like old stuff, and you don't mind looking past dust, scratches, bad photography and other funk to see the diamond in the rough, then Craigslist hunting is for you. I am lucky enough to live in an area where there are hundreds of new Craigslist postings each day, so I thought I'd share some with you.

I find the richest picking in Northern New Jersey. I have no idea why; I try surrounding areas, including New York City, but rarely find the same sort of bargains.

So, before we dig into the Peach Pie, I want to share some current Craigslist listings.

I've put some pictures here, taken from Craigslist (please don't turn me in!). Some are just links, and for any real junk junkies among us, I've got links (and links and links) at the end of the post.

All the links were active when I put them up -- but as things sell, the links are removed. Just so's you know!

The first one is a little surprising; I didn't realize how cute it is, till I really looked, and saw it in a different setting. . . Small wooden table -- clearly handmade, love the "spikes" between the legs.

Great for an Adirondack-style cottage, a camp in the woods or mountains -
and I'll bet, with all those nails, it is as strong as can be.

Great old desk, and with new paint would be a looker ...

Can you see it as a vanity? Look at the details -- ogee feet, and columns along the sides of the drawers.
Great looking brasses, rather French in feel.

Another desk, may be the same seller. A very different feel --
this one looks as if it would be at home pinch-hitting for a sideboard.


This is a big, big mirror -- and painted white or the color of your choice,
would be a knockout. And the seller says those magic words... "best offer."

Listed as "Patriotic Table." I had to look -- and so do you. You never know what you will find.

Now this is the kind of listing I love. Clearly it's in need of TLC --

but look at it! It's a classic. There is a missing wheel -- no problem; take off the other three. Who needs wheels on an end table? Paint this puppy off-black -- and you've got a piece that would look at home in a sophisticated setting. It's got great lines.
And it's ten dollars, folks! Ten dollars!

You may need to sit down now... all this bargain hunting is exhausting.
How about these wicker armchairs? $40 each. . . .

Some people write rather rambling explanations... but this bed -- provided the rails
and headboard really do exist -- would be stunning with a fresh coat of paint:

Look at the carving -- gorgeous!

Now I know I promised a free china cabinet listing -- but it has disappeared from Craigslist,
which means it has been taken. Boo! But here's what it looked like:

Not bad, eh?

Sometimes you find an ugly duckling and then realize it's got the Right Stuff:

This end table has strong French Empire lines -- and could paint up very nicely indeed.
And, best of all -- it's $15.

And here's a chest of drawers that would make a terrific sideboard:

Yes, really -- it would. It's got all its drawers, and while it needs some tender loving care, it's not hopeless. And look those lines! Construction workers would whistle at it if -- well, if they were other pieces of furniture.

This baby has a serpentine front, and what looks like barley twist roping along the sides. It's a quality piece. Needs handles, needs its finish restored, or a good coat of paint.
My dining room sideboard was in far rougher shape than this. And ... this one's only $25.

This little table makes me smile, and it just might have to come and join us here at
That Old House. We get so darned many magazines!

Love the sideways photography!
Can't you see this, freshly painted, in our study?

Now, a desk for $15.

This fella's been around the block a few times, but he's got great classic lines. Well worth rescuing.

Despite the unusual photography, I think this corner cabinet is an amazing buy for $35.

Plus, it says it's great to display dishes. Dishes!

Another dresser, for $25. Would clean up or paint up nicely.

I know, I know, it says $50 on the headline, but it's $25 in the body of the text.

And because I am running out of time ... at the end of this post are just some quick links to more Craigslist bargains.

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Well, all this stealing photos has made me hungry ... Time for Annie's Peach Pie.

Crumb Topped Peach Pie

Partially-baked pie crust
Enough cut-up fresh peaches to fill the crust (Anne used 5)
1/2 cup sugar (Anne used 1/3 cup Brown Sugar Splenda blend)
1/4 cup flour
Tsp. cinnamon

Crumb Topping:
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup brown sugar (or 1/3 cup Splenda & Brown Sugar blend)
2 Tbs. butter
1/2 chopped nuts (which Anne didn't use 'cause Howard doesn't eat them)

Toss peaches, sugar, flour and cinnamon in a bowl, mound into crust, dot with little bits of butter. Cut flour, sugar and butter together with a pastry cutter or forks to make little crumb-y bits, add nuts if you want them, and put the topping on the peaches.

Bake at 450 for 10 minutes, then lower oven to 375 and bake another 20 minutes.

It may need an extra 5 -- you don't want underdone pies, ick. Take it out, let it cool a bit, enjoy with ice cream or whipped cream. Yum.

And just in case you haven't had enough of Craigslist.... here are more links -- follow them if you are curious, but don't forget to go to Foodie Friday and Hooked On for other great stories! -- Cass

Check this one out ... it's a $50 china cabinet by a good manufacturer...

vintage twin bed, rope

Antique Doors -- have you seen recent magazine pieces around turning them into headboards?

Pottery Barn Iron Benches, 2 -- OK these are adorable! On a sunporch or deck?

2 kind of funky chairs

1 rather adorable chair

gorgeous antique iron outdoor set -- OK not cheap -- but wow, I would love this set!

antique child's rocker -- may actually be a nursery rocker, like the one I got from my grandmother. It's got nice age on it -- looks like the real thing, and may be a converted straight chair -- the rockers seem an afterthought.


Old twin sleigh bed

Old dresser .. ten bucks!

Old side table -- classic and $20

Old chest -- hope chest and $20 -- would look great painted, as a coffee table in a family room.

Enamel table, 4 chairs... I think these may be coming home to That Old House -- we had chairs identical to these in our summer house when I was a kid. My mom painted them watermelon pink to match the refrigerator (which she had also painted watermelon pink).

I could go on and on and on ...
But instead, a quick disclaimer -- I don't get any profit from touting these Craigslist listings. And -- more importanly -- be very cautious dealing with Craigslist listers. There are finks out there, although thankfully they are not the norm.

Look at the item before paying, and never ever ever ever go alone! Be as anonymous as possible. I hope you enjoyed this silly Friday post -- have a wonderful weekend!