My New Old Dining Room

Yay!!! Huge warning, this post is very pic heavy. Finally a post of my house that isn't my sunroom. So as I mentioned from my last post, I finally found my dream dining set on Craigslist from a thrift store about 30 minutes away. My loving mom happily obliged and help me transport the farmhouse table and four chairs. Now my inspiration was of this farmhouse table and round cane back chairs that I found on Pinterest.

iheartshabbychic

So here is a photo of my dining room before I brought in my new table and cleaned up a bit.

The room has some off white floral wallpaper panels that were nailed to the wall. The walls have pretty much deteriorated and crumble once you remove the panels. Not looking forward to drywalling this room with all the cuts that will be necessary. The vents are exposed throughout the first floor since we were going to update the horrible electrical job from the house but lack of funds have prevented us to do so. Eventually, I want to knock down half the wall between dining room and kitchen so it's a bit more open.

My mom is probably would be cringing right now that I would show my dining room in this state but lucky for me she's not an internet person. So what you are looking at is a dog crate on the bottom left corner, our failed DIY Ana White Modern Farmhouse Table, chairs and a bench on top of failed table, vacuum in the back next to the buffet, 2 cabinets and my saxophone case to the right and a pile of junk in the right corner. We originally had an IKEA round pedestal table that I end up hating almost immediately. That currently resides in my mom's new house kitchen area. I then built the failed modern farmhouse table. It was actually perfectly fine and square until we forced the boards into the table. Needless to say, this warped the table and I am too lazy to figure out a solution to fix it so I just gave up. I secretly started to hate the table after completing it so this did help to sway my decision to find something new.

I inherited two of these cabinets from my grandmother when she moved in with my mom earlier this year. She got them from my mom a couple of years ago. This one doesn't have the doors attached cause I am working on updating the piece. I really don't anticipate using it for DVD storage but my boyfriend was cleaning up and stuck them in there for the time being.

The left side of the room has a chair next to the cage. The rotary phone on the wall is not even functional since we currently don't have a house phone. It came with the house.

Now here is a picture of my cleaned out dining room with the new table with 1 leaf insert, 4 cane back chairs and bench from my sunroom.

View from living room

Another view from living room

View from kitchen (Left side of room)

View from kitchen (right side)

Close up of table

Includes 1 Drawer

I am seriously in love with my "new" dining room. In the year and half that we have lived here, we never ate in the dining room. Sad, I know but I always used the table as a work table for my various Ana White projects I have completed (will show more of those later). I didn't want to leave my dining room at all. Sure everything is not the colors I really want now but the room is taking a turn for the good unlike some other unmentionable room. I literally go into the room and light up about it. I will probably change out the French Provincial buffet but for now it works. Here are the other items in the room

My bench I pulled from the sunroom

Front

Back

My chair/bench and flower leather top side table

ugly fabric

French Provincial Buffet/Dresser

sorry no more pics as of now

Bench I built but never finished from Ana White to go with the Modern Farmhouse Table

Some leg action from the chairs

Some arm action

A picture from my cat who wanted to be included

This obviously is only the beginning of many things to do this space. Such as

• refinish the hardwood floors underneath cheap IKEA flooring
• paint (or stain)/ reupholster most if not all the furniture in the room
• install drywall
• eventually open kitchen up into dining room
• accessorize accessorize accessorize

But for now, I am just happy we finally have a table to eat at together.

Window Shopping: Craiglist Edition

So, I always seem to find the most amazing things when I am dead broke it is not pay week. Here are couple of things that tickled my fancy that were $100 and under.

 Like this flower shaped table coffee table. I love the curvy shape and the support lines underneath the glass add extra interest. Definitely not your usual rectangular wood coffee table and I would love to buy for only $60 but I already have three coffee tables. The boyfriend would NOT be happy. We already have this lovely table that I painted blue for the living room, a yard sale table for the sunroom, and a Goodwill table that doesn't have a home but it was only $1.00 since it was missing a glass insert.

Craigslist

This cute mirror with antique-style gold trim for $25. I am no gold girl but this mirror could convert me. Love the details of it and it would look great for my future wall of mirrors or sunroom. Also would make a cool chalkboard.

Craigslist

Next we have this vintage nightstands for $45 for the set. Just looks like they need some extra loving on the top. Would be cute to paint them a funky color or even a glaze just enhance the wood tones for a nice variation of colors. 

Craigslist

Finally, this green painted farmhouse table with turned legs and a drawer caught my eye for $100. Not the best deal of the day since it doesn't include any chairs. On the other hand, it is also solid wood and I want it bad.

Craigslist

You see, on Pinterest, I saved this image for my dining room inspiration

iheartshabbychic

I found 6 caned-back chairs that came with an oval table form $95 on Craigslist at a local Consigment Store that aren't as curvy. They are more like these ones from threeboys although 2 are armchairs.

threeboyshome

But not pretty at all, rather dingy I may say so. But it's ok. The plan is to redo and update the chairs. Then hang onto the table until I either sell said table, buy a farmhouse table or build one. Preferably, I would like to find one like the green one above.

So that's the plan. Can't wait to share. Should have the table and chairs in another week or so. Will update with the goods when they arrive.

Linking up to

The Love of My Life

This past weekend I went with the boyfriend to look and purchase a desk off Craigslist. It was beautifully carved leather top and all. I fell in love with it, really bad. The boyfriend hated it. We went to go get it and well, it didn't fit in my Camry. Foolish me thought it could work and yes, I tried but it didn't happen. To say the least, I was mad and frustrated and the boyfriend was easily madder than me but he loves me and he tried to help.

Craigslist

He actually preferred this desk which is really a vanity and a lot more feminine. I sent the poster an email but they never responded. Probably thought I was a scammer, or maybe they are scammers. It's still on Craigslist today...

Craigslist

I actually liked both but I preferred the first since I would put that in my living room. The second would definitely go in my bedroom. I need a desk area to put my laptop and I don't trust leaving it downstairs at night. Although we have three bedrooms, it is much easier to section off an area in our bedroom for the "work/leisure" zone than try to finish the third bedroom for an office.

So I looked again on Craigslist and found this beautiful mahogany vanity/desk. I always like to see the potential in the items I buy. Now granted, she wasn't in all that bad shape in the first place but I knew she could be beautiful once again if she was all mine.

It is just like Marian aka MissMustardSeed's desk.

MissMustardSeed

I actually have been looking for a desk and possibly thinking about building one but I am very indecisive when it comes to picking things. So when I found the desk for $35, I jumped right on it. Called the guy and he said come on down. He actually is a regular poster on CL and I always drool at the nice vintage items he usually offers for really cheap (well CL cheap, not thrift store cheap).

I actually sidetracked a bit before I went and bought a chair that I share with later. I don't know why I bought it but you can never have too many chairs, IMO.

So back to my desk. I painted it and stained the top. I still need to distress it a bit more and I can't wait to put it in my room to replace this IKEA desk. It's same top but with aluminum legs. Very cheap and a big eyesore. What was I thinking? Actually, it was for my daughter's room but when I rearranged her room it no longer fit since some her furniture is floating in the center.

I still need to distress, paint the hardware and seal her but here is a sneak peak...can you tell my favorite color?

Can't wait to share the reveal and hopefully will get more things checked off my to do list for the bedroom. Like um, painting the trim that I started months, ago. Hahaha.

Chair, you're fired!

That's right I said it. Since we moved in a year and a half ago, the television in our bedroom has been sitting on a chair. Yes, I said a chair. The funny part is we have a couple of tables or even benches that could get the job done but Mr. chair was trusty and reliable aka we were too lazy to move it. If it ain't broke, why fix it, right?

By chance, I was on Craigslist for no real reason and found this beauty.

 Seriously, I think I have an addiction.  I'd much prefer stalking the thrift stores but I must work to support my habits family, so I don't get to go out in the prime shopping hours and most thrift stores are closed or closing by the time I get off of work. I don't know what I am necessarily looking for all the time but I have a strange attraction to Craigslist. Their should be some sort of 12 step program for it. I keep hitting refresh looking for something new to pop up, maybe in hopes of finding something like this again. I also have some sort of addiction to watch how people like to overprice their crap. I love the listings of said beautiful item for $1000+ with no pictures. Yea, you really sold me. Anyways, back to my lovely new tv stand.

I initially emailed the seller 2 weeks ago on a Friday evening. I thought she ignored my message, which I think is very rude, but she actually did respond and I turned out to be the rude one since I never replied back after she responded twice. As fate would have it, I happened to check my gmail account (which is not one of my three main accounts) and realized she had responded to that account. So I asked if the table was still up for grabs and by luck it was. Long story short, I was able to pick up my new tv stand last Thursday and it has been love at first site.

 I love a piece with curves as you can see here. Definitely going to paint and thinking about adding mirrors to the inserts. My inspirations are

missmustardseed

Vintage Revivals

Vintage Revivals

I am thinking I will pick up some Sherwin Williams Creamy to try out on my table and glaze it.  Sherwin Williams is having a 30% off paint sale until the 30th so it's a good time to pick up some paint. I have been wanting to try some Sherwin William paint considering MissMustardSeed raves about SW paint and that color in particular. I am not being paid for advertising or anything but I thought I would throw it out there in case anyone wants to try some SW paint out since it's on the pricey side.

Are you currently transforming any furniture pieces? 

A Bench and 2 FREE Chairs: Why it pays to stalk Craigslist!

Last Friday, I was looking on Craiglist at my job. I seriously stalk that site. I am never lucky enough to be the first person and of my dealings on Craiglist, I only bought one thing so far a dresser for my third bedroom. So there was a posting for bench with flower detail for $50 and some kids dancing on the fabric. I looked at and liked it, the print is hideous but I can get past that since I will be redoing the chair. I have a vision, actually I have a lot of visions, and I needed that chair in my life. So I contacted the seller and usually I am always a day late and dollar short but by luck the seller contacted me to pick it up the next day! So I set up to go get my chair at 10:45 am Saturday morning.

It's not really an upholstered chair. It was probably store bought but I sure can fake it when I paint and trim in it out =)

Then another poster put ad up for, and I quote, "two old gastly chairs - $5" about 10 minutes later. Now usually I am prepared for the worst with these type of postings since 90% the time when people say vintage they mean ridiculously ugly. I mean very few term the phrase correctly and then want you to overpay for their junk. So the title intrigued me and I clicked a found this lovely beauty, or should I say beauties! I admit the fabric is dirty, old, and hideous but I could get past the cosmetic stuff. These chairs are solid and sturdy and with the right kind of help can be stunning!

I rushed to send an email on my phone since I can't access my email from my job and by chance I was lucky person #1. Now, here comes the best part of all. The seller emails me back and says he will give me the two chairs for FREE as long as I can pick them up the next day. Talk about #winning! I had to jump on it ASAP and I agreed to meet him at 11:00am. Why I don't know but you know that meant trouble considering Seller 1 is 46 minutes away from the center of the city (where we started) and Seller #1 is 46 minutes away from"Seller" #2 . And our house is 23 minutes in the opposite direction of Seller #2.

So my Saturday consisted of me living in my car for 8 or so hours picking up a bench and chairs after getting 0 hours of sleep the previous night because I went to the casino with my mom, aunt, and cousins till 7:00 am. But it sure was worth it =) 


Now I have a bench and 2 chairs for $50. Now the hard part is deciding how to finish them. Have you ever got any amazing deals on something you really wanted? 

I am linking for the first time to MissMustardSeed