Bargain cruising on Craigslist

If you haven't noticed by now, I am a big bargain shopper and have a hard time paying full price in stores,
which is why I am always checking out Craigslist for bargains and unique pieces.

Here are a few things for sale that I spotted this week on the website in the Fairfield County/NYC area with their respective links:

How cute would this table and chairs be in a small kitchen or apartment?
I think the paint color is mint, which I love.
It also helps that it is merchandised so cute with the flowers and teacups.

http://newyork.craigslist.org/fct/fuo/4142186757.html

I was sold at the nail head trim on this bench.
It would look nice in a mud room, at the foot of a bed, or as seating around a dining table.

http://newhaven.craigslist.org/fuo/4148555053.html

Another mint-colored piece.
This would be great in a bathroom or even a kitchen to hold plates, glasses, or jars.

http://newyork.craigslist.org/mnh/fuo/4114906299.html

I like the lines of this dresser and how the finish is a little shabby chic.
You could even change the knobs out for some unique ones from Anthropologie.

http://newyork.craigslist.org/brk/fuo/4155568795.html

Ignoring the pixelated quality of this photo, I think this two-toned table is pretty cool for a dining room.

http://newyork.craigslist.org/fct/fuo/4142208707.html

And there are always some finds that require a little more imagination, like this spindle bed.
If you turn your head to the left, and imagine a different duvet and a less cluttered nightstand, this bed would be so cute in a little kid's room or a guest room.

http://newyork.craigslist.org/brk/fuo/4145672202.html

The same goes for this chair.
I like the shape but would maybe stain or paint it and then recover the cushion in a really fun fabric:

http://newyork.craigslist.org/lgi/fuo/4140422596.html

This bar cart reminds me of the one we have on our porch.
The natural wood is nice but a fresh coat of paint in a fun color like red could make it really great.

http://newyork.craigslist.org/fct/fuo/4143551083.html

This armoire has nice lines but I bet some Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in a graphite color would look awesome, sort of like this DIY painted armoire from Emily A. Clark's blog.

http://newyork.craigslist.org/wch/fuo/4099273448.html

Lastly, just some tips I follow when looking for furniture on Craigslist...

1. Try searching with keywords like "rustic", "shabby chic", "reclaimed".
That's how I came across most of the above pieces in my search.
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2. Search in towns that typically have really nice homes.
Usually they have really nice things.
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3. When you find something you like but you want to negotiate, try asking if they can do any better on the price.
I like phrasing it that way because it is not too pushy.
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4. Lastly, it doesn't hurt to check out the "free" section on Craigslist. 
You know what they say..."one man's junk is another man's treasure".


Thanks for reading!
- Caitlin

Hey vanity, lighten up!

Okay, so I'm a little nervous about this post!

The sellers of our house (who we adore and have kept in touch with) are followers of the blog and I value their opinion and hope they don't hate what we did here!

In our master bathroom, I really like the vanity and its shaker style cabinets but I tend to like lighter colors than the dark wood look (which is why I love our kitchen so much and the white cabinets).

So after consulting a few friends and family members, I decided to paint the vanity.

Of course I went with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint because it requires no priming or preparation whatsoever. 

Easy peasy.

By the way, to see other things I've painted in ASCP, go here, here, and here.

Here's the progress of painting the vanity 

(I ended up taking off the cabinet fronts and painting them outside)...

And here is the after (although we still need to wax--my least favorite part):

And here are some side-by-side comparisons of the before & after:

I put the original hardware back on but I'm on the lookout for a change. 

Maybe something like this for the drawers?

What's next for the bathroom?

Well, we are almost finished with framing out the mirror (will share soon) and still need to pick a paint color for the walls (nowhere near making a decision). 

Have a great day!

- Caitlin

If you build it, they will come (over for dinner)

A few months back I posted about our temporary dining table that I painted over in ASCP.

Well, the temporary table is still here as we haven't found a dining table we liked or were willing to shell out the bucks for. So, we've been tossing around the idea of building our own.

Although Chris has become quite the craftsman, he isn't able to sculpt table legs yet that aren't your basic rectangular ones. So, he found this website that sells legs in all different shapes and sizes.

Here are a few that we're considering...

{via Osborne Wood}

{via Osborne Wood}

{via Osborne Wood}

Once we pick out the legs, building the top will be a piece of cake thanks to Ana White and her plans.

Also if we go with this DIY route, I definitely would like to splurge (a little) on some nice dining chairs. 

I've been obsessed with these Restoration Hardware ones...

...which happen to be on sale. A sign, perhaps??

We figure that if in the end, the table we make doesn't turn out the way we hoped, we could always sell it.

Let's start building!

- Caitlin

Completed collage!

I finally finished a project that has been partially done for months now!

This wall collage in our guest bathroom is now complete.

Through decorating this house, I've learned that I might have a mild case of ADD as I discover myself half-doing projects then jumping to the next without finishing what I started. 

I lovingly blame it on my mother who has been caught vacuuming with one sock on (she forgot to put on the other one) and occasionally empties half of the dishwasher then goes on to do something else. So was the case with this collage. I had half of the frames up and filled before I jumped up and started spray painting the shower door. This apple clearly doesn't fall far!

Anyway I've filled the frames with pictures we used in our wedding of our grandparents on their wedding days.

The dark brown frames are Crate & Barrel and the light brown ones are garage sale finds.

The largest of the frames has a photo of Chris and I on our wedding day.

Above the frames, I've hung this vintage "Guests" sign that we used in our wedding.

I thought it was fitting, considering this is the guest bathroom after all.

Oh, and after months of procrastinating, we finally put mirrored glass in the bathroom window mirror.

Here's the before...

...and here is the after. 

Now our guests can actually see themselves.

The other (small) addition to this bathroom is this faux potted grass I scooped up at a garage sale for a quarter. 

Since I don't go in this bathroom often, it is nice to have a "plant" I don't have to water and make sure is still alive and kicking.

Hopefully we complete more projects this weekend that I've started.

Here's to hoping!

- Caitlin

Quick DIY project for man's best friend

I did a quick 10 minute project this week after being inspired by these DIY personalized dog bowls by Martha Stewart.

Rosie's dog bowl had been looking a little gnarly (see below--ick) so I decided to spruce it up a bit following Martha's project.

Instead of using letters on transferring paper like Martha Stewart did, I just used these stick-on glitter letters I had in my craft cabinet.

Then I just dotted along the edges of the stick-on letters with a black marker 

(and fudged the letter "E" along the way--oops).

Lastly, I added some rope to the bottom using a hot glue gun.

Rosie's bowl had the black rubber ring around the bottom but ate it off when she was a puppy. 

That was one of the first of many things she ate that she wasn't supposed to. 

Bad dog!

Okay I take it back. 

She's a good girl and an excellent model.

Oh, if you are admiring Rosie's chevron collar, I bought it here on Etsy.

I've also bought this one on Etsy as well...

...and I'm currently coveting the chambray swiss dot one.

If J.Crew made dog collars, I'm pretty sure this is what they would look like!

A quick thanks to Catherine from Chic Geek for featuring my blog on Sunday!

My first feature--wahoo!!

- Caitlin