I’m assuming most of you have heard of Craigslist and for those who haven’t, you’re about to thank me. Craigslist is a free online classified site where you can find all kinds of goodies.  Don’t be scared away by things like “The Craigslist Killer” and some of the weird spam that’s in the listings.  The majority of transactions are between two very normal people who just want to buy something, get rid of something, find someone, hire someone, etc.  It is an awesome resource, especially for those of us who are thrifty girls.  Here are my secrets to finding the best stuff without breaking the bank.  Check often:It’s like hitting a flea market when it first opens or digging through “the cart” at Goodwill that holds the contents that were just priced and haven’t hit the sales floor, yet.  You have to catch the best things right when they’re posted, because they

**Warning** This post is ALL OVER THE PLACE, so just go with it.  Man, I am still recovering from Blissdom!  That trip was awesome, but it really kicked my butt.  I’ve been struggling to get back into my routine and this is not a good week to struggle.  The Old Lucketts Store is having their famous Ground Hogs Day sale this coming weekend and I need to have several pieces in the wings to fill the holes left by furniture that (hopefully) sells.  My Union Jack Dresser was going to be the centerpiece of our space for the sale, but it sold already!  I’m really glad about it, but now I am scrambling.  I let my husband know that trips around the area to pick up Craigs List furniture is going to be a part of this week.  This evening I spotted a Tweet mentioning how cute I looked on a

(Not to be confused with Three French Hens.)  In my funk-ti-tude yesterday, a few good things did happen.  As I shared, I was great on my diet, I worked out, and I found some wonderful French chairs.  Five of them, in fact.  I think the downfall was going out clothes shopping on (statically) the most depressing day of the year.  A few of you shared that with me yesterday and I was unaware.  Had I known, I may not have ventured out to try on skinny jeans.  Talk about depressing.  The other really good thing that happened yesterday was all of the sweetness in your comments.  A few made me tear up.  A few made me smile.  All of them made me feel better.  I knew you understood and could relate.  So, thanks.  Back to the French chairs.   I was driving home from Wild Rose and spotted these chairs.  The owners of the

I learned one thing yesterday.  People are very opinionated about painting wood or not painting it.  People on both sides of the argument claimed to be angels.  People from both the “paint them” and “don’t touch them” camps claimed their solution ties or would tie the room together.  I must say, I really enjoyed reading all of the comments and the opinions given are valued.  Despite the conflicting advice, it was helpful and made me realize what I really want to do.  I should clarify a few things, though.  These cabinets are not family heirlooms..well, they are, but they were my uncle’s mother’s and she was not related to me at all.  They were hand-me-down freebies through my generous aunt.  Really, really nice hand-me-down freebies, but she didn’t even blink when I asked if I could paint them.  Second, they are not old.  I would not be painting over the

I gave you a sneak peek yesterday of the shutters I found.  These weren’t the cheapest shutters I’ve bought, but they are the very best (which is saying a lot.)  They are chippy, chalky and this lovely gray color. The hardware is to die for!  I snapped the pictures while they were still in my van, but I’ll haul one up tomorrow to give you a proper picture of them.  You will die.  Well, if you’re like me.  These are the benches I bought for the wedding.  I thought they were a pretty good bargain at $35/piece.  Sorry for the picture of them on my cracked sidewalk and brown grass.  They shed paint if you look at them, so there was no way I was going to bring them into my house.  I’m going to hose them down, sand them a bit and then apply a clear coat of poly

My post yesterday not only inspired those who left comments and told me so, but it inspired me as well.  I’ve been working on the pair of chandeliers in my living room for months, now, and it was finally time to finish them.  This is how they started out.  They weren’t bad at all, but when I hung the curtains, they seemed too busy and the finish wasn’t working with the newly installed rods.  I removed all of the beading and crystals, which were splattered with a burgundy paint.  (Why, oh why?)  With the chandelier stripped of its bling, I painted it a warm antique gold with an asphaltum glaze over top.  Now, they matched the gold curtain rods.  I then went through the laborious task of soaking each crystal in nail polish remover, scrubbing it with steel wool and then stringing it on jewelry wire and back on the

 After much work, two truckloads of trash, and a van load of stuff for the thrift store, the basement workshop is clean. We still have some organizing to do and a few projects to finish, but it will be so nice to have a clean and organized place to work.  I would’ve taken before pictures, but it was terrible.  Embarrassing, really. So, instead of showing pictures of my basement, I’ll share a few other things.  First of all, I bought this really cool postal scale a few weeks ago off of one of my fellow Wild Rose vendors.  I have a soft spot for scales and I really loved the petite size of this one.  We had a little photo shoot together. Couldn’t help myself.   Next, I have to share another act of kindness from one of my readers.  I am constantly overwhelmed at how generous people have been with me (and other bloggers for that matter.) 

I wrote a post in September of 2009 about my favorite things.  I spotted Donna’s Favorite Things SNS Link Party, so I thought it was time for an update.  Here we go… French provincial style and slipcovers Old doors and architectural pieces Antique baby dresses Blue and white and a little bling German glass glitter Ironstone Black and white family photos antique grain sacks Scales and balances Linens, silver, china and other hospitality pieces Bakelite flatware These are a few of my favorite things.  How about you?