Cincinnati Craigslist: Gems for the Taking!

If you know me, you know how I profess my love for Craigslist. Not only are there deals to be had, but there’s something so satisfying about rescuing a piece of furniture that my otherwise be headed to the junkyard or landfill. Upcycling!

Here’s a roundup of a few recent gems on Cincinnati Craigslist just awaiting someone’s creative touch:

1) For a mere 75 forking dollars, the chairs are just screaming for a coat of high-gloss white and a splashy pattern on the seats, perhaps staining the tabletop ebony and painting the legs white (or vice-versa!) …

The low-profile curved backs on these chairs are DE-flippin-Lish.

2) Okay … I’ve been trying to find an excuse to cart myself all the way across town to pick up this steal for days now. If you make it there before I do, god help me. At a steal of $10, how fan-freakin-tastic would this bamboo chair be painted a vibrant color and recovered in a bold fabric? Literally, probably less than two hours worth of transformation time to fabulosity.

3) This end table and this console table immediately made me think of a gorg transformation I saw at Emily A. Clark’s blog - and though they’re asking $40 & $45 respectively, you could totally get ‘em for less. Slip-slap on a little paint, and they’d make for a pair of chic nightstands, wouldn’t you say?

4) How precious would this vintage mirror be in a nursery or powder room?

5) I’m loving the color on this lamp.  Just envision how it would pop on a white desk (or one of the above-mentioned nightstands).  If (or really, when) you grow tire of the color, you can easily shoot it with a little black or white spray paint to re-neutralize it, but that shape is timeless.

What do you think? Am I crazy? Have I been inhaling too many spray paint fumes, or are you dying with me over the potential?

The Crystal and Fine China Debate

While I swore up and down when creating my wedding registry more than five years ago that I had no need or desire for crystal or fine china, I may have had a shortsighted view. Recently having broken the seventh of my 12 off-the-registry basic Pottery Barn wine glasses, I decided it was time to invest in some sturdier glassware.

Conveniently, Christmas was right around the corner, and I was thrilled to receive four Waterford red wine glasses. Large, heavy and thick cut crystal, I couldn’t wait to start guzzling my Valley Vineyards DeChaunac from my new pimp cup … I mean, wine glasses.

More: New Uses for Lovely Things

Building upon the Home Office edition of More Uses,  here are two additional lovely things that I’ve put to use in semi-untraditional ways.  

(Just so we’re clear, I share these not in a braggadocious, “look how clever I am” sort of way, but rather as an inspiration to you – and myself – to discover new ways to enjoy things you already love … because what’s the point of surrounding yourself with anything you don’t adore?)

New Uses for Lovely Things: Home Office

Let’s face it, office supplies aren’t pretty.  As I continue to pull my home office together, it should be both functional and also reflect my personal style. While it’s still a bit of a work-in-progress (shocking!), I’ve been able to incorporate some non-traditional elements as useful (and pretty to look at!) items.

My pen and pencil holder is an antique silver flower frog (which, embarassingly, could use a good polishing!):