Craig's List Finds

I often times will check out what’s listed on Craig's List.  Today I thought I would share what caught my eye in my home state. 

Nebraska!

On a side note….did you hear that Nebraska made #3 on the happiest states to live! 

It makes me ask why and how?  But then I remembered this picture I took last year.  The deep green of the land, the bright blue sky above, and the gentle rolling hills sets me in a good mood.  There is just something peaceful about this place.  I guess I’m not alone if Nebraska made #3.

Onto Craig's List…chairs, chairs and more chairs.  I think I might have a thing for chairs and bed frames(keep scrolling down).  Side chairs can be cleaned up, maybe reupholstered and BOOM! you have a new extra seat.  Maybe the extra seat could be a place where you drop your coat in the entry area…or a seat you can pull in for extra company in the family room…or a place to snuggle in and read a book in the bedroom.

These chairs are being sold at a second hand furniture store in town.  I had never heard of this store before.  I meant to check out the store on Saturday but ran out of time before it closed.  Neither one had a price that was listed.   The barrel chairs look like they are in great condition.  It’s hard to tell what the fabric is but it looks like a suede or leather.  Either fabric would look nice in almost any room coloration.  If you were to reupholster them it wouldn’t take much fabric.  And if you could do it yourself it would be any better.

The recliner had some interesting detail on the arm sides that would give a room some texture.  The fabric looks like a faux leather that I don’t know if I would keep.  I actually can see this chair in my little guy’s room as a side chair.  A chair that he can kick up his feet and read a book or watch some TV.  But looking deeper at this picture the seat cushion doesn’t look to soft.  I can just imagine myself sitting on it and just “sitting on it” not sinking in.  I’m thinking it would be very comfortable.  So maybe scratch this picture.  All it’s got going for it is the arm lattice detail.

These chairs I would take in a heart beat!  They are a set of 4 Danish teak wood desk chairs for $100.  I like the tapered leg, contoured back piece and the mid-tone wood color is nice.  If we were ever to refinish our basement I could see these chairs around a game table.  They’re not too big but look comfy for your bum and back to sit and stay awhile.  The seat and back piece look like the fabric is just stapled on and so it would be fairly easy to reupholster.

These chairs I totally envision in a master bedroom as a chair for a small writing desk or a chair for a bathroom.  They are a rosewood chair for $100 each.  To me it seems a bit high, but the selling point of the listing was the needlepoint work done on the seat.  Sorry to say if these chairs came to my house the fabric would be ripped off!  Not my style!  The open back of these chairs would feel quite light in a room as opposed to feeling chunky.

This bed again I totally would purchase!  It came in a set of a dresser and some other items so I don’t know of it’s price alone.  The listing didn’t say they wanted to keep it all together or if you could buy individual pieces.  The wood is a Birdseye maple.  To me it looks masculine; not a whole lot of curvy lines but has some detail at the top to keep it interesting.  With this wood so light I would pair it with a grey plaid of hounds tooth bed fabric with white sheets.  OH I wish this could come home to me!

Anything brass I HAVE to like!  This brass full-size bed frame is listed for $100.  I love that it would give any room some shine!

This bed also came in a set and I don’t know of it’s individual price.  The set included 2 night stands and a dresser.  It all was a bit to matchy match for me!  The thing that appealed me about this bed frame is the detail of the turned wood.  Definitely want to show that detail off!  With this bedding it’s not doing it.  The bed frame and bedding just blend together.  Using a lighter bedding fabric would take care of that.  Unfortunately it’s a queen size and me the hubs need our king.  But sure is nice to look at!

And lastly only in the Midwest would you find a 1940’s horse drawn sleigh for $1500.  How awesome would this be if you had an acreage!  But I guess a person would also need horses!  And horses are in a whole other category themselves.  Besides who has a need for a sleigh and plus who really wants to go on a sleigh ride in the freezing cold?  OH well it looked like a fun thing to have and a romantic trip to take with a loved one.  As once heard on Seinfeld, “there is just something about the clip-clop sound people go nuts for”!

Thanks for reading!

Bye for now,

DIY Black And White Abstract Art

Howdy!  It’s been awhile since I’ve last written!

My oldest child recently turned 12!  It’s impossible to think that 12 years have gone by so quickly.  It seems like only a few short years ago she was a baby and I rocked her to sleep.  I can remember the snow storm we had a few day prior to her birth…and the waiter telling me that my spicy dish would sure send me into labor the day before…and my blood pressure sky-rocketing when I was admitted into the hospital.  Now my little baby has become a honest, truthful and caring young person.  She wears her emotions on her sleeve.   When something’s not right or if she has a QUESTION she is not embarrassed or afraid to ask or tell me what’s on her mind.  I’m pretty sure I don’t want to discourage that! 

Happy Birthday to my sweet beautiful baby young person!  She secretly will always be my baby and I think in her heart she feels the same way!

With all the birthday preparations and celebrations over with, I thought I would share my latest DIY project. 

black & white abstract art

After browsing Pinterest, design magazines and blogs, I have noticed a lot of black and white abstract art out there.  It was art that I shied away from in the past just because I didn’t like it.  The more I saw it the more it started to grow on me.

I thought I would try my hand at it.  I knew I didn’t want anything too big, like pictured above.  Mainly because I still wasn’t completely on board with this type of art yet. 

I was on a hunt to find a small canvas.  Then I remembered I had these.

In my community on Facebook, I am part of a group that you can buy and sell gently used items.  I had planned on selling these….but “Wait a minute” these would do.  These could be my small canvases.  I knew my kiddos didn’t want these hanging in their rooms anymore, so I decided to give these a whirl.

I painted them an off-white instead of a pure white.  I don’t know if I necessarily like the sharp contrast of black and white.  So maybe my post should be titled “black and off-white abstract art” instead. Ha-ha!

 

I didn’t take any during progress pictures…because let’s face it…I redid one the canvas probably 4 times!  No one really needs to see all that mess and my frustrations!  Luckily the first one I was happy with right from the start.  Don’t give up!  Paint over it if you’re not totally happy with it.

And if we’re being totally honest I painted these several months before Christmas.  I didn’t like them!  So I put them away.  I even considered throwing them away!  I know it’s weird…I just have this thing if I’m not liking it I just want it gone.  BUT…..I stuck with it and just recently pulled them back out.

Enough with all of my needs on it being perfect!  Here’s my process I went through.

I took the above “West Elm” picture and focused on smaller aspects of it.  Since these canvases measure 10” square I knew I could only fit a small portion of it.  I even did some quick sketches on paper on how I wanted them to look before I started painting. 

I blended the two areas together around the edges and it created shades of grey.  I rather like the grey.  It lessens the blow of how sharp the contrast is between the black and white for me.  Plus is seems more “artsy” and more like a “real” piece of art.

I wanted to frame it, but the pieces of wood I had did not lay flat against the side and it looked funny.  I didn’t want the edges to stand out in this particular situation so I just painted them black.

Then for my second canvas (the one I just couldn’t get right), I have sitting on one of my book shelves.

This project costs me nothing.  I reused canvases that I already had along with black and off-white paint. 

This project could have easily been done on a piece of heavier paper and then framed.  Or if you or someone you know are handy with power tools you could even cut a 10” square from a 10” board.  And for that matter you could cut any size square or rectangle from what you have available.  The possibilities are endless!

Thanks for reading!

Bye for now.