Take a Seat {& New Dining Room Furniture}

I've been labeled "The Craigslist Queen" by family and friends. Well....I guess I can't really deny it. (Nose scrunched upwards and eyebrows raised, half smiling). ;) In fact....I'm proud of it!

When we were engaged to get married nearly 3 years ago we started with almost nothing (in the furniture department that is). I'm not even going to count the beat up metal desk and falling apart bed frame of Matt's.

They. don't. count.

So me, being the "I can't wait to make a home of my own" type of girl...I tackled the problem with enthusiasm. Where did I turn? Craigslist, baby. Where else can you get awesome finds for next-to-nothing prices on a shoestring budget?

I was happy when I found this antique gem with 6 chairs for a good price...

I loved the fun details and the scrolling on the back of the chairs. Fancy fancy..and it looked so cute in our first apartment with it's tiny dining room, which was really just an extension off to the side of the living room. Nevertheless, I loved it.

I also scored big on our bedroom set. I love real wood, so when I found a Broyhill sleigh bed set on Craigslist that was in excellent condition, I jumped at the opportunity (talking the owners down $100 bucks didn't hurt either). Between Matthew, me, my mom and sisters and a couple truck-loads later...we got all the furniture which included a queen-size sleigh bed, mattress & box spring in barely-used condition, nightstand, dresser and desk with a shelf/hutch that sits on top. Unfortunately I don't have pics of this...but I will post some at a later point. I LOVE IT. Still do.

Other than that we've gotten couches, chairs, instruments, and electronics....all for incredible deals. I'm such a bargain shopper.

Okay okay..so I like Craigslist. What's the big deal? (I tend to ramble on, sorry)

Well....what do you think? I wanted to show you my latest find! It all started about a month or so ago when Matt and I were talking:

Me: So I found this really great deal on Craigslist that I want to tell you about! (excited)

Matt: What are you wanting to buy now? (anxious to hear my response)

Me: Well, I found this great deal on a dining table, chairs, sideboard and hutch

Matt: But we already have a dining table...why do we need another one?

Me: Yeah, I know. But we don't have a hutch. Or a sideboard.

Matt: Okay? So how are we going to pay for all that?

(Note: always offer a solution for the payment part of

things when talking to hubby about buying something. It

smooths things over real nicely.)

Me: I'm glad you asked!

In the end I sold an old couch, our dining table and chairs in the picture above, and an antique lamp I had bought at a garage sale for $10 only to resell it on Craigslist for $40 (YES!). And yes...I got my new dining set. :)

Here it is! It's from the 5o's and is sort of a Duncan-Phyfe style.

And my sideboard...a place to tuck napkins,

Christmas dishes, assorted hosting items,

and my awesome punch bowl.

I just recovered the seat cushions last weekend.

They went from this (not me at all)...

....to this (very me). I love the warm gold tones

in this neutral linen material. Great thing is,

it'll go with anything. :) (The pic makes

it look more gold than it is...it's really more

of a beige/brown).

And finally my favorite piece...

the china hutch! I'm such an old-fashioned gal,

so getting to put all my china in it totally

made my day. :)

The Vera Wang "Vera Lace"

looks pretty nifty in it, don't ya think?

And fresh flowers from my garden

ties everything together on the table.

So the question is...would you like to come over for dinner?

Take a seat and let's enjoy a meal together. ;0)

XOXO,

Gail