Monday, May 31, 2010

Craig's List Weekly Series #6


I hope everyone is enjoying their Memorial Day.  Another beautiful day is in store here in South Jersey and we are planning on meeting up with friends for a barbeque later in the day.   I'm a little late on this edition of my Craig's List series, but better late than never I always say.

For those of you who are new to this series, for the last several weeks I've been sharing Craig's List finds from my area, South Jersey/Philadelphia.  Even if you don't live in this area, and most of you don't, I thought it would be fun to show you some interesting and unique pieces and what they are worth.  If you are in the market for rare antiques or just trying to gain a knowledge for what pieces are worth, I strongly suggest you visit Craig's List and scour the antique category.

Most sellers will try to give as much information about a piece as possible.  So as a regular visitor to CL, I've gained a knowledge of terminology and time-period, as well as an understanding of which pieces are rare as opposed to those that are a dime a dozen.  For this series, I'm showing you the ones I think are either rare, very interesting, or an extremely good value.

This sweet antique wicker baby scale was advertised on Craig's List for $45 and the seller offered up some unique uses for this gem, such as being used in a nursery to hold diapers or for baby showers with favors piled into it!


An antique potato wagon for $125.  I can think of so many uses for this.  Or if you're a potato farmer, it's great for collecting potatoes too.......



This one goes under the heading of Fabulous Deal!  A solid cherry antique drop leaf coffee table, listed for only $40!

Holla!

Or how about this rustic hutch for only $100.


Suh-WEET!!

Likewise, this adorable oak secretary is a steal at a mere $65.

Such amazing detail!

Also in the steal category is this ornate vintage mirror.


Well worth the $85 asking price.  But of course I would negotiate down to $75.


It goes without saying (but what the hay, I'll say it anyhow!), you should ALWAYS try to talk the seller down.  Even if it's only a few dollars.  You'll hate yourself afterwards if you don't.

I thought this next piece was very interesting.  Again, with regular visits to CL, you become familiar with common pieces.  Which makes things like this next secretary really stand out.


I've never seen one like this before.  The yellow and black really make it unique.  It's listed for $75 or best offer, so realistically it could be yours for around $60 - not bad!

Another interesting piece with a good price tag is this 1920's mahogany humidor with a copper-lined interior.

Even if you are not a cigar afficionado, I think this would make a great accent table and has a decent amount of storage as well.


Even betta - it's a great conversation piece!

I see chairs all the time on CL and I usually try to avoid those that are upholstered as you never can be too sure of what lurks inside.  And reupholstering furniture can be very costly.  But occasionally you come across a chair that has potential and may just need a good cleaning.  Such is the case with this antique round chair, listed for only $35.


It has lovely bones...

Under certain circumstances, you can score a great deal on a beautiful as well as functional piece of furniture.  Like in this case where the seller is moving and is willing to unload this beautiful dresser for only $50.  Depending on how desperate they are, you might even be able to get it for around $35.


Or in this case, the seller was so desperate that they listed this painted hutch for......FREE!


Oh yeaaaaahhhhh!

Those of you who know me, know I have a thing for chandeliers.  This drop-dead gorgeous chandelier is listed for only $75.


I also fell in love with this ceramic set listed for only $12.


I SOOOOOO want to buy this crock for my kitchen.


But to me, it's just a little too high at $25.


It's also too far away.  You always have to take that into consideration.  The farther away a seller is, the more you better love that piece.

This really cool, really retro dinette set is one of my favorite finds for this series.  An orange table with a zebra bench and chairs!!!!!!


No really, it's an orange table.


Is that freakin' cool or what????


LOVE IT!

I'd like to add that I didn't purchase any of these items for myself.  I've been pretty good, make that VERY good lately and have been trying to stick with yard sales and flea markets now that the season is in full swing.  My CL purchases pick up in the Fall when yard sales die down.

Of course this last item was so tempting.  Folks I really had to restrain myself from buying this beauty.  It took every ounce of will power in my body not to pick up the phone and seal the deal.  And judging from all of your comments on my previous CL post, you are all going to think I'm just crazy for not getting it.

Ready?

Are you sure?

Close your eyes and count to 10.

Done?

Okay, OPEN!

An Antique Funeral Director's Embalming Machine!  Only $100!!!!!


Hold on!  It gets better.
"Not sure if it works - it's been used as a display piece"..........priceless

Sunday, May 30, 2010

Happy Memorial Day and a Winner!



Today my family celebrated Memorial Day by spending time together at a local lake/park.






I played around with my camera a little bit.




We packed a picnic.


went canoeing,


did some fishing,


and enjoyed the beautiful weather.


Even Herman came along for the fun!



All in all, it was a great day.

I hope that you are all enjoying your Memorial Day and spending time with the ones you love.

Before I sign off I would like to announce the winner of my Cottage Charm Giveaway.  Joan from Applejack Lane was chosen by Random.Org. (#59) and I'm so pleased to offer her a $50 gift certificate to my Etsy store.  Congratulations Joan!

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!
xoxo,
Kim

Saturday, May 29, 2010

Thursday, May 27, 2010

To Paint or Not To Paint?

That is the question.

I scored this hall table and mirror combo at a church flea market last weekend for $10.



I originally gave it to my friend Stacy, but later had remorse and she kindly gave it back.  Don't hate me for being an Indian giver - we do this to each other all the time.

Anywhoodle, I just love the detail and the intricate carvings in the table.



I would love to use them as a set, but really don't think it's going to work anywhere in my home.


Boohoo!  Such a shame because that mirror is really pretty and matches the table perfectly.

I stuck it on this wall so I could take a picture, but that's way too narrow of a space and has heavy traffic flow.  I have a few places the table could go by itself, but it would mean painting it.  My first choice is painting it white and using it in my white coastal master bedroom.  I'd love to hear your thoughts on what to do with this beauty.

xoxo,
Kim

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Dollar Store Goodness



Today I let my kids play hookey from school.  Now before you go thinkin I'm such a nice mom, they would probably want me to mention that I took them to the Dentist.  Yeah, school is lookin' pretty good right about now.  No worries, I made it up to them by taking them to meet Mr. Bliss for lunch and then miniature golfing.  In between, we stopped at the Dollar Tree to supplement the pantry with snacks and I found these sweet tin birdie wall prints.


Aren't they tweet?


I wonder what he's thinkin?



These two look like they're fightin.   They must be married.

I'm gonna use these to switch out the wall arrangement over my desk.


This is where I plant my butt every day to blog.


So I'll be huntin for some frames for the birdies.  I'll be sure to show you how it turns out.
Have a great day!
xoxo,
Kim

Parlez Vous Francais?? Oui Oui!



I'm jumpin on the French grain sack bandwagon.  Check out my new pillow from Styled Spaces on Etsy.

Isn't she purrrrrrrrrdy?


Herman likes it too.
Hey, if you look closely at that mirror in the top right corner of this pic you can see Mallory's face.  It's kinda creepy.  Don't get me wrong, Mal has a beautiful reflection, but this just kinda reminds me of The Ring.  LOL!

If you are in the market for some burlap be sure to check out Etsy -  I'm a firm believer in supporting our own entrepreneurial crafty bloggers!

Speaking of Etsy, I am offering a $50 gift certificate to Larkspur Interiors, my Etsy store, in participation with the 4th Annual Cottage Charm Giveaway.  You can enter for a chance to win here.  The winner will be chosen by Random.Org on Saturday, May 29th at 9:00 p.m.

Monday, May 24, 2010

Meet Herman!



Oh I'm just overflowing with excitement at our wonderful news here at the Bliss House.  In addition to finding some pretty amazing treasures at the various yardsales, the best treasure by far was found at our local animal shelter's adoption fair on Saturday.  It's been 2 months since we lost our precious Chloe and we decided to go look around and see if there were any pets that were looking for a new home.

There were so many sweet dogs walking around with bright orange vests that read "Please Adopt Me".  How heartbreaking!  Well, there were alot of dogs that captured our hearts, but only one that truly melted them.  I'm proud to introduce you to Herman.


Herman is the name that he was given by his previous owners and well, we kinda think it suits  him.  We thought about changing it, but he's two years old and it would just confuse him even more.  So, we came up with some pretty cute nicknames.  I call him PeeWee Herman, Mal calls him "The Herminator", and Amy calls him "Hermeister".

While at the fair, Alex, the adoption volunteer assigned to Herman, told us that he's from Mississippi and was recently brought here by Petsmart to be adopted.  He's a Jack Russell Fox Wire Terrier mix, which you would NEVER know, because he's just as calm and quiet as can be.  Honestly, he hasn't even muttered a single sound since we brought him home!  Alex went on to tell us that his previous owners told him they were going to take  him out for ice cream.  He got so excited that he jumped right in the car and they proceeded to drop him off at a shelter.   Well, of course this had me in tears.  I walked away briefly to discuss his adoption with the rest of the fam, when I glanced over and saw another family hovering over Herman.  Well, I would have no part of that!  No sirreee!  I immediately turned to Alex and said, "We'll take him!".  As I filled out the paperwork, I looked up at Alex and said, "You use that line all the time about the ice cream don't you?".  Her reply?  "Works every time!".  Well none of that mattered, cause the first stop we made on the way home was to Creanies to get a puppy cup for our new boy!




People, I am not exaggerating here, Herman is THE BEST dog in the entire universe!  He is so calm, LOVES people, doesn't jump, lick, bark, howl, cry, or get excited.  He just wants to be played with and cuddled.  No problem here!


This dog has more toys than my kids ever had!
 

He just loves his new surroundings!


And he's met all of our family and friends already.  They all fell in love instantly.


There's already a list of people who want to babysit Herman when we go away.


Of course now I don't ever want to leave my precious baby!


How could I?


While I'm on the subject of dogs, I'm asking all of you to please pray for Samm.  Samm is the sweet pet of one of our most delightful bloggers, Terri Smith of Dimples and Dragonflies.  Terri's dog was recently attacked by a vicious dog in their neighborhood and has undergone surgery and is recovering.  Terri is just devastated as you can imagine.  She's not ready to blog just yet, but I hope that you will all keep her and her family in your thoughts and prayers.

Have a wonderful week!
xoxo,
Kim