C is for...

C is for CHANDY.  As in a chandelier.  Like in a thrifted $20.00 chandelier.  That was ugly.  That is now bee-yoo-ti-ful.


Before in its black wrought iron blah-ness:

Makes me think of hunting lodges and sightless glass-eyed taxidermied deer staring at me.  From all angles.  Or maybe that's just me.

Here's a peek.  

Its got swag.

And swag covers...  That I made myself.  With burlap.  And straight pins.  And Fabric Fusion.  Cuz this girl don't sew.

Course I had to wait 2 hours for it to dry.  

I oughta learn to sew.

CC stands for China Cabinet.  That got torn apart.  As in extreme makeover.  Inside and out.

Wanna peek?

Go ahead...  I ain't gonna stop ya.  ;)

C is for CIGARETTE SMOKE.  As in FOUR BUCKETS of soap and water to clean off YEARS of nasty smoke residue.  That turned said bucket of water into brown muddy run-off.  I don't care about the smoking, but at least be CLEAN.  Seriously.  EW. 

C is for CARING HUSBANDS who do all that techy work for you - like taking off  backs, removing glass, and unscrewing door hinges and knobs - so all ya gotta do is PAINT.

C is also for CURVACEOUSNESS.  As in the curvaceous detailing.  Its a word.  Because the little red underline thingy didn't pop up.  Thingy however, is NOT a word.

C is also for CRAP.  As in, "Crap!  The china cabinet ate all my Annie Sloan Chalk Paint!"   Every.  Last.  Drop.  Knew I should have ordered more than one quart.  :P

C could also be for CRAZY AWESOME, which is how this baby is going to look once she's been sanded and waxed and put together again.

And finally, C is for CIAO - as in see ya later.  With the reveal.  Soon.  I promise.

The China Cabinet and A Typical Laura Debacle

If you follow me on Facebook, yesterday I posted a picture of a hutch that I scored on our local Facebook For Sale page.  This is a great tool, in addition to Craigslist, for homeowners in our area to offload stuff they want to be rid of.  Unfortunately, our page seems to be clogged with a seemingly never-ending pile of crap, from people posting multiple pictures of one.  article.  of.  clothing.  at. a.  time.  (Makes me want to smack someone).  Occasionally, people will post furniture and it goes fast, if its for a good price.

The other night, this picture was posted:

Sorry for the quality, but I think she took it with a camera phone.

Immediately, I broke out in a sweat.

I.  HAD.  TO.  HAVE.  IT.  

We NEVER see stuff like this come up.  For SIXTY DOLLARS.  

Unfortunately, someone posted that they were interested 4 minutes before I saw it.  Usually, as a rule, I don't try to undermine someone that's already interested in something, but I WANTED.  THIS.  CHINA.  CABINET.  So, I posted underneath that I was VERY interested, which I'm sure ticked the original interested person off.  I never knew I could get so competitive over a piece of furniture.  Then, a friend of mine commented how she knew I would want it when she saw it and we bantered back and forth on the thread - which really probably further aggravated the originally lady.  Sorry, lady.

Did I mention I REALLY wanted it?  

Of course the way the page works is first come, first dibs, so I had to wait for the seller to contact the original interested person, who posted beneath mine and my friend's convo - "PM sent".  FOR REAL?   I wanted to know what was going on.  GRRRRR.  And then later...  "Thanks."

Well, what does "thanks" mean???  Thanks as in...  You're going to get it???  Thanks as in...  No thanks????  WHAT???!!!  Tell me.  Tell me.  Tell me!


So, being the occasional pessimist that I am, I went to bed thinking I had lost out on the hutch.  Read:  *pouting*.  


But the next morning, lo and behold, the other woman didn't want it because it was "too dark" - WTFlip...  You couldn't tell from the picture what the color was?  Seriously???  You caused me all that turmoil and all along, you really weren't all that interested?  And then you were all coy about it?  Guess that was my payback for all those comments on the picture.  LOL  So, I immediately said I wanted it and would be there to pick it up last night.  I figured there couldn't be much wrong with it that I couldn't fix.

Well, I'm a blond.  Naturally.  Even if it IS getting darker as I age.

I didn't write down the seller's phone number.

You know, because I figured that I would get it off right before it was time to leave.

Yeah.

The post had been deleted.

I about FREAKED out.  Okay...  I DID freak out.

So, what's a girl to do?

Yep.  Posted the pic of the cabinet on the page saying I was seeking the seller and her phone number and then posted MY cell phone number so that the 4,000+ members of the page could all see it.  Now, I probably wouldn't  have done that if we didn't live in Iowa - in a small area.  I have faith in my fellow Iowans.  Plus...  I was desperate.  I did get texts telling me her name and who her mother was, but no one knew her number.  But, THANK THE GOOD LORD, she called me.  And was laughing at what I had done.  We still weren't sure where the post had gone - maybe the page admin deleted it because she knew I was buying it.  I don't know.  Thankfully, all's well that ends well.  Oh, Lord.  Only I could get caught up in something like that.  HA HA HA!


So, since Scott had to bid a job and we weren't sure I'd be able to look at it, we only took our car, instead of the truck and trailer.  So, TECHNICALLY, I don't have it.  If I did, you'd have a better picture of it.  LOL  But, I did pay for it and its mine.  We're going to pick it up tonight.  :D  YAY!


It does have some issues...

Now, I really didn't expect it to be solid wood for that price, but ya never now.  The doors are TERRIBLE.  Just really super cheap veneer, but they close well.  And you can see all the other issues I highlighted.  At least its solid construction-wise and has no damage to the exterior.

I want to know where these peeps throughout blogland find these gorgeous solid wood pieces and what they're paying for them.  

Because personally, I can't see paying a few hundred dollars for a piece, only to paint it - unless I'm going to sell it and I'm sure I can make a really good profit on it.  In Iowa, people just ain't gonna pay upwards of $800.00 for secondhand painted furniture - unless they're in Des Moines or Iowa City or something.  We be frugal like that.

However, the piece does have some perks...

Not to mention the detailing.  I can replace the shelf and get passed the rest of it.  And if something comes along better later, I'll sell her.  Sounds good to me.  :)

Needless to say, I've been scouting the web for ideas for her:

Delish.com

Young House Love

Enchantresses Three

The Thrifty Side

I definitely know what I DO like:

Light

Bright

Very minimal decor

Distessed

Antiqued

Next is the question...  

Where do I put her?

 The Living Room?

The Dining Room where she belongs?

Hmmmmm....

Decisions...  Decisions...

But, I can't tell you how excited I am to have found this piece and for $60.00 to boot.

And I CAN'T WAIT to get started on her, especially since I'm all but done on the dining room table...

and at this point I'm just waiting on Scott, bless his busy little heart, as usual, to install the front door, wainscoting, and trim.

Stay tuned for the dining room table reveal...  TOMORROW!

XO,