CRAIGSLIST MONDAY: DESIGN PAGES

Hello My Best Friend Craig readers.  I'm Carol from The Design Pages and I'm very excited to be here today talking about my Craigslist goodies.  While I don't come even close to keeping up with Charmaine in this arena I definitely have scored some great finds over the years.  For me, it's not so much the bargains that I'm after.  It's the thrill of finding that perfect thing, even if I didn't know I needed a perfect thing.  When you see it, you know.

My first acquisitions were all furniture pieces.  Having just moved across the country we sold a lot of our big pieces and I was determined not to hit up Ikea for all the staples.  Until I discovered where the great furniture stores were I needed Craig desperately.

Sometimes I even manage to score on somebody else's Craigslist deal.  When my friend Barb from hodge:podge told me about the night stands she was considering buying I jumped all over it.  She needed one and I needed one and it just so happens the seller had 2.  We decided to make some fun out of it and we did a post together where we each transformed the not-so-girly brown night stand into something perfect for each of our girls.

My after on the left and Barb's on the right

My daughter also needed a bookcase.  I found another ugly but sturdy piece just begging to be transformed. This one was super challenging because I thought I would just spend an hour and add some crown molding to the top of it.  Frustration ensued.  My mind just doesn't work like that.  I have come to accept that I don't do angles.  Well let's just say that after a few trips to the hardware store for more molding, many days and many expletives later it did get done.

This next piece originally started out as the clutter catcher in our front entry but after moving again it has become my dresser in the master bedroom.  It's a solid wood piece with dove tail joints.  It was originally built in Quebec which is even further across the country than where I came from so it had a special meaning to me.  I thought if we both ended up on the west coast we should at least be friends.

Another dresser for my husband.  For those of you mid century lovers you probably hate that I painted this but trust me, it was beyond repair.  I have the utmost respect for MCM furniture and wouldn't do this unless it was beyond saving.

My most recent acquisitions are a tulip table and some bentwood chairs (both knock offs but still gorgeous).  I am in the midst of painting the chairs and the base of the table is going to be painted gold.  Once it's finished it will become a work area of me.

So there's a peek at some of my Craigslist acquisitions.  I'd have to say that Craig has been very generous to me over the years.

Thanks for having me here today Charmaine and for all of you readers for indulging me.  Stop by The Design Pages anytime and say hello.

 Love all your great finds and all the transformations.  The details on that wooden dresser is amazing!  (I'm glad you found each other) 

And you know I love me some MCM furniture.  Can't wait to see your work area!

Thanks again,Carol for sharing your Craigslist finds with us today!

Make sure to visit The Design Pages and say hi to Carol.  She is one of the many talented Canadian Designers out there.

Happy Monday Everyone!

*Want to share your Craigslist Finds with us?  Email me here.

GUEST POST: ALBERTINA FROM MIMOSA LANE

Hi, I'm Albertina from Mimosa Lane and I'm so excited to be here on My Best Friend Craig.  I'm always so jealous of Charmaine's special gift of finding the best stuff on Craig's list....aside from my admiration for her hunting skills, I love her sense of style.  I'm honored to be here today!

Art is getting bigger and bolder.  So how big can art get? - Why mural size of course! I want to share with you some ideas and inspiration for this interior design trend I'm loving - Murals.

The image above is stunning because of the scale of the art.  Jenny from Little Green Notebook did a post on this print with details of where you can print in such large format and have an adhesive backing.  See here.  

If you are artistic you can also paint your own mural.  Like my friend Paloma did in her dining room here. (For more of her apartment see here).

She also painted her bedroom walls (with a regular 2B pencil I think).

If you think you will be attached to your work paint it on roll paper like my friend Marian Lefeld did here. 

 

If you have a chalkboard wall you can have an ever-changing gallery of wall designs:

Or you can make your own with cut outs and photos.  How wonderful to have such a large inspiration board filled with all the images you love and are inspired by.

An enlarged photograph.

Or you can also commission an artist to paint something personalized like this for you.    (This mural has pictures of the family's children and pets.)

These trees are photomural printed on silk and hung on the wall making for an interesting backdrop.

Or just use wallpaper for a similar look!  There are so many beautiful and mural like wallpapers with large landscapes.  How lovely is this De Gournay pattern?

Are murals in your future?  Thanks for having me Charmaine! Come visit and say hi here.

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Thanks Albertina!  You have some really talented friends!  All the murals are amazing and they add dramatic impact to the space.


Make sure to visit Albertina's blog, Mimosa Lane.  It is one of my favorites.  Not only does she have an amazing style, she's also as creative as her friends!  Check out her Etsy shop, here.


I'm off to Cambodia tomorrow for an all girls family bonding! (with my mom and sisters)
Follow me on Instagram if you want -  @mybestfriendcraig.

Stay warm everyone!

CRAIGSLIST MONDAY: MY CRAFTY HOME LIFE

Hi Everyone! I'm pleased to have Linda here today.  Like me, she has a knack for finding great deals on Craigslist.  She's also the most thoughtful blogger I know.  Thanks Linda, for guest posting for me today!  Check out her great finds...
Hello Craigslist-aholics. I'm Linda from the blog My Crafty Home Life, and I am addicted to Craigslist. 
Charmaine and I are able to be friends because we don't live near each other. If we did live near each other we would definitely be scouting many of the same finds. I would like to think that I could beat her to it.....but I have a feeling I would be the one receiving the "sorry, it's no longer available" emails instead.

Let me show you some of the Craigslist goodies I was able to find. 
I found an antique bed 

I painted it, and then upholstered it for my daughter. 

She is actually ready to have it made over again.....Teens!
I found these great mirrors.....it is so hard to find a pair of anything

I painted them and placed them over dressers in my master bedroom.

You can see the rest of my master bedroom here. 

I hit the Craigslist lottery with this coffee table

You can read about the estimated value here. 

My most recent purchase is this Altar table.

You can read about it, and weigh in on the vote here. 

I love Craigslist for the obvious reason....furniture has no re-sale value. Unless it is a fine antique, just like a car, as soon as you take it home it has depreciated. 

Here is my biggest secret weapon for Craigslist hunting... this iPhone app.  I usually hunt while I am waiting for the kids to get out of school. Now you know my biggest secret and if you live in New Jersey....I was kidding, I don't do any of this.

Thanks for having me, Charmaine.

SHOPPING IN MANILA

There's no better way to fight off jet lag(14-hour time difference!)  than to go shopping with my sisters.

{This photo was taken from W17, a very chic asian furniture store

I got distracted from all the eye candy I only managed to take 2 photos}

Here is the other one.  A chinese chippendale chair made of shells...

We also went to Balikbayan Handicrafts(it is more of a souvenir, touristy store) but they had a lot of goodies too.

venetian mirror...

shell napkin rings...

 wooden elephants...

 capiz lotus candle holders in every color...

bamboo baskets...

and straw baskets...

Believe it or not, I didn't get a single thing.  (More stores to visit!)

We ended at my sisters' shop called Religioso (our maiden name, more on this later).  

{My sisters- Choc, Yvette and Me}

It sure is nice to be home.

Have a great weekend everyone!

GUEST POST: FOUR UNDER ONE ROOF

Hello, My Best Friend Craig readers.  My name is Yelena from Four under one roof,  I was so excited when Charmaine asked me to share my dining room with you.  My Best Friend Craig is one of my favorite daily reads, Charmaine has such a great eye for finding gorgeous vintage pieces, she never fails to inspire.

We moved into our house less than two months ago and have hit the ground running, trying to make this run down 1960s beach house into something that we love.  There is still a lot to do, but we have made a good start.

Without further adieu........ Our dining room.

The photograph that hangs above our table is a Massimo Vitali.  It was a gift to ourselves on our first wedding anniversary.  I hope I am not the only one who picks out and buys gifts for themselves!  It has become one of our most prized possessions.

Our dining table is a family heirloom and is over 150years old.  I love how it is worn and wears the scars of time.

When choosing chairs, we wanted something modern and metallic, in stark contrast to the table.  They are 1970s chairs and were an eBay find.

We layered up a jute rug with a striped cotton rug, to add some graphic pattern and texture to the space.

I am saving my pennies for the perfect pendant light to hang low above the table.  I am loving this Tom Dixon goodness....... But we will have to wait and see.  It's gotta be good!

Thanks again Charmaine for having me and I hope the you all enjoyed taking a peek into my home.

Love Yels xox

Don't you just love Yelena's dining room?!  I love every single item in this room especially the vintage chairs against the antique dining table (not to mention the Vitali photograph and the Tom Dixon pendant!).

Thanks againYels for guest posting today!  You are doing an amazing job with your new home.  Can't wait to see more! 

Make sure to check out her blog,here.  She just finished transforming her beautiful kitchen!

CRAIGSLIST MONDAY: BRASS PIE CRUST COFFEE TABLE ; VACATION

A few months ago, I scored this brass pie crust coffee table...

{I found the exact same table on 1stDibs listed for $5,250.  Mine - $50!  Crazy.}

It is now sitting in the basement...

{Have you tried Walgreens' Photo services?  I had a poster printed and I'm pretty happy with the quality. You can order it online and most of the stores offer same day pick -up. (Got mine after an hour).}

Here are more pictures of the basement (to show you the layout in relation to my office)...

{don't mind the dehumidifier}

I'm off to the Philippines for a 3 week vacation!  I'm  pretty excited to see my family and friends.

I have some guest posts lined up for you and I'm going to be posting from there too so check back often.

Happy Monday Everyone!

FIDDLE LEAF FIG TREE HELP

Do you have one? (Who doesn't, right?!).  I've had mine for almost 2 years now...

{tiny one!}

Until it started to lose its leaves...

  I read here  that some fiddle leaf trees drop its leaves when exposed to too much dry heat/drafts and they go into a dormant recovery phase.  (Placing it next to the fireplace especially in the winter is probably not the best idea. Ha!)

I'm the first to admit that I have a black thumb(2 years is such an accomplishment!) and I don't know what to do.  Is it time to throw it out or shall I wait and see?

I would love to see this tree grow...

like this!  I found this guy at my local nursery ON SALE for $17!!!  I couldn't resist!

(I placed it next to the fireplace for comparison but I'm moving it next to the window or tv)

But seriously, what should I do with the tiny one?

NEW FABRIC OBSESSION

While shopping for fabric for my sister, I came across this...

Aurora Ikat from Calico Corners

Apparantly, it just came in.  (It is not even available online yet).

I am obsessed!

{I bought a couple of yards for pillows and I'm seriously considering this for the chair backs of the Louis-style chairs.}

PROJECT PLAYHOUSE: THE PLAN

As much as I love the look of the AT playhouse, I'm not going to do anything major outside.  I'll paint the door orange and maybe add some accessories like a mailbox and a door knocker.

I am going to use Tomato Red by Benjamin Moore...

(It is going to tie in with all the orange in my office. This is also the same paint I'm going to use for our front door)

For the inside, I am going to paint the wood white...

and cover the walls with this wallpaper...

(vintage black and white "retro" wallpaper  I purchased from Ebay)

then I'm going to replace the carpet with the leftover vinyl flooring I used in the main floor bath...

(Traffic Master Allure Resilient Vinyl Flooring)

As much as I want it to be a "playhouse", the space is just too small for the kitchen set...

so I am making it a reading nook instead.

I am going to hang some clear shelves...

via 6th street design school

and I'm going to replace the lighting with this lighting I won from Powell Brower...

I'm still undecided if I should put a small table and a chair...

or just put some pillows or a pouf and this sheepskin rug and call it a day.

What do you think?