Recycled goods.

Who says new is better? We seem to be acquiring quite a bit of second hand furniture these days. I find it so rewarding to give something new life, to save it from the trash, all while gaining something really cool for myself. New furniture just doesn't have the character that older pieces do, and used (or free) is also great on the wallet.

I think the old currently out numbers the new in our house. The couch and love seat are new, as is my little damask armchair, our nightstands, and Dave's desk. Meanwhile, our bed frame, my desk, the dining room table and chairs (not a set), buffet, coffee table, guest bed, living room chairs, and TV table are all second hand. And that's not even counting the three works in progress in the garage.

I won't bombard you with pictures of everything in the house, not yet anyway, but here are a few recent finds...

This "Swedish" chair was picked up at a barn sale for $50. An absolute steal, if you ask me. I found the listing for the sale posted on Craig's List, and attempted to claim the chair earlier in the week, but the sellers, kind as they were, would not release it to me early.

Fortunately our weekend plans changed to allowed us to go to the barn sale at an old farm nearby, built in the 1860's. Everything was really well done, and displayed really sweetly. They even had hot cider and cookies for everyone. Dave chatted with the horses while I stood guard by my chair until I found the seller.

The chair has been repainted and loosely reupholstered. The fabric even came with one tiny little kitty footprint from the miniature barn cat that we saw running around.

The sellers encouraged us to check out the chicken coop, which housed some freshly white-washed antique pieces. Dave spied a pretty little twin bed, another steal, but at first I protested. Do we really need it? But, since we've recently purchased a treadmill to join our exercise bike, the gym has been moved from the small spare bedroom down to the basement, leaving us an empty room. I was quickly convinced that yes, we needed this too. So into the Subaru it went. Pictures of that to come soon.


I swear the CL people don't pay me an advertising fee. This beat up little table was posted for $40, and thankfully not too far away. I am a lazy Craig's Lister, I will not drive more than half an hour to get something. Or at least to date, have not found anything that has inspired me enough to want to travel that far.

I gave it a quick sanding and a few coats of creme colored paint, which luckily had the primer built right in. I'm quite happy with how it came out. AND...most importantly, it was picked up and transformed within a week's time. My first quick turn around project. Yay!


This pair of dining chairs are my newest acquisition. Purchased at Goodwill for $6.99 each. The detail on the ladderback chairs is really interesting. They look like they've been kicked around, but that's nothing some fresh paint can't fix.

As Dave pointed out, the current upholstery would have matched the old curtains in the spare bedroom. Too bad they have long since gone the way of the dump. A quick replacement of the upholstery will go a long way.

I'll be gifting the finished product to my little sister for her new apartment. I'll post pictures once they are finished.

Just a sample of some of the rehabs. For now I'm off to make some holiday decorations and maybe even some new throw pillow covers. My Thanksgiving guests are going to expect some changes inside the house. Eeeek. Off to work!