Saturday, January 8, 2011

My Craigslist Addiction

Yes. It is true. I absolutely have a Craigslist addiction. I try to stay away, I really do. But despite my best efforts, I suddenly find myself scrolling through the antiques section of my local list. I've done well lately, browsing without buying. But I recently came across a lovely antique table painted in a soft creamy white. Remember my inspiration picture I shared in my last post?
I hemmed and hawed. We already have two perfectly serviceable tables. But I really have been yearning for a lighter, airy look in our dining room. The large dining room table we have is rustic and dark. It is a farmhouse style with slate inlaid on the top. It is heavy and solid.
We loved it when we bought it. We loved that it came with a large leaf so we could easily fit 10 people at it. Well, unfortunately, it has never opened easily, and a couple years ago we finally gave up completely on ever putting the leaf in it again. And, as I mentioned, I'm just ready for a different look.


So, with my babysitting money, I bought the new table.
I love it. It is delicate looking,(but amazingly sturdy), bright, and beautiful. Unfortunately, it is too small for our family. It does open, but doesn't have a leaf. I could have one made for it, I'm sure, but I'm not sure what that will cost.


So plan B is to put it in my craft area I've been working on. I need a good work surface in there, so my pretty little table will be it. I think the old dining room table might become the game table, and the game table might move upstairs to the dining room. You may recall that the game table was a Craigslist purchase that I refinished. Well, partially. There are two large leaves to the table that I never got around to finishing because we didn't really need them. However, the table opens like buttah, so it would be perfect for using in the dining room in terms of ease of use. Plus, the lines of the table are curvier and more delicate like what I'm craving upstairs. So I need to get to work sanding, staining, painting, and sealing the leaves. When that is all done, we'll do the swap.

And y'know what? When I put the original table back in place, I actually liked the scale better. I think the downstairs table will be the perfect compromise. Bigger than the new white table, curvier than the old slate table, easy to open, plenty of room for our crew and a little company. And in the meantime, I'll dress it up a bit and I think I'll be pretty content.

And, FYI, it's very difficult to get a G-rated photo of anything with a half nude child constantly running into the frame.

1 comment:

Beth said...

LOL on the nude kiddos :). I have a streaker of my own. Your new table is GORGEOUS! And I think it's perfect for crafting. Fabulous find!