If you wait, it will come {Craigslist}

Craigslist hunting is a fickle thing. 

Sometimes you find loads of awesome, incredible, must have things...but you don't have the space, the money, the desire to, well, finish the hunt. 

Other times, you really hunt, every day, twice a day, looking for the right item. The exact thing. The one piece that will finish the room. And it's all junk, crap, heaps o' overpriced 1974 credenzas and used mattresses probably reeking of cigarette smoke and cat pee. Ok, I just imagined the last one. 

But once in a while, the Craigslist heavens open up, and shower you with their nectar. They beckon you like the north star, with perfect prices and angels singing in the skies. Ok, again, I may have imagined the last one.

I have been fruitful in the Craigslist department. 

 But it takes time. Patience (and if  you know me, you know I'm seriously lacking this one). I do this weird visualization thing, when I "need" something...I think about what it is I'd like to find, and the price under which I would pay. And then I start looking. Depending on the item, I may expand my Craigslist horizons to where my family in larger cities reside. Sometimes it takes daily looking for a couple of months, but my friends,  your patience will pay off. You will find it.

You can start with simple key words to bring up any thing under that category - I like to do it this way because you may find something you never considered. Be open to changing an item, just because chairs are covered in brown vinyl right now doesn't mean you couldn't change them. I like to look in larger cities because they get all the good stores. Especially when I'm looking for something very specific, like Pottery Barn or Restoration Hardware, I begin my hunt outside my home turf (assuming I will drive to get it, or I have family in the area that may be willing to grab it for me).

Let's get to my CL goodies over the years...

 

This is today's CL find - I sent my seagrass rug to the dining room because it was a bit too firm/scratchy for the baby to be rolling around on. Unfortunately, I sold my old soft one to buy the seagrass one...doh! So the hunt began, and today it was found. She's a beauty! The PERRRR-fect  colors, and super soft. Super giant, 9x11. $50. I know. We were destined to be together. I have searched "rug" on my local CL for about a month.

 My dining room is fully furnished by CL - but this one I had to hit 3 cities. When we bought this house, we went to furniture stores looking for the right furniture to fit into the "formal dining room" - but we aren't formal, and we hated everything we found. So, the hunt began, and I think this one took several months. These are probably my favorite finds yet. I think I found the table and chairs within weeks of each other. The table is the Pottery Barn Farmhouse - purchased from a woman who bought it as a "place holder" for her real furniture. ? Never used, but about 1/4 of the real price. The chairs are the Pottery Barn Megan. They came with 2 slipcovers each and were $50 each. Hanging lantern and buffet also CL. I get giddy thinking about my luck with these.

See that coffee table down below? That was from when we lived in Michigan. The white side table by the window was from Goodwill - ours carries brand new merchandise from Target. The tv console was free on the street (and also how we met 2 of the awesome-est people we know).

 

 Hunting at your local thrift shop is another good idea if you are looking for something and like the thrill of a good hunt. 

I had been wanting one of these.

via

Cha Ching at $170. But I found this one a couple of weeks ago at Goodwill- $4.99. 

Dresser and fruit box...CL and Goodwill. 

Anyone could go find the exact piece they want in the store, I get that. But it's a sickness more exciting to take your time and collect the pieces you fall in love with. 

So many of mine have stories to go along with them, and  you just can't buy those. 

Also, a quick disclaimer, I haven't had a problem with CL Creepies, but they are out there. I follow my gut instinct and so far, it has kept me out of danger. If I feel iffy about something, I bring my husband. 

Do you have anything  you have found via CL or thrifting that you can't help but share? I'd love to hear your favorite item!

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xo-Chris