before and after goods: a valentine closet

my very stylish friend stephanie made over this adorable linen closet for her husband as a surprise for valentine's day. isn't she sweet? he needed a place of his very own to store his computer and youth group supplies. she took out the shelves, repainted the inside of the closet (you know how i love a painted closet!!!) and added some new shelves, accessories and a sleek new chair. her hubby was away for a few days for work and that gave her the perfect opportunity for the surprise re-do. he returned the other night and love it! what a thoughtful valentine's day gift!

stephanie's closet before:

stephanie's closet after:

happy valentine's day everyone!

xoxo,

~elisabeth

organized goods: the junk drawer

time for another one of lauren's organizational projects! this time, the junk drawer! i think the images speak for themselves!

lauren's drawer "before"

lauren's drawer "after"

to read more about lauren's drawer go here. i loved the way she used a gift bag to line her drawer so i found some pretty wrapping paper i had to use in mine. this whole project took me no more than 20 minutes. it left me wondering why i don't clean out this drawer more often?

my drawer "before"

my drawer "after"

there were sooooo many things in this drawer that just didn't belong there; tools, glue, outlet covers, other child safety devices, first aid kit, tons of matches and lighters. most most of these items found a new home or got pitched. the pink divider is from my daughter's 'melissa and doug' bookmark making craft. it was the container the craft was packaged in! solid wood...go melissa and doug! i love them. it works perfectly as a little organizer for her odds and ends. i have always needed a place to put her random hair ties, clips and lip gloss. i'm wondering how long it will take for all this empty space to get filled up again? well, it looks good for now anyway!

set the timer. 20 minutes. do it! ;)

i can't wait for lauren's next project!
~elisabeth

craig's goods: finally a deal in my town!

i don't know what it is about the area where i live in SC but people want a TON of money for antiques down here. i'm a girl who likes a bargain. a deal. a steal! i can appreciate that some people collect antiques and are willing to pay top dollar for a specific item. i am not that person. i love antiques. i grew up with them, have tons of them in my house, love to shop for them, look at them, search for them. but i don't and won't pay top dollar for them. since we've lived here i have been searching for an antique buffet like this one:

this one belongs to my friend kelly. she originally purchased it for her dining room but is now using it in her daughter's room. so versatile! isn't it lovely? i was smitten by it from the get go and have been searching ever since.

searching on craigslist in sc is sooo frustrating!!!! people are asking hundreds and hundreds of dollars for things and i keep thinking to myself, "WHO is buying this at THIS price???" "they are CRAZY!" now, i don't claim to be an expert on antiques. i know what i like and what looks good to me and what seems to be good quality. could it be that the people of my town are just selling more valuable stuff? maybe. all i know is that i am a frustrated craigslister. here is a little example of craigslist items in my town vs. ohio (ohio is where i am from and i often search the list there in the hopes that if i find something wonderful my lovely mother will go and fetch it for me. i often do and she often does. thanks mom!)

SC steamer trunk $350

SC steamer trunk $450

ohio steamer trunk $150

SC wagon wheel $185

ohio wagon wheel $50

SC buffet $700

(it's not even perfect!)

ohio buffet $150

ohio buffet $100

SC buffet $1200

SC buffet $400

ohio buffet $125

ohio buffet $225

SC secretary $450

ohio secretary $150

SC settee+ two matching chairs $1095

ohio settee $250

see what i mean? now like i said, these SC items may vary well be worth every penny they are listed for but what's the fun in that??? i want a DEAL! that's what craig is for after all, right? well, just when i had about given up on my town's craigslist i found this beauty...

guess how much i paid?

$125!!!!!

i was so excited! my mom just happened to be visiting last weekend and for fun i did my usual "antique buffet" search on the list. and there it was. i thought it was too good to be true and didn't follow up on it. then the next day i showed my mom and she convinced me to call. low-and-behold the woman selling it lives down the street from me, she and her husband go to our church, she's an interior designer, her two sons went to the same college i went to, her son played soccer with a good friend of mine, and last but not least...the buffet was absolutely beautiful. even better than the picture! perfectly painted and distressed, tons of storage, perfect proportions, dovetailed drawers, lovely aged brass hardware, working doors and drawers, on casters...and the price was right! meant to be? i think so. SOLD!

the next day i searched again and found this one for $395:

guess where? columbus, ohio of all places! (between you and me i like mine better and it was $270 less.) but, this gives me hope! maybe my craigslist is turning around, changing it's ways. i sure do hope so!

here's one last look at the buffet that started it all. thanks kelly for having such great taste and inspiring me to search for mine!

happy craigslisting!
~elisabeth

p.s. hopefully in the next few weeks i'll be able to share some pictures of where i put the buffet. the room is a work in progress!