Well my friends, I am sad to say I will not be posting about a finished project today. I am currently in what could be described as hoarding buying mode. As in stalking craigslist for stuff I can restore/upgrade and sell at the Lucketts Spring Market. I’ll post pictures of some of those acquisitions later tonight or tomorrow.

Because I’ve filled our dining room with antiques and currently have a dresser in the back of Fiona, I am trying to pull myself away from buying right now so that I can, you know, actually repair/refinish/paint/upholster all the projects I’ve already acquired. But I am still seeing amazing deals on craigslist, and someone needs to know about them. Because Apartment Therapy’s craigslist roundup is not cuttin’ it these days. So here are some listings I want to hit up but can’t right now on account of my self-imposed buying stop:

Retro Metal Lawn Chairs – 4 – $25 (Arlington). They need work but seriously, $25 for all 4 of them??? Amazing deal.

Antique Cane Bottom Dining Chairs – $50 (Shirlington). These have been up since 9 am this morning so they might be gone. But again, you could pick up just one of these for $60 in an antique store, so $50 for 6 of them is a really great deal. These are the kinds of chairs my grandpa would refinish. They are classic and great craftsmanship.

Antique Children’s Desk – $40 (Gainesville). This is a bit of a hike for me, but kid furniture is so cute. I wish I could snatch this up. I try to “respect the wood” as the boy would say, but this could look soooooo cute if you stenciled the desktop a la my desk, or if you used chalk board paint on the desk top so a kid could literally write on the desk top. Seriously though, am I the only one who is smitten with kid furniture? Yay for selling at a market and getting the excuse to buy stuff like this while I’m (thankfully) sans children.

6 Drawer Dresser – $25 (Hyattsville).  I don’t know that it’s really my style or I would have it in my house, but I can definitely ride the wave and appreciate this retro-mod Madmen dresser. You could definitely do something cool to it. Just google “mid-century dresser redo” and check out the beautiful image results that come up. Or you could restore it to its former glory. And it doesn’t have to stay in the bedroom. This could be used as a buffet or TV stand.

1 dresser 6 drawer – $30 (Camp Springs). Me-oh-my, it appears that people are just giving away mid-century dressers today. Here’s another one. $30? That’s less than I spend on most of my shirts that would go in this dresser.

Antique Wood Dresser – $75 (Arlington/Clarendon). This is a gorgeous dresser and you probably wouldn’t have to do anything to it. In fact, please, please don’t do anything to it. This poor soul appears to have a heartless girlfriend who is making him sell all his family heirlooms now that they are living together. Silly woman, do you not realize how lucky you are to have a bf whose grandparents let him inherit such beautiful things? I am kidding. A little. Perhaps she had a good reason and grandparents who give her prettier antiques. Did I mention that I’m pretty sure this would sell for close to $300 in an antique store?

Round, Solid Wood Table – $35 (Arlington/Clarendon). But seriously, does this guy not sound go sad? There is just no room for his dad’s favorite table. Also, is he in his 30s or 40s? Because no boy I know would manage to own stuff so nice and not ruin it playing beer pong or something. Or I guess in this case quarters would be a more reasonable assumption.

So, none of these things may be available anymore. In fact, I just caved and emailed the guy about the table. Although now that I think about it, I don’t think that table will fit in my car. But you get my point. You don’t have to spend $200 on an antique dresser when people sell them for $75 on craigslist. You just have to shop often, email quickly, and be able to pick up that day or the day after. And you will snag a dining room worth of deals.

OK, time to head off to date night!

Update: Omgosh! I emailed the sad man about the table and dresser and got an email back from the gf. And it turns out, I ALREADY BOUGHT STUFF from the happy couple. Yes, I bought two chairs from them last week! I wish that I had known 1) about these other beautiful things that were available when I bought the chairs and 2) the sad conditions upon which I acquired the chairs! I wonder if they recognized my email address. 

Update on the Update: The person who was going to buy the dresser from them was a no-show. That means this dresser is allllllllll mine. And sorry friends, I think this piece might be a permanent fixture in my house instead of an addition to my collection of market furniture. I just don’t know that I can part with it. Oh, and I did reveal myself as a previous purchaser. It just seemed like disclosure of that fact ahead of time would be less awkward.