Fabulous Craigslist Find Yields In-Progress Change

"This is a great buy…five people called about it!" So said the delivery man as he and a younger man brought in my new piece of furniture last Friday. On Monday I was looking through the furniture section of Craigslist.com and saw this listing (with this spelling):

"$60.00 Moheganoy 5 drawer desk. Very nice and clean. Has glass top and pull out writing shelf. Will deliver for small fee."

I emailed right away asking for the dimensions and for cost of delivery to my town. Tuesday came and went and no reply. On Wednesday I wrote again asking if it was still available and got the reply, yes, and shipping would be $40. I wrote again asking for the dimensions. You see, I was looking for a piece to serve as a small buffet in my dining room; I’m tired of serving from the nearby kitchen counter and or stove.
On Thursday I got the measurements, and I quote:

"42 inches wide,19 deep,34 high.like new condition,not a scratch.come take a look."

I called, said I wanted it, and set up delivery for the next day at 3 pm.
Meanwhile I had measured the space but it was just too small. [My dining room is just 11’ x 12’ and I have a large-scaled Drexel table and eight chairs, plus a large breakfront cabinet.] Now, when I spoke to him on the phone he had reiterated that it was is great condition, and worth at least $300. I could not let it go at such a great price -- $60 plus $40 was just $100 for a fine piece of mahagony furniture (even though I had only seen the following not too clear photos in the Craigslist ad.

Anyway, I cleared a space in the Living Room between two chairs in front of the windows. Previously, I had had this 22" round skirted table between the two chairs (Not having planned all this, I didn’t think to take pictures while the table was still in place in the living room.):

The doorbell rang about 1:20 pm (he had called to move up the delivery time) and there was a small truck with two men who brought in the "desk," all wrapped in quilted padding. Unwrapped, it looked brand new. The seller showed me the Century Furniture tag in the left top drawer.

I was amazed at the beauty and quality and newness of the piece. Also, that it would work perfectly as a serving piece in the dining room – if only I could make room somehow. Indeed it was not a desk at all, despite the slide out shelf! What exactly was the piece – a console, a chest of drawers….??? Here are some pics I took of the details, including the glass top shaped to the curves:

Here it is in place between the chairs:

Well, as someone who loves researching things, I soon got online to determine what the piece is designated as by the manufacturer. After some futile searching of the Century Furniture industries website, I finally found a store that listed and pictured my piece. Now I knew just what it is:

Century Furniture Living Room Drawer Chest 679-704, from their Traditional Classics collection. This is the catalog photo I found on a furniture store website: The Product Description read:
"Features chamfered corners with decorative fret overlays. The serpentine drawer fronts are trimmed in beaded molding and accented with brass drop-bail pulls. Pull-out tray at top provides additional display space."

Yes, this excellent piece would be perfect for my dining room.… As soon as my brother, nephew, or brother-in-law comes by here, I’ll try to squeeze it in. In the meantime, it looks nice in the living room --

As the seller indicated, the piece fits in and looks great with the other mahagony and cherry furniture in my living and dining rooms. Here is a mosaic I've made of the furniture in the two rooms.

I plan to store some flatware in the two smaller drawers, and place mats, napkinsas well. However, I have not put anything in it in case I do move it to the dining room. So this change is still very much in progress!

Visit Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for more Metamorphosis Monday posts.
Also, visit Mary at Little Red House to see the mosaics prepared by other participants, and Rhoda at Southern Hospitality for more Thrifty Treasures.

Getting a New Start On A Healthy Lifestyle

I’ve just returned from a stay at Weimar Center for Health and Education. I was a guest for the 18-day NEWSTART Lifestyle Program. I felt this would help me get on a healthy diet and exercise program, since I was diagnosed with diabetes the day aftter my stroke in April. The program promises to:
Reverse Diabetes
Restore Hearts
Relieve Arthritis
Renew Immune Systems
Shed Pounds
Lower Cholesterol
Increase Energy
Enhance Vital Capacity

We had private rooms with bath, (and fresh towels and bath mat daily) hydrotherapy and massage, health lectures, cooking school, walking along trails, getting to know the other guests, many of whom became wonderful friends. We encouraged each other, and celebrated when anyone lost pounds, lowered cholesterol, lowered blood sugar, etc. Our delicious meals were made from "whole foods eaten whole." We were happy to take home a thick recipe pack prepared by the cafeteria staff, the Newstart Cookbook, and other recipe handouts.

The Weimar campus is in northern California and I enjoyed the beauty of the setting – towering trees, shrubs, and flowers. It is truly a haven with the stately Ponderosa pines and other tree varieties, many types of shrubs, and bright flower beds.

The first mosaic below shows:
The flagpole (2d photo) stands in a circle where guests walked round and round. There were also twelve miles of walking trails.
The Gazebo was site of early morning Stretcherizes. This was followed with a walk around the Half Mile Loop.

The second mosaic shows
Sections of the Half Mile Loop Road

The final mosaic includes:
Magnolia tree in front of Weimar Inn
Sequoia tree
Daylilies on right front

Today’s post is linked to Mosaic Monday hosted by Mary at Little Red House. Go there for links to other shared mosaics.

Mosaic Monday – Fall Tablescape 2008

My tablescape last Thursday featured a fall table with soft fall colors. Looking back to last fall I see that I did a very colorful table, quite in contrast to the brown and white one from last week.

The mosaics show some features of the 2008 fall table, including a vintage tablecloth, with ceramic pumpkins and salt and pepper sets:

Join Mary at Little Red House for more mosaic compositions. Have a happy fall week!

Mosaic Monday – Milk Glass Collection

My two mosaics today feature my milk glass collection. The first one shows the collection as it is displayed in the laundry room.

The next mosiac features selected pieces of the collection and a collector’s book about milk glass.
Join Mary at Little Red House for more mosaic compositions.

Mosaic Monday – Around the Yard

I thought I’d try my hand at making a mosaic with photos I’ve taken around my front and back yards this summer. I used Picasa to do this.

After selecting the photos I wanted to use I copied them to a separate folder. After opening Picasa I selected the photos and clicked COLLAGE and kept moving the photos around until I liked the composition and then saved it.


Here is another photo-collage I did with PhotoScape using instructions from Laurie at Bargain Hunting and Chatting With Laurie. These are photos of garden containers around the yard.

When time permits I've got to read up some more and practice making some of the interesting mosaic patterns I see on so many blogs.

Join Mary at Little Red House for more mosaic compositions.

Outdoor Wednesday – Floral Joy

I am so looking forward to the joys of flowers around the outside of Oak Rise Cottage this spring and summer. Here is a collage I made of my front steps and yard flowers last year:

See more Outdoor Wednesday posts at Susan at A Southern Daydreamer.

Happy Eastertide to Each of You!