Potential

I've been working hard to come out on top of a personal struggle recently.  It's not the reason why I haven't posted in over a month (I have no excuse for that, actually) but it's something I've been dealing with, nonetheless.

Probably a lot of people would not see what I've been dealing with as a serious problem... it's not like I'm trying to quit smoking, or lower my blood pressure, or reduce my blood sugar numbers for health reasons. But I know that you will understand.

I'm Laurie, and I'm a Project Collector. I'm trying to stop pulling into strangers' driveways to check out a huge pile of stuff at their curb. Odds are there really isn't anything in that pile that I could make into anything useful, right?  I'm trying to stop buying furniture at yard sales just because it's cheap and has Potential. I know, potential is a very relative term, in both projects and men. Hehehe...

But one day recently I was weak. I looked at the furniture category on Craig's List, and found these, and had to have them! I spent $30 for both, which may have been a tad high, but they have it. They have Potential!

See, I've been looking for new bedside tables for my bedroom, and although I thought I would find two that are not a pair (I don't care for matchey-matchey), these little darlings have convinced me otherwise.

They are definitely "projects". They are going to eventually be painted a glossy black with silver accents, but first they need some serious TLC. The woman I bought them from had a whole bedroom suite that went with them, and when I was taking them out to my van she said "So you like old furniture?" Immediately, it was clear that, to her, these are only "Old" not "Vintage", "Antique" or even "Classic". So sad...  and they haven't been cared for very well. Let me present the evidence:

Water rings (have they never heard of COASTERS??), bad patches of split trim, and just bad repairs in general. They are definitely more of a project than I'd hoped for, but they will be so gorgeous when they're done! I'll update you as I go along.

Anything will be better than what I have now... good grief. I wonder if it will be a good or bad thing that the new table won't hold as much crap?? I'm guessing good.

Projects for Spring!

Anyone who knows me is fully aware of my penchant for the "Project". Not big stuff, like tearing down walls between rooms or roofing the house, but mostly stuff that grows out of a stop at a local thrift store, a transaction on Freecycle or Craig's List, or an unexpected treasure found on the curb. Along those lines, I have a couple of things to share...

One visit to my local Craig's List recently got me a couple of terrific pieces of furniture that are now sitting on my carport waiting for transformation. The first one - a vanity-turned-desk is painted a horrendously bright yellow and has the Corona Cerveza logo painted on one side. (??) The woman I bought it from tells me her daughter used it as an art desk. Judging from the paint all over the top of it, I'd say she REALLY enjoyed it. It's going to go out in my craft room as soon as it's repainted - and as soon as the craft room is reorganized.

This cute little thing is a bit of a mystery. The woman advertised it as a painter's cabinet - which would be an interesting thing to use it for given the holes and such inside - but I'm not sure. The top is a little bit bowed up, but not so much that I can't still use it as a bedside table as I'm planning.