I'm glad you can't see me sitting here with my mouth hanging open in amazement.

jjam!!!! I bow to your extreme bargain! That table is stunning, and the fact that it's Baker just adds to the overall thrill, and it looks perfect in that room. I also love the rug, and would like to see that lamp on the 'new' table, too. Looks like a tea caddy container.

Alex, I remember the day that rug was unfurled! I LOVE Chinoiserie, and that cabinet makes the perfect book case. And being a recent resin mirror buyer, if I had seen yours in my CL, well, it would be in MY house.

Persnickety - love the sling chairs and their feet. Also the table and the china cabinet. Your house sounds like mine, where I have a hard time picking out something that I bought new. I'm waiting to see the bedroom suite - if it's your favorite, it has to be magnificent.

I bought this platter years ago on eBay for $20, after seeing it for sale at Ruby Lane for $350. I have the Ruby Lane page taped to the back of the platter. :-) I see them now online in a quick search from $120 - $200. It's Burgess and Leigh Rustic Pattern English Brown Transfer Platter, 1886.

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Alex...I'm a huge fan of Chinoiserie and your china cabinet turned book case is drool worthy.

M3D...love that platter! I had not seen that pattern before. My plan for our MB is to use brown & white transfer ware above the nightstands. That search mission just got bumped up on my to do list. :)

I almost forgot that our Christmas tree came from eBay too. It's a 9' tree from Frontgate that I bought in the middle of summer for $125 (including shipping).

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This was an eBay purchase a few years ago. It's a Duncan Phyfe table and chairs (we took only 2 of the 6 chairs they were offering). The table is a drop leaf PLUS it opens and I can add a leaf. We use it in our LR when we have big dinner parties. Otherwise it is tucked back in the corner and used as a library table or is pulled out in front of the fireplace for a cozy dinner. It was $100!

Our DR table is another eBay purchase. It's Queen Ann Cherry, but cost considerably more than this! However, these chairs are often used in our DR when we need seating for 8.

Huh, I never thought to look for furniture off of ebay, will have to try that.
My favorite bargain lately wasn't from ebay or CL, but I bought 3 lanterns on sale for $40 each from Hobby Lobby and turned them into pendant lights with some parts from Lowes.
I'm also currently making a head board and foot board from 2 beautiful old doors I bought for $20 each from Habitat for Humanity Restore....we'll see how it turns out.

GREAT savings on the home made pendants, tulips! That's a beautiful shot of your tree, Persnickety. I'm glad to see bonnieanne join in, too.

Persnickety , I just saw this brown transferware-like fabric on eBay, 25 YARDS for $75.00. I checked and it's discontinued, but it's #20782-103 Toile Chocolate by Duralee, and Inside Fabric sold it for $39.55 per yard, which is a 46% savings on its list price of $73.45 a yard. Need any WTs for that bedroom???

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Here is a link that might be useful: A Cyrus Clark design for Duralee designer fabric Mistral 25 1/8 yd.

Today I picked up this 32" tall Roost Cumulus Pendant for $80. Sells for $1180.

Tulips...your kitchen is gorgeous!!!

M3D...that fabric is awesome! I just put it on my watch list. You have found my downfall. I have a severe fabric addiction.

I found some pics of the MB furniture in the old house, but don't have any photos of it in this house (we've been here almost 4 months). I'm getting itchy to do that room. Hope to paint & pretty it up after the holidays.

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Here is my CL bargain purchased for the breakfast nook of our snow bird condo in Florida. $150.00

My latest fun deal purchase was a $59 Dinett Bremshey vintage German rolling cart from Ebay. I bought it for the end Master Bath wall near the tub. The bottom will have husbands large bath towels that take up to much cabinet space. The top area is all mine. I can roll it up close to the tub, all my girly stuff for baths will be in pretty containers on a chrome and mirror tray. That is if I can find some pretty pump containers to hold shampoos, bubble baths and such. Not having any luck on that.

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I also got a yard of this normally expensive fabric for $15. I sent it to my sister who is making me two hanging art glass panels to hang in the upper portions of the bathroom windows at the same end bathroom wall.

This thread is lots of fun to read. I haven't done well on our local Craig's List, but we love thrift stores, our local flea market, and eBay.

I'm stuck on retro and Mid Century, lately. Bought our first Dansk teak pepper mill for $1 at our local Habitat for Humanity ReStore (love that place.) Then we found a group of Dansk pepper mills at the flea market, under $20 for the group of six. Now I hunt everywhere for these things.

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Last weekend, we found this 1960âÂÂs David Palombo forged iron brutalist wall sculpture at the flea market, for under $20. Still has a partial label on the back from his shop in Jerusalem.

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And today, at the flea market, these wonderfully weird pink metal tubular desk lamps. The joints swivel. They are unmarked; IâÂÂm guessing 70s (?) The pair was under $10. And they work!

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What's fun about this thread is the diversity of our treasures! Love the thrill of the hunt.

Mudhouse.

Those are Post-modernist, Memphis Movement inspired lamps, mid-1980s

Here is a link that might be useful: Lamps

Thank you, Palimpsest. I spent hours searching today, and came up empty, save one Etsy listing. The details and paint texture of the lamp in your link is an exact match for these; probably the same manufacturer. These have some paint loss, but still very fun.

Much appreciated!

ogoopogo, we live in southern New Mexico, pretty close to the border. MCM is not as popular here (yet) as it is in many parts of the country; people often don't consider the style to be very desirable. This is true of both houses and decor.

Our little local flea is really unimpressive, and we usually leave empty handed. But we still love going, because you never know.

My CL has lots of junk but I did find this pair of Stiffel lamps for $30 for the pair. Original silk shades in perfect condition included.

I love seeing all of the treasures you all have found.

Every time I read this thread I know the next 1-2 hours will be wasted on Craigslist looking for the next "find".

LOL, finallyhome, -- I've got the same problem!

^^^Same here! It's been a wasteland, though. Crazy high prices for Ikea frustrates me. I need to make the time for some garage sale-ing to stay in my looooow budget range.

Found this sofa table for $80. Very pretty lines, dovetail, and beautiful veneer. Sorry that you cannot see the top too well.
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Another set of finds from a few years ago (and from same seller.)

2 MCM Walnut end tables. $20 each

Chest of Drawers (or Chester ;)) $100 Bigger than it appears in this photo. Also dovetail drawers.
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I have been able to find many other bargains to furnish my home, and my children's homes/apartments, but the pickings are getting slimmer on CL. Seems that everything is priced to make a killing (even junk) and not to sell, like the old CL used to be like. Even so, every time this thread comes up, I have to go check my local listings.

I dressed up my $10 mirror that started this post yesterday last night. So this is a CL 're-do' , I guess!

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Wow, that is magnificent my3dogs! $10 never looked so good!

My3Dogs, You inspire all of us!! That mirror is gorgeous on its own but your creativity never fails to amaze, and it is even more beautiful now :)

Thanks for this thread, it is fun to see everyone's treasures.

Glad to know I'm not the only CL addict here!

Ugh. Why can't we have nice things in Charleston??? Anything modern, midcentury or otherwise completely escaped the area. People were into stuffy formal looking reproduction stuff around then. Also our garage sales / CL are mostly a collection of the worst of the '80s and '90s. If you're looking for ceiling fans with loads of fake highly polished brass trim or mauve sofas this is the place to be.

I'd love to see what Charleston had on it's CL!

I'm not handy nor crafty so I don't buy anything to re-cover. I sure admire you people who do!!!

I love Freecycle and a bit of elbow grease and things come out like new. I picked up these skillets and loved the weight of them. Some Barkeepers Friend, and I had a Paderno and Kirkland skillets

Wow...I need you to come over and clean my pots and pans!

I got a Henredon Down sofa for $120. It was originally purchased in 2005. The parents had given it to their son and he was moving.

Knittingjenny, that's a fist pump purchase!!!

Re: Charleston CL

Let's go for a vintage desk with cane, a la Knoll, for 40.00.

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1st dibs
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Here is a link that might be useful: Charleston vintage desk

I held back and didn't buy this "beauty" for only $600! And I would have had to haul it myself.

It falls into the "what were they thinking" category. I SO wanted to send them the craigslist article about selling items but I couldn't find it.

Microfiber couch, has one cigarette burn in it and probably needs to be cleaned. Only had about a year and paid over $1000 for it. $600 obo. Pick up in charles city and you haul please txt me at

Here is a link that might be useful: Microfiber couch

I have a lot of CL finds but this 8' tall hutch that I got for $400 for is my favorite. It's an antique replica originally from Pierre Deux and is sturdy and well made, solid wood with dove-tailed drawers. I love it!

Before and after:

Judiegal, I love your hutch and it reminded me of one of my favs from CL.German Antique Grunderzeit Hutch in Pine, c. 1880 that the well-to-do sellers with a summer home in Ogunquit, Maine wanted to get rid of when they changed their decor. I'm STILL pinching myself that I got this for $100 or $150; can't recall which. I went to the antique store where they bought it and they had paid over $3,000.

The back has this unusual painting -

And this antique Chinese kitchen cupboard, purchased last month for $300. The sellers are downsizing and the artist wife had bought it in a Portland, ME Old Port area antique shop 10 years ago for $2,000.

Pic from CL ad -
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A few weeks ago from CL, Feiss Druid Hills 8 Light Chandelier in Silver Dust , List Price $1,048.50, sale was $699.00. I paid $200.
Pic from CL ad -

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stock photo
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Another Freecyle beauty that suits me and my kitchen perfectly. It's a media center. There are wooden vertical slats to hold records (now my baking sheets), the shelves slide out for easy access to my casseroles etc etc. It's jam-packed with casseroles, cast iron dutch ovens, etc etc.

I am so envious! Our CL is absolutely horrendous. It is mostly comprised of nasty, dirty microfiber furniture or beat up pressed fiber furniture. I did luck out on a carved mahogany Chippendale dining room set with table, two inserts, eight chairs, and a large and small side board for less than 2,700. I can't wait to use our library as library/ dining room so I can bring it home. Our dining area is way too small to accommodate it.

How about a few opinions on a possible purchase? These are $60 for the pair and when I saw them I knew, instantly, that they would be great in my dining room on the buffet.

I'm getting this Japanese screen from my Grandma.

It's going to replace the narrow mirror.

I'm moving the art to another room and putting my, previously posted, large mirror on the art wall.

These lamps sang to me when I saw them last night. In the Blanc de Chine style but Japanese in origin. What do you all think I should offer? They want $60 for the pair and it's been listed since mid Nov. I see some discoloration on the porcelain...not sure what that is.
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Lov, I am a little afraid to ask, but do you suppose the jumper cables come with that couch?

It will take more than jumper cables thrown in for anyone to buy that couch!

That's pretty much the quality of stuff on my CL. I look EVERY day, usually more than once a day. The second hand store here is a better bet. And there's an "antique" store up the road about 10 miles where I scored my parlor set for $79.99

my3dogs, I love the painting on the rear side of your piece. Do you suppose they had the back exposed to the room and so painted it? What a totally cool idea. It would be so easy to stencil on something decorative but subtle like that.

alex9179, I checked the sold listings on eBay, and similar porcelain Japanese lamps seem to sell for around $100 each. (One pair sold for more, but a peek at the bidding revealed a bidding war.)

I have a "thing" for lamps, but I think they're very nice, personally. If they've been listed for that long, I'd make an offer and see what happens!

Cool! We'll see how I make out with the seller. I can use these in 3 different rooms without hesitation, but the white against the deep color will look so yummy.

alex, does the listing give the height of the lamps? There aren't any currently listed on eBay like them, but I found an identical pair, linked below, that sold on 12/4 for $195.00 for the pair, PLUS freight. I bet whatever that stain is may come off with Magic Eraser.
In the link, click 'See Original listing' right below the description. I'd gladly pay the $60, but maybe you can get them for $50.

Olychick, That will always be a mystery to me, and the lower part differs from the upper. Here is the lower part's back. Your though is a good one, though; do something to the back if it's in the open, to make it more interesting.

Here is a link that might be useful: Lamps JUST like 'yours' that sold on eBay for $195. for the pair

Okay then! I feel bad for wanting to dicker. Same dimensions. Gosh, that base is so pretty when lit.

Bench from consignment shop. $120. We use it as our dumping area as it is near the back door. The seat opens up, too.

I think we paid around $20 for this sewing machine base, which was attached to a very ugly table top. We replaced the top and this is our kitchen table.

Old school desk from consignment shop. I think I paid about $40? Has a slight slant so need to be careful if you set a drink down!

alex, hurry and get those lamps!!

I'd offer $50 but would pay the $60 if the seller is firm.

They are fabulous!!!

I love many of the finds pictured here. I live in an economically depressed, rural area, and most of Craigslist is uninspiring and often unintentionally funny. Some people have big ideas about what their junk is worth!

We've done well in the Farm & Garden section, however, both buying and selling. This summer I acquired a riding mower for $375 delivered. The owner is a mechanic (turned out he retired from the company my son works for), and the mower was well cared for.

But mostly I came back here to thank My3dogs for starting this thread. As soon as I saw the title, I remembered that it had been awhile since I last checked Craigslist for a cedar wardrobe.

My house is very old, and has almost no closets. I've been keeping my various jackets in an ancient but worthless wardrobe that is ready to fall apart, so I've been looking for a good replacement for about a year. Most of the ones listed had no bar for hanging clothes, and were overpriced anyway.

So I saw your thread and went directly to Craigslist, where I found the perfect cedar wardrobe: just the right size, with a bar inside the top and a nice drawer on the bottom--for $75! The people even agreed to keep it for me until after Christmas, when my son can get it with his pickup.

Thanks, and happy holidays to all!

Alisande, that's awesome!!!!!

Alisande, great to hear a happy ending, congratulations!

My3dogs, thanks for this thread also (wow, your finds have been incredible, and those pieces have found a wonderful home.)

I've been watching CL again too, and this has been a lot of fun to read. Hope springs eternal!

alisande - YAY! We need pics! I bought a John Deere lawn tractor and small trailer this past summer from CL, and saved THOUSANDS over what I would have paid new, for this slightly used one. I WISH this pic was my lawn, but it was the seller's who was downsizing to a condo. Unless I'm buying groceries or dog food, I tend to look at Craigslist first. :-)

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Mudhouse, there IS hope for you! I have to wade through a lot of not-so-great stuff to find my hidden gems, and my CL is very small - with only one area for the whole state.

Oh, that is a nice John Deere!

PS: Hi, Jasdip! ;-)