$35 - Glass Insulators

A house is not a home if it doesn't reflect the life, loves, and personalities of those living in it. A home should be filled with things that tell the story of YOU - big or small, collections can be something that remind us of where we've been. My collection of McDonalds toys recently resurfaced from my Mother's attic - they remind me of bath time as a kid, and I'm not sure I'm quite ready (much to my Mother's chagrin) to give up the complete set of California Raisins and Berenstain Bears...

So as an adult (I think that's the first time I've ever called myself that...), I've started collections that are a bit more, well, adult. Greg and I have developed a love of glass insulators...they come in all shapes and sizes, each with a wonderful story that I can only begin to guess at. We find them in junk shops, estate sales, the side of the road, and even his old apartment's trash room. It's fun to find them together, building a memory with each one. Here's our budding collection displayed along the top of our built-in:

A quick search on Craigslist finds a beginner's collection for only $35. These would add some color and life to any window or shelf. What do you collect? When did you start your collection?

http://fredericksburg.craigslist.org/clt/2797310169.html

Roundup - Church Pews!

This post is inspired by my sweet neighbor Lena. She and her husband are really just starting to decorate their amazing home and using an old church pew or bench, rather than several chairs, along one side of their dining table is an idea she recently mentioned. With a large extended family that she entertains often, lots of seating is a must for Lena. Also, her dining area is somewhat hard to distinguish - so she's thinking that something bold and stationary would help anchor the area. I've seen the 'bench-as-kitchen-seating' phenomenon a lot lately, and even wish I could pull it off myself - I think this is an amazing way to add some weight, not to mention personality to your home. And they're not just for the kitchen - check out these ideas from Apartment Therapy.

CL's church pew offerings are pretty stellar right now...

http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/mld/atq/2797609801.html
http://smd.craigslist.org/fuo/2802135554.html
http://baltimore.craigslist.org/atq/2777377100.html
http://fredericksburg.craigslist.org/atq/2788228656.html

$179 - Deco Chandelier

Sometimes you need a little creative vision. I love this chandelier, though the condition is not very clear in the picture. $179 for this, though I think that's perhaps quite a bit high, is much cheaper than this $600 beauty from Rejuvination (this store is one of my great obsessions...). I'd use this piece in the entryway of my fabulous Deco apartment at the Kennedy-Warren on Connecticut.

http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/nva/fud/2803333538.html

$125 - DIY Mid Century Table or Chair?

Here's an excellent, though not completely cheap, DIY opportunity for some brave soul. The ad is claiming that perhaps this is the base to an Eames Molded Chair...but comparing the two shapes, I think NOT (though it does look similar to this Eames Wire Base Table...). But with that said, I can imagine a ton of uses for this very cool base. Local salvage warehouses, like Community Forklift in Edmonston, MD, usually have a great selection of marble remnants on hand - find the right shape and you've got a great side table. Find a piece of slate, and maybe you've got something unique like this table on my beloved Modern 50. Some reclaimed, well loved wood would also do the trick. Plywood with a piece of mirror glued to the top? Chalkboard table? I could do this all day, but...

Hopefully you get the picture, the possibilities are endless. And if I were you, I'd try to talk the price WAY down - Eames is Eames and I don't think this is Eames...

http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/nva/fuo/2787273952.html

$125 - 23 Vintage Cameras

Not much to say about this - other than CAMERAS ARE RAD. Realize your true hipster potential with this extensive collection of everything you'll need to compete with that pesky iPhone app (which I love SO much)...

Konica C35, Holga 135, Kodak Retina II, Kodak Jiffy, Kodak instamatic 500, kodak pony 828, 2 kodak instamatic x30, Magimatic Magicube x50, Delta 127, Kodak Brownie Hawkeye, Green Polaroid, Nikon AF35, Spectra super II, Capital MX II, Continental electroflash 555-s, and 10 other Olympus, Fuji, Minolta, and more 35mm's.

http://baltimore.craigslist.org/pho/2741860325.html

$4000 - Splurge!

Craigslist isn't always for the Über budget wise. Sometimes, more often than you might think actually, a big ticket item pops up. This vintage Knoll sofa has been hanging around CL for quite sometime, and I'm curious as to where it will end up. Knoll has been a game changer in everything from graphic design, textiles, color theory, office systems, files and storage, casegoods, and OF COURSE furniture for over 70 years - and they are as relevant as ever!

$4000 isn't exactly chump change, so whoever ends up with this jewel probably truely appreciates it's iconographic status - oh, and they probably have a space (and a truck) big enough for all 10ft of it...

Looks like this guy is also on ebay - I think the pictures are a little more detailed here. New Knoll sofas will cost way upwards of $10,000...but haven't we already established that vintage is better? Vintage is new again?

Moral of the story: this couch looks to be in perfect shape, and is a truly vintage giant of its era...someday I will own a couch like this and place it lovingly in my Julius Shulman photographed home, while wearing a smokin' hot Mad Men dress and casually sipping cocktails...

$300 - Pair GoodForm Arm Chairs

Ok people - let's talk GoodForm and it's cousin Emeco. If you don't know who, what, when, where, and WHY Emeco is...then you've got some epic catching up to do. Emeco Navy Chairs are the end-all be-all in many people's eyes - and I have to say that I'm right there with them. There is almost no location, at home or at work, for which an Emeco chair does not fit perfectly. Check out this video for a little look into this icon's stunning history...legend has is it that the classic Navy Chair was molded after Betty Grable's famous behind! The GoodForm line of chairs, made by the General Fireproofing Company, are right up there with Emeco for many collectors - it can often be difficult to distinguish between the two if you don't know the specifics and/or no identification remains on the chair.

GoodForm Chairs vary widely in price - but you can have your own piece of history here and now for a more than reasonable amount. A pair of arm chairs in good condition are rare - consider using these at either end of a kitchen table in your vintage industrial kitchen. Go Gather!

http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/nva/fuo/2788832000.html