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216 Comments

  1. Sara
    June 27, 2013 @ 11:47 am

    I cannot say it any better than Mellissa Rose. She took the words right out of my mouth: “ou. Are. Awesome. (and my hero). I am in love with your blog and your style.”

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  2. N
    June 27, 2013 @ 12:59 pm

    Wow this is turly one of the best love stories I’ve ever read. You have an amazing man.

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  3. Bridget from Refined Vintage
    June 28, 2013 @ 10:51 am

    I am laughing and relating to your story. I have never brought home anything that big, yet… But your husbands reaction is classic, don’t they realize how futile it is to refuse? I found you via the post about the huge Kingdom Mirror on Craig’s List and then clicked on over to this one. Love your sense of humor. I look forward to following your renovations, all from Craig’s List! I love that you are helping to keep things out of landfills too! Vintage is the new Green!

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  4. Lish
    June 28, 2013 @ 3:52 pm

    That is the best piece of furniture ever and it looks like it belongs exactly in your living room, right where you put it. I think it was destined for that spot. Lovely!!!! Although, if you found an older, slightly more narrow window with stained glass detailing up top, you could just tear out the perfectly good window and make everything 1000 times better. I always say, “if it’s not broke, find a way to make it better!” And I am very impressed that you can get your husband to help you tear things out. Could you possibly write a how-to manual for that? Most of my craigslist desires fail for only having two arms (although my 8 month pregnant self did score an amazing, super-heavy 1950s dresser that I rocked back and forth from my car to apartment b/c it was perfect).

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  5. Christina @ The Murrayed Life
    June 28, 2013 @ 7:37 pm

    This whole post was amazing. Utterly amazing. I just met you fo realz, and I want to read through everything!

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  6. Laura in Canada
    June 28, 2013 @ 7:40 pm

    This is ridiculously uncanny – I’m gobsmacked. You could probably get crowd funding to fit this wardrobe into your kitchen now. It seems like a matter of public interest, seeing as how many people are following your blog. Once it’s finished you could charge for tours. Antique lovers from all over North America could come by worship. Know this: the fact that you found this particular wardrobe on Craigslist (and the Kingdom Mirror!) is a category of religious miracle (Miracle of supply?) Something like Malachi 3;10 or Jesus and the loaves. I bow to you.

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  7. katie
    June 28, 2013 @ 8:17 pm

    Once upon a time, when I had just moved in with my wife (partner, significant other, whatever, she’s the pick-up driving, tool-belt wearing one. I’m the one who points at things for her to use tools on) that it would be cool to buy one of the historic early 1900’s homes in the Riverside neighborhood of our town (Jacksonville, FL).

    She commented that such a project would make me crazy because I would have to see every option available for every piece that was needed. If it needed a new door knob, I would have to search, question and compare 850 different doorknobs, even if I loved the 3rd one. I assured her that it wouldn’t be like that with everything, only things that are visible (not inside walls). I know she’s right… even if the 3rd doorknob was everything I ever wanted in a doorknob, what if the 849th one was just as perfect and had free shipping? You never know until its 4 in the morning and you’re squinting at page 437 of a google search for Victorian doorknobs.

    To this day, 12 years later, we still laugh about this conversation we had so long ago. Mainly, we quote the part where I said, “I could be like the manager and pick the stuff and show you what needs to be done and you could do the tools part.” To which, this woman, who otherwise worships the quicksand I walk on, replied without missing a beat, ” I would put a nailgun through your head faster than you can say ‘missed a spot.'”

    Anyway, I LOVE your writing style and Becky says she feels Paul’s pain.

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  8. Amy Herrmann
    June 28, 2013 @ 9:33 pm

    My mother turned me on to your blog. She has taken to calling me the Queen of Craigslist, but I bow down to your superior claim to that title. Your posts are hysterical and awe inspiring. It also describes quite accurately what happens in my marriage when see a must have on CL. Troll on!

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  9. Kasia
    June 29, 2013 @ 1:25 am

    I got such a good laugh out of it … I shared it with hubby and he said : it’s not just us there is more…

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  10. Kit Odom
    June 29, 2013 @ 11:27 am

    Please, please, please do NOT cut this fabulous thing! You are only its conduit through time.

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  11. Molly Sargent
    June 30, 2013 @ 7:09 pm

    Hey! I just subscribed to your blog! I did this because my husband said “I am sending you this link because this is just like you!” It was the link to the mirror story (it had a kingdom on the top!). I kept saying things as I read and looked at the pictures and then in the next sentence you would write what I just said! How did you do that?

    I too am an insatiable Craigslister. I found and we (meaning Tom, my husband, and I) bought a 1962 Airstream trailer for 500 bucks on Craigslist. And then there was my armoire period where anything called an armoire was fair game to my new and improved plan of organization which was to have an armoire for every category of household item. Then there were the french doors. Our house is furnished in CL. I have been looking for five years for beachfront property on CL. I know someday I will find it for five thousand dollars and it will be just what I want. We are kindred spirits I am pretty sure.

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  12. Betsy
    July 1, 2013 @ 4:40 am

    Oh, girl,
    I know you have moved on from commenting on comments on this post, but I just have to say,
    my cheeks hurt…ALL OF THEM …from laughing so hard, and trying to control myself….
    I had to stop myself at least 6 times from waking my husband to read this to him, he thinks I am the only one who does this kind of stuff, and drags him, eye rolling and driving, to get what I “Need!”….but this is one thing he would been saying “WE HAVE to fit this in somehow….” and I would say, “I’ll MAKE it FIT!”, like the evil step sister on Cinderella…..
    Your conversations with your hubby remind me of ours….”around and around and around we go, and where we stop, nobody knows….” we are a little diffrent version of you two, but it is good that we live on the other side of the country from you…..I can see you and I would be TROUBLE!!! This is the first I have seen you blog, and it was a reference on another blog that sent me here. Her post was “Everyone has a thing for Gold mirrors…”, and she typed, in reference to you, Her whole blog is so funny and her renovation of a 1980 Victorian house is a big undertaking.” My first thought was….”1980…..?….Victorian House…???? Big undertaking…..??? I gotta SEE this….. Okay I am sitting here still laughing rediculously about your entire saga….but I know you make it sound more funny than it actually was…..we have to laugh about such things so we don’t just give up and die over them. I can relate to the Procrastination, and I think it goes hand in hand with our perfectionism, and our “Why LIVE in reality, when our dreams are so amazing ….and So much FUN???!!!” attitude about life. “Can WE Do it???? YES WE CAN!” Just get Paul the builder and my hubby together and don’t let them say “No, I can’t!” and it will happen! You and I are dreamers of BIG plans…but they really need to be exactly what they think they could be, nothing less! I know you probably won’t be able to return a comment to me, but please know I look forward to learning more about your….Adventures in Life and on Craigslist! You would NOT believe what we just got on Craiglist….and hubby was even a PART of it!….I have NO idea how long it will take to forget this one!
    Hearts to you,
    Betsy

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  13. Anika Adams
    July 1, 2013 @ 10:21 am

    I cannot begin to express how utterly fabulous you must be in real life. I ended up reading this post out loud to my husband and wife. I think my husband and Paul would get along quite well. And I don’t know if I can count how many times while reading this I exclaimed “I LOVE her!”. Thank you!

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  14. Suzy
    July 1, 2013 @ 12:47 pm

    I am literally CRYING at work from laughing at this…Your line about using it to house garden tools had me in stitches. I hate when husbands try to be practical like “where are you gonna put a 12 foot behemoth piece of furniture”?! WHO CARES! I think Tim Gunn said it best when he said “make it work!” 🙂

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  15. Tara
    July 2, 2013 @ 9:46 am

    OH MY GOSH!!!!!! I love this, I love this, I love this. You are my sister separated at birth. (And thank you to my real, birth sister who sent me your blog). I would be scared to have this in my home because I would rub all the finish off and I lovingly caressed it as I walked past it each day. My own fantasy house which I will build someday involves many pieces such as these and also a library that rivals The library at Alexandria. But that is another story. Well done you!

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  16. Val LaBore
    July 2, 2013 @ 11:53 am

    You are so lucky being on the east coast that so many lovely things can be found. Not so much on the west coast. But I have found furniture that was too large for my rooms too but bought because they were gorgeous. Carved wood and details pull my hands in to touch and caress them. Before I moved away from home, I had a Queen Anne walnut dining table and a corner china cabinet in my bedroom that was meant for a twin bed. See? We are alike. And our houses in SoCal are not built for big furniture so its crowded. Yes, the husband shakes his head sometimes too.
    Val

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  17. Darcy Perdu
    July 3, 2013 @ 5:26 pm

    OK, I have just notified the Vatican to submit your husband’s name for Sainthood!

    I thoroughly enjoyed your story and pics — so funny!

    Your unbridled enthusiasm is directly proportional to your husband’s dismay!

    And have you learned your lesson? Not according to this —

    My favorite line: “We will do this as many times as Craigslist deems necessary.”

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  18. LaurelW.
    July 5, 2013 @ 9:05 pm

    OMG, saw the wardrobe and thought Downton Abbey too. I love that you had vision to use the middle sink area for the window. I don’t know that I could have cut it down to fit in the kitchen either. When I read that Paul has a name for the charge down the stairs as the Craigslist Charge I almost fell off my chair. I did a Craigslist Charge yesterday down to the garage to tell my hubby about a pile of stuff by the road 10 mins from us and I was the first caller. Hubby was busy in the workshop making things for us to sell at our flea booth, so I turned around only to do the Craigslist Charge back up the stairs to my 20 yr olds bedroom to wake him up to coerce him into helping me ( usually involves a trip thru a drive up for food on the way home). “Jared, Jared, Jared, Jared, wake up, wake up, wake up, please, please,please come with me to get some stuff by the road. Please, please get dressed NOW, please?!” is how that always goes. I have to say they both groan but are accommodating every time. I read this post out loud to my husband 1. because it was a great one of a kind find with great pics 2. because you write with such truthful humor 3. it proves I am not as crazy when it comes to Craigslist as my hubby may think. Thank You!!

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  19. Nancy
    July 6, 2013 @ 8:09 pm

    What about angling the two “wardrobes” to make two corner cupboards with the sink between them? That would take up less space. Love your stories. And your husband is amazing, despite the glares and gritted teeth 😉

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    • Kit Odom
      July 6, 2013 @ 8:33 pm

      Yes! The Husband is what amazes me most! (Besides the incredible luck and the great taste of course.)

      Reply

  20. Amber
    July 10, 2013 @ 11:43 am

    This is one of the best things I’ve read on the internet, and I’ve read a lot of great things on the internet. Please tell me you’ll be writing a book when your renovations are complete. If so, you’ve already sold one copy.

    Reply

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