next ebay project

I should just call Fridays "Ebay Fridays" because I have a new Ebay project almost every week! Since the amazeballs tree root/zinc dining table did not happen (thanks for nothing, Jess ;), I decided to do a lacquered French Provincial table like these beauties:

I think this is just a shiny wood finish, but looks like black lacquer

I snagged this French extension table for *wait for it* $150 buckeroos on Ebay...it extends to 96".

 I have a totally amazing lacquer guy here who can spray anything or create any finish on a wood table. I think black may be the most classic and versatile, since it is going with the chrome chairs I showed last week...what do you think? He can do any color - maybe a super deep eggplant/purple that looks almost black. Suggestions?

Happy weekend love muffins!
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jealous, much?

This totally amazeballs dining room was designed by the lovely and talented Valorie Hart here in New Orleans.

The vintage Milo Baughman chairs are covered in Kelly Wearstler Sora velvet, which retails for $400 bucks a yard, my friends. The tree stump/zinc table is by Groundworks, the peeps who made Ashley Stark's dining table that everyone is obsessed with. Yes, they sell for over five grand. Booyah!

A couple weeks ago my email/bloggy pal Jessie went to an estate sale and it was the home of these rich freaks! They sold her those chairs for less than the fabric is worth. The table was for sale for $1300! Jessie did not invite me or call me immediately and tell me to get my ass down there. She scored the chairs and the table is gone. I am inconsolable and so jealous I could spit.

So now I am going to copy Valorie (and Jess - ugh) by covering these vintage chrome Baughman chairs in the same fabric. I may use a different colorway. That will teach her a lesson! ( it won't at all).

I am so jealous of my pal Jess but excited about a new project. For future reference, if you are going to an amazing auction/estate sale/consignment store/flea market/concert/house party you should invite me or I will trash talk you on my blog... ;) have a great weekend friends!
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finally!

I will show you guys the updates on my sis' house tomorrow - but today I am proud and happy to show off my newest Ebay fix! Remember my excitement over this 50's sectional I got on Ebay???

Looking past the nubby turquoise fabric, I saw the modern arms and curve shape, the gorgeous pin feet with brass tips, and the almost perfect condition. Sofas of this make and era have super heavy cushions with springs inside. This was a perfect piece just crying out for new upholstery. I wanted to get rid of the channel tufted back and cover it in a pale neutral linen. Here it is...

 

Gorgeous, right?? I am so pleased with it. I know I say this every time, but this truly is a forever piece! haha

Also got this octagon chrome table base on Ebay and now I need to have glass or marble cut for the top. So much going on at the tiny apartment these days...

The rug underneath is my second Beni Ourain from Morocco - this time I got one with no pattern so it would be more neutral and basic...What do you think of these Ebay redos?
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coffee table redo

When you are broke like I am you have to find crafty projects you can do for little money. This past weekend my goal was to paint my coffee table. I absolutely loved the wicker with chrome base, the size and shape, and the fact that it is a Milo Baughman original that I got for a steal... but the wicker was way too browney orange for my black/gray/coral color scheme. So for two cans of spray paint this:

 

Became this:

 

Yes, it is bold and black and a lot of people have a problem with altering original finishes on vintage or antique pieces. I don't. I say no matter how much it costs or if it was in your great-grandmother's house, if it doesn't work with your style, it isn't worth anything. It's all just stuff, people. I say if you can change something to make it work for you and your family, that makes it more valuable and sentimental.

Next up this coming weekend: another painting project. This time on canvas!
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eames redux

You guys remember the disgusting old Eames lounger/ottoman I got on ebay...

Seen here on my pink rug with the fabric I planned to put on it - the La Fiorentina I have been obsessed with for years! I have used this fabric in three projects lately - it is the perfect neutral graphic. Look what it did to my lounger!

Do you love it?? I am so happy with how it turned out. I really love changing up a classic piece that people are so used to seeing in leather. It is so different looking, and it makes me happy!
Happy weekend!
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Ebay finds

I have been an Ebay fool lately. In the past two weeks I have bought so many things to recover or refinish:

Lounger and Ottoman will be recovered in lavender wooly fabric

Love this red/pink Turkish rug

Of course I can't wait to recover this baby

Got this vintage flokati for myself....

And a watermelon pink one for my bestie! And I picked up this Satomi Kawakita ring just for funsies...

Have you scored any great finds on Ebay lately?
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i won it

oh yeah - so I popped in at the last ten seconds and scored this sectional on Ebay - sorry if you were bidding and I scooped you! My most important tip for Ebay is never bid until the last 30 seconds, so people don't even know you are watching the item. Then when you do bid, make sure it is your ABSOLUTE highest amount, so even if they bid again you are comfortable with what you put and don't have any regrets!
Can't wait to recover this beauty!
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sherbert sofas

My mom was a caterer/restauranteur/most excellent birthday cake maker when I was a kid and my request for my birthday every year was a rainbow sherbert ice cream cake like this one:

Yummy! So how about sherbert interiors? Although I had some pretty bold colors including blue and pink and yellow in the Bachelorette Pad I did, I have never gone full-out pastel. My teenage bedroom was lavender and I have just avoided it ever since. But now it seems so fresh and clean and feminine. I bought a sofa on Ebay today and I am going to recover it lavender! Can't wait to share it with you. Until then, be inspired by these rainbow sherbert sofas...which is your fave?
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green monster revealed

Drumroll please.... I am so excited to show you the ugly duckling I got on Ebay for $400 - affectionately known as The Green Monster:

Revealed as a beautiful swan!

Sofas are a very personal thing. Everyone has their preferences. After five years running a furniture showroom and after going through four sofas in as many years, I finally know mine. I hate separate seat cushions because someone always has to sit in a crack, and I like to lay down on my sofa. So I had a bench seat made for this piece. No cracks. I also hate to fluff down cushions or loose back cushions, when they get squished down. This piece has a tight, tufted back, so it will never look squishy, and I had the bench seat done in foam with a dacron wrap - no feathers. Also, I like a cleaner, flat seam on the seat, not a cord (which gets worn through faster than your fabric will) so I asked for topstitching on the seat cushion and a mini welt to cover the tack lines. If you do ask for welt, have it applied on the bias, which makes it stronger. I had the skirt removed for a more mid-century modern look, and I had the sofa covered in an outdoor fabric with a linen weave. It looks like high end linen, but it will not stain. I can unzip the seat cover and wash it, or use a stain pen or brush to clean it!

So I am still going to have some box cushions made for the inside arms, but I wanted to show you the sofa today! What do you think?
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Ebay Score!

Well, I told you I had an amazing find in the works and here it is - my latest score on Ebay. These Curtis Jere brass table lamps!

I am so happy right now! They are signed and dated by Curtis Jere on the bottom. They were made in 1976 (the year I was born - I am a bicentennial baby), and they are so glam and shiny and sexy! They will replace the cream plaster bedside lamps I have currently. I am so into 70's glam, and I have never seen a pair of these for less than 4k! This pair on 1st Dibzies (below) is offered for 8k!

Now, my pair is not in perfect condition - I will re-plate them as I can afford it. But I have never shied away from restoring beautiful things, and these are collector's items that will continue to go up in value. So happy on this hump day! Have you made a great online score lately?
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Non- Buyer's remorse

You know how some people have buyer's remorse immediately after purchasing something? They get caught up in the heat of the moment, the excitement of the auction perhaps, and then slap their forehead and think, "What did I DO?!"
Well, I am like that with things I DON'T purchase, or don't win in auctions. You know I am the Ebay queen, and often find delicious goodies on there that others don't recognize as valuable and wonderful, and sometimes I just don't have the money to buy it at that moment. Sometimes there are other sharks out there who recognize it's worth as well, and outbid me. I always regret it when I don't push my $ envelope a little bit to make the big score.
This happened recently when a young lady in upstate Louisiana had one of these Sciolari chandeliers.

Tides South Beach - Kelly Wearstler

 She had no idea who the designer was (Sciolari), or what the value of the chandelier was ($2k - $4k in that size). She was offering it for $80 bucks! Unfortunately I only had about $300 to play with that day and someone swooped in during the last 5 seconds to push it over $500. There were several of us who noticed that she had no idea what she had in her garage.
I sure do wish I had won that chandelier. But anyhoo, I am also the queen of finding cheaper knockoffs. This Vertigo chandelier comes in three different sizes and two colors. However, nothing beats the original and I hate the way the spirals are connected.

I have a very exciting find in the works right now and hope to be able to share it at the end of the week. Stay tuned! And if you want me to find you a knockoff of anything - send me a comment or email. It is sort of my hobby!
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The Green Monster

My idea of happiness is finding something that everyone else thinks is a piece of garbage and turning it into something gorgeous. I got the green sofa I have been eyeing all weekend! Sure, it's covered in mold and stains, and has several major rips and tears in the fabric. I am quite sure it smells like the inside of a toilet, as well. I am grateful it looks so bad, because that scared everyone else away and all I saw were the beautiful bones. This butterfly-arm chesterfield style is a rarity, and there is no higher quality wood frame than the ones on old vintage pieces. Covered in linen with one long bench seat it is going to be a beauty! I can't wait to show you the finished product..but for now, marvel at the hideousness. :)
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P.S. If you haven't signed up for the pillow giveaway, do it now! Winner announced friday...