Austin Craigslist: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (Also the Just Plain Stupid)

I like Craigslist. A lot. Ok, this much:

See there? That's my bookmarking system, and its wee arteries are clogged with cheap lamps and tables that I cannot possibly squeeze into my home. So I'm just going to go ahead and toss a few gems your way. If you live near Austin, wheeeee! Enjoy some bargains. But first I have some gifts for those of you who live elsewhere -- I'm going to call this selection of junque the Craigslist Razzies. Because this kind of crap annoys the hell out of me.

Gosh, who am I kidding? I am just dying to own this golden console overrun by chubby cherubs, complete with a matching cherub studded silver mirror. Apparently the artist also designed Pope John Paul II's throne. Wow! Bonus! And it's only $4000.

I am something of a spelling nazi, so when I see "rod iron" I want to smash an anvil through my computer screen, because it's wrought iron, people. WROUGHT, as in forged. Also, wtf is a "mirrow?" Only through context have I gleaned that it somehow means mirror to a scarily high percentage of people out there. But "provintial" is a whole new trainwreck.

Sigh. This has been posted for months and months and months. Maybe it's because that fabric + that chair = utterly and completely wrong. I feel bad about dissing it because I know that someone actually put effort into this project, but then I feel angry that such a lovely chair was maimed beyond recognition. It kind of makes me want to claw my eyes out.

Ok, this person has highly questionable taste in sofas, which is FINE. Sometimes I like to listen to Moby. We all have our flaws. But when you advertise your fugly crap like it is the shiznit for months on end, and never ever lower the price, well then you, sir, suck. No one is ever ever going to buy that pea green poo for $800, so don't act like you're doing someone a favor by being "willing to part with it, to a good home." I'm sorry, I meant to say: let me just hustle on down to your house so I can submit my application!

Speaking of people who are batshit insane, let me just give you a little background on this sofa -- Crate and Barrel's Petrie. It's a lovely couch, and Karly was thinking about purchasing it new from C&B, so hey, why not try to score it for less on CL? But of course the seller wants $1500, and WILL NOT BUDGE on the price. So, lemme see, that's $100 off of C&B's price for a new sofa that can be ordered in your choice of fabric, will not be covered in someone else's cat hair and popcorn farts, and could be paid for on a credit card.

SCORE!!!

Awww, I have a special place in my heart for this beauty. And I quote, "Carmen electra has the exact same bed, you can see it on cribs. hand forged by famous craftsman, with blue velevet & candle holders go into posts, sweet for setting the mood:)"

So. many. wrong. things. But hey, guess what? It's only $700. The post states it does need cleaning, though.

Yes. I'm quite sure that it does.

Ok, enough with the scary stuff. I'm no SusieQ over at Eye Spy, but from time to time I do find a few goodies. I usually harass Karly with 800 emails enticing her to buy them, but she is highly resistant. It kind of hurts my feelings. I mean bargain goods are like my baby children (no offense to Ike... there's enough love to go around for everyone). Anyway, I hope that someone out there can love these little guys as much as I do.

Teak loveseat and TWO matching chairs for $399. Snatch it up before Room Service does, because as much as I adore them, their entire inventory seems to be coming from Craigslist these days.

Lamps for $10 each. $10 for that gold mid mod eyeball lamp! TEN.

I know it's not for everyone, but I think this sofa is so awesome. Love the tribal print and the wrapped legs. $200, but it's been listed for a while, so offer less.

Pair of Pace tables for $250. Offer less. If I didn't already have that behemoth of a coffee table, or if there were a pair of end tables, these would be MINE.

Sweet little chrome and glass dining table for $50. Offer less.

Lane walnut two tier coffee table for $90. Offer less.

This isn't really my style, but it's pretty insane. Awesome 50's king sized lacquered mahogany bed. It also separates into two twin beds. $550, but yes -- you should offer less.

Ok, that's it for my marathon run through Austin Craigslist. If anyone out there buys any of my finds, let us know and send in a picture of it in its new home, and I'll post it. Nothing would make me happier than to disperse my addiction elsewhere. Because I just can't keep storing stuff in the garage.

The Other Side Of the Rainbow

Ok dearest darling readers, I need you to come sit down so we can have what my buddy Jen calls a little come to Jesus. A couple of years ago I was just a design obsessed web-o-file shamefully perusing the interwebs at night looking for the sexiest modern design had to offer.  I found many blogs I loved and many more that I didn't love but none were completely my style and I thought it would be fun to have a space where I could post a quick pick of whatever I was currently drooling over at that minute.  Fast forward 2 years later and somehow or another I've fallen down a rabbit hole of 20-picture posts and almost daily essays.  This creative outlet is giving me flashbacks of grade-school homework, and who wants to do homework when they could be outside playing on the swing set... or just cruising the web and looking at OTHER blogs.

Don't worry, I'm not leaving you all behind, I love the blog and want to keep it up, but things are going to be a little different around here.  The days of milk and honey are done.  Mostly.  Oh, don't you worry, I'll still have the urge to do a big ole round up from time to time and I'm certainly not speaking for Erin here, but I need to be able to post one or two images that I find truly amazing and inspiring and then (gasp) walk away guilt free.

Aside from the novel above, today is day one.

Earlier this evening (it's monday night right now, btw) I stumbled across Jessica Hische's blog - Jessica is an amazing typeface designer and I encourage any one with an interest in graphics to check out her website post haste - anyhoodle, Jessica just finished teaching a course to illustrators at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia.

Her students were asked to design a book cover for The Wizard of Oz.  Below are my 3 favorites, to see all the works, click here

Grace Kennedy

Poppies!  Poppies!  I just love everything about this cover.  Go ahead, name something about it?  Yes, I love that part.

Sara Wood

I love that Dorothy and the Witch complete each other on this cover, as though they are alternate egos within the same person... do I feel an English lit essay coming on?

Michael Olivo

Ok, I have to admit that I'm not really crazy about the typeface here, although it does fit within the tornado nicely.  However, i do think using the conical shape of the storm to split Dorothy's two worlds was clever clever smartness.

And see, this is how I'm going to be steering this ship from now on.

Naked Male Model!

Every day our inbox is flooded with press releases that may or may not appeal to our, ahem, core values. Well, the good folks at Versace certainly piqued my interest in an email that promised pictures of a naked male model! who employed his enviable talents at Versace's cock-tail party during Milan Design Week. That sounded just dandy. Do you think anything could have stopped my itchy trigger finger from click click clicking the link to download those suckers? Hells no.

Later that evening, Hunny was using my laptop and he spied a file named Naked Male Model!.

BUSTED.

Not that he had a thing to worry about:

Come on, Versace! Aren't you known for scantily clad thong things, and clothing so tight vaseline is an integral part of the dressing process? I've seen more skin on an episode of 7th Heaven. What a disappointment.

But I did get something great out of that email. Check out Versace's Sun Table:

You know you are obsessed with furniture when a table is more exciting than a naked dude lying atop a pile of mattresses. But I would not kick that hottie out of bed for eating crackers. The table, I mean.

And actually, I like a lot of the Versace Home pieces from their Design collection. I am, after all, known for my subtlety.

Kind of awesome, huh? But there's also a lot of this floating around their website:

It just wouldn't be Versace without appealing to the 60+ spray tanned and botoxed crowd.

Apologies for the short post today, but I'm recovering from an action packed week and weekend, and now I've got a friend in town that I need to accompany on some serious dining and shopping expeditions. I promise to check in on all your awesome blogs midweek, and of course I'll be back on Wednesday with an epic rrrrrrrrrroundup.

In the meantime, I hope you all have a naked male model! happy Monday!