How to Search Craigslist

Sometimes I feel a little isolated, working from home, but through the years have come to know a lot of kind, talented, and inspiring bloggers that provide a sense of community that most find in an office. I always jump for the chance to collaborate with them on occasion for fun projects like Thrifty Under $50, hosted by Beth of Home Stories from A to Z. Did you see Kim’s beautiful table setting with burlap chargers on Sand and Sisal? Visiting her blog is the next best thing to visiting the beach.

While I don’t frequently find the opportunity to visit thrift stores, I do love a find and think adding something old to your home also adds a lot of character. I often search Craigslist over thrift stores these days because I can target exactly what I want. Today I’m sharing a quick and easy project with you and my tips for finding the right pieces for your home online.

I stumbled across this vanity {which included a stool} at a thrift store for just $30. At the time, I wasn’t sure what I was going to do with it, but with three little girls, I knew I would eventually. I decided to repurpose it as a desk and side table for Ani’s bedroom. Here are the details…

To tailor a piece of wood furniture to the appropriate height:

Measure the height you want (in our case, it was 3′. I referred to children’s desks at my favorite online stores to determine height.)
Using blue painter’s tape, tape the legs where you measured to prevent splintering/chips. (You should be cutting through the tape later)
Remeasure & mark your height drawing a level line, on the tape.
Using a circular saw, slowly cut along the line. Remove tape.

To give a piece of furniture a long lasting finish:

Use liquid sander deglosser, saving an abundance of time and energy to help new paint adhere to old varnish or paint without sanding.
Prime.
Paint. {I used my favorite white paint color for furniture.}

Ani loves her new desk and it was not only simple, but about $600 less than similar versions.

Are you looking for furniture, art, and rugs for your home? These are my tips to help you search craigslist with success:

Start your search with something specific, you can always make it more broad later.
Use gallery to quickly scan the search results. You will quickly discover if you need to adjust your search or find exactly what you’re seeking.
Didn’t find what you’re looking for? Save your search.
Enable alerts to receive an email when something new that fits your search becomes available. I love using this feature when seeking specific furniture {i.e.: bow front dresser or Jenny Lind twin bed}