All hail Craigslist!

Dearest faceless masses,

For the great many of you who read my blog in order to cyberstalk my pugs, you will be glad to know that they now have not one, but two couches to lounge on. As my home enfurnituration project nears completion, I have been searching for the perfect little loveseat to complete my living room. I searched and searched, visited many furniture shops with my bff while she was here over the holidays (and also backed into a car that was poorly parked behind me whilst doing so, a car that was overlapping my pullout space, and this little accident severely cut back my furniture budget by around 800 dollars. Sweet. But I'm over it. No, really. I am totally over it. G*&da&%ni$!)

I had a specific couch in mind. It couldn't be puffy. It couldn't have cloth on it anywhere. I have a phobia of cloth upholstery and carpet. So it needed to be leather and not puffy. And not 80's style (but I think no-puff requirement covers that).

I searched and searched. I perused craiglslist using a fancy craigslist app for my phone. I've found that you have to be dedicated in order to find things on craigslist. And you need to be ready to buy the item that you find that very day. Be as nice as possible to the people selling, tell them your name and ask theirs. That way they will remember you and be more inclined to get back in touch...etc etc etc. Basically, it boils down to being super sweet and nice and being willing to go and pick up the item ASAP, that is what will help you have craigslist success. That, and constant and eager perusal of ads.

I have had a fantastically good craigslist year. I moved back to Oregon with zero (zero, zero, zero) furniture, besides my jewelers bench and desk and chair for my office. I've found almost all of my furniture on craigslist. My kitchen table, bed frame, mattress (I know some of you might think this is gross, but a queen size tempurpedic mattress doesn't come cheap, even used, and I'm not from NY, so I'm not worried about bedbugs), dresser, couch one and couch two....and I'm not even including all of the stuff I found for my workspace (which I can't help but enumerate here...I love a good deal....rolling cart with cabinet underneath (25$), huge work bench (50$), smaller table (40$), cabinet (35$)) Everything except my bookshelves, a little doorway table (antique store), and the kitchen benches that J and I built came from craigslist. And the pièce de résistance!?!?!:

Ooooooh, cream colored leather couch, I loooove you! You're not perfect! But you're close! And so creamy and stylish! Now I have enough seating for many guests because you so willingly provide a soft down-filled cushiony seat for them! And you were so economically priced! And you fit into the back of my wagon even! This is why I love craigslist.