Screaming Meme: Give~a~way

I have found a few chairs that I am going to try to incorporate into my home. If they don't make the cut. They will be sold to Craig, you know, the guy with all those lists! ;) I am hoping they work, though. I need chairs to be able to finish a few rooms. I am pretty sure the french chair will be great as a vanity chair or a side chair in my romantic garden inspired boudoir.

French chair {after}: Painted Martha Stewart's Robin's Egg Blue & Valspar's Sugar & Cream and glazed with Briwax Light Brown.

Briwax is a great product to use...painted or wood...On painted pieces, uses as a glaze to age the look of the furniture and to protect it from elements.

The 2 schoolhouse chairs will be tested in my Old Saloon Gameroom. I will mix a few more odd chairs for a laid back Saloon-y feel. I may even paint numbers on the backs for a little more fun and whimsy. I have an antique table that belonged to my mother, when she was a newly wed. She passed away when I was a teenager. I inherited it in 2006 from my Great Uncle. It means so much to have a piece of her furniture. Since, furniture and design is my passion. It hasn't been used in my home, yet. So, I have decided to use it as a game table for family games and my crafting. It is an oak table, I do plan on staining it darker or painting it.

Schoolhouse chairs {after}: Restore A Finish in dark walnut...I bought it at Home Depot.

I am the world's worst about getting before photos. I promise that I will practice learning that one. It is fun to see the before and afters...I have some that are more like "during or after"...lol

The lighter chair is a before and the darker one is the during. I added a few coats of the Restore A Finish to achieve the shade I wanted. I used a lint free cloth to rub it on. Super duper easy!

French chair {during}: I lightly sanded the finish and had already taken the tapestry fabric off and had started painting it. That is Emily (Emme) , our 1 1/2 yr old golden retriever. She and the two other girls, Charlee Girl and Bella, are like our babies... She is a lot of help, can't you tell? ;)

French Chair {during}: Before I added the Briwax to tone down the brightness of the paint. I actually waited a few days for the paint to dry completely.

Xo, Meme

Craigslist is a mysterious place where you can found great treasures...and some not so great...;) I always get a chuckle at some of the things people will put on there...And even some of the categories....Who would try and find love on Craigslist? Well, it is available for free...Who needs E~Harmony or Match.com...when you have Craigslist...Okay, I am being mean...And if you have found true love on Craigslist...Pardon me...;)

I have found some wonderful things on Craigslist...And have sold on there, as well...I have seen some VERY expensive items on there that are ridiculously inexpensive...I think people put things on there when they really need money...Which is a great thing for us stalkers! I wanted to give you some tips you can use when you are dealing with Craigslist....

Screaming Meme's Tricks Of The Trade

Find an item~email the seller with the embedded blue address in the ad...If there is a number on the ad, you may want to call, instead...Wait for the seller to contact you...ask all the Q's you have and see how much they want for it...and then do the ole' Screaming Meme trick...email back and ask for a lower price...Shameless! ;)

Establish a relationship~ No, I am not saying a "relationship", like we discussed above...Please, get your head out of the gutter and work with me here...;) Send a few emails and ask Q's about the item you are interested in...Make sure you get all your Q's answered correctly, so that you are not wasting either of your time... Here are a few Q's I ask for...If the photos are not good, I ask for better ones...with more angles...It saves you BOTH time and gas money... I ask where the furniture has been stored...Outside or in...How long? It is a VERY important Q...Along with has it been in a smoke or pet environment...If so, is there any smells or pet stains {did I mention smells?}?

Payment~cash, Pay Pal, so on...NEVER wire money or use an escrow service....And pay ONLY when you receive your furniture...Duh?

Scams~This is a BIG one for me...I am not one to fell into a rabbit hole, though I do wish I was Alice In Wonderland...I want to be friends with Johnny Depp, I mean the Mad Hatter ;)...He is a good friend to have...And quite funny, which all of you who read my blog know I LOVE funny...;) Okay, back to the SCAMMERS....Read between the lines...if they are being vague about the price, the pick up location, or the item itself...Email them and be direct about what you want and what you are willing to pay and the location you are going to pick up the item...And remember they may be being vague because they are feeling you out...If they don't get back to you or are still acting flaky, I think it is best to cut that one loose...Walk away...That simple...Your time and your life for that matter is more important than a fab deal, anyday...ALWAYS go with your gut...And if you are going to look or pick up an item...PLEASE, don't go alone... If you find a scam on Craigslist, please flag it...All you have to do is push the flag link on the right of the page...BUT, don't get all flag happy and flag everything you see...Flag with care, as they say on CL...;)

Get their digits~email is one way...but I like to hear a voice on the other end of the line...I actually bought, I mean adopted Emily, our Golden Retriever, on CL...{I hate to refer to buying a pet...They are family...Adopt is so much better, don't you think?} I got her digits before taking my very strong, tall and handsome 18 yr. old along for the ride to pick her up...Just in case, someone wanted to steal me...I mean I am a piece of work...Or that is what people tell me {Is that an insult?} Who wouldn't want to steal a Screaming Meme?

Buddy System~ As I said earlier...bring a friend along to be with you...If you can't find a friend {or have no friends :0}...Bring a cell phone along for the ride...Call someone as you are arriving to let them know you are going in...Give them the addy and how long you think the deal will take {I'm starting to get paranoid...am I freaking you out? lol Safety first...there is only one you} And have them call you or you call them...Or have them stay on the phone...I always let the seller know I am bringing a friend along...Remember you are working with cash a lot of times...don't be afraid to say NO! If you don't want to go down in the dungeon or basement...Have them bring it up...For pete's sake... {I have always wondered who Pete was anyway...} Most of the time if it is a small or light item...they can bring it out...I am a scaredy cat...BUT, obviously not scared enough to stop thrifting and dumpster diving!!! lol

Tips {You probably didn't think of}~*search other words that describe what you are looking for...everyone calls something differently from the next...*search misspelled words...People misspell common words and don't check their misspelling before posting an ad...Which is great for us because less traffic to that post...hehe! *Check the free stuff under "For Sale" or search for "Curb Alerts"....That is for all my Dumpster Diving Divas out there! I got your backs! ;) *Bartering...Think about bartering on there...though I have never done it...it sounds interesting....

Here is my lampshade that I will be selling along with a few other decorating and furniture items on CL in the next few weeks...It is a lampshade that I had purchased at a high end boutique shop in Fredericksberg, TX...I am moving the lamp to a new area in my home and the lampshade unfortunately will not work...It is made from Burberry fabric and a fun mix of materials...If you are interested in purchasing it...email me @ screamingmemedesigns@gmail.com ...It measures 12 in. by 10 in. at the bottom and 6 in. by 4 in. at the top...I am asking $30.00 plus shipping...I work through Paypal...I will also be selling a PB style full size black cottage bed for a kid(boy or girl)/teen room and a PB style full size metal kid(boy)/teen headboard (very cool) with matching dresser and side table...A Walnut coffee and end table....Along with a few other furniture and decor pieces...If you are in the Houston area...You can pick it up...

Those are some of the best tricks I have got...Do you have any to add to the list? It is always important to be safe in anything we do...We have family's who need us and lifes to enrich...When you are out in the public...whether going to look at a piece of furniture on CL or going shopping at your local mall...Be aware of your surroundings and always think before you act...I want all my followers to stay followers...this post is to make you more aware...

If you have not heard about SCREAMING MEME'S BIGGEST GIVEAWAY...Please make sure you scroll down below and check it out...It is a giveaway that I hold close to my heart...Screaming Meme is a very important part of who I am...so, I am giving a piece of that away...And finding a special person to give it to is soo fun! You all are making it very hard! I have had some great emails, ladies...I think all of you are amazing and very talented women...Thank you for coming into my Screaming Meme life...I love this blog... I think that my life has been enriched because of "her"...I meet women that inspire me to be the best woman I can be...and I get to be myself in the process...Before I start sounding like a beauty queen contestant, I shall stop...lol