Let’s play a game….. I spy….
October 26, 2011 in Building and Repurposing
a CARD CATALOG!
…picture me practically jumping out of bed last night when I spotted this guy on Craigslist!
The card catalog was for sale in Springfield, MO, a few hours away, so I emailed my Dad in Branson. Just so happens he was considering heading up to Springfield to look at a Craigslist leaf blower today! Random coincidence… Score!
{Thinking in my head: I really, really, LIKE REALLY want a LARGE card catalog, but maybe this little booger is a stepping stone to the big one? Beggers can’t be choosers. }
BIG THANKS to Poppa Bear for driving to Springfield, MO to check it out! He pointed out a couple things that were tough to see in the photo:
- There are two different kinds of pulls… and two of them are broken. I’ll have to invest a little in new hardware, but I think it will be worth it.
- A couple of the drawers slide in a bit deeper when pushed back in place. This should be easily remedied by adding a small piece to the back of the drawer.
…..aaaand he negotiated for a cheaper price. LOVE IT!
I won’t be able to get my hands on it for a while (we live HOURS apart)…. so for now, I’m left to ponder:
- Sand down / stain a darker shade OR try the Restore-A-Finish products I’ve been reading such great things about?
- Maybe add legs to make a side table? (I love side tables almost as much as I love tote bags)
- Leave it as is? Just scrub it up and replace the hardware?
Decisions decisions! All I know is this girl is pretty pumped right now. I’ll take more pictures to share once I have it in my hands. For now we’ll all just have to make do with the seller’s photo.
OH! And I’m trying to work out a deal on another much larger card catalog-esque piece on Craigslist. It’d be a definite makeover project and I’m really hopeful I’ll be able to share it with you! PLUS – odds are it would end up FOR SALE when I’m done (just in case any of you are near St. Louis, MO). Fingers crossed!
I’d LOVE to hear your thoughts! What do you think I should do with this piece?
~~~~~
and before I leave… random tip time -
If any of you have an iPhone, I have to tell you about my favorite Craigslist app! There are some oddball things, like card catalogs, that I search for on a regular basis. This app allows me to search several markets at once AND even save my searches so the next time I just have to tap the search and let the app do the rest of the work. PLUS – if you want to know right away when something you’re hunting down is posted, it will even send you notifications. BRRRILLLIANT!
What is this app you say? CraigsPro+
I think right now the App store is calling it something long winded… to the tune of “Craigslist + Notifications. CraigsPro+ Craigslist + Photo Wall + Posting + Photo previews” Yeah… seriously… that’s the name. Overkill? Me thinks so. They’re charging $1.99 for the app, but if you love Craigslist hunting like I do, it’s more than worth it!
Here’s the current icon for this gem of an app:
Source: Apple iTunes App Store
Hope you guys love it like I do. Just a helpful tip from one Craigslist addict to another!
Depending on how large it is in real life, I was totally thinking you should add legs to it & make it a side table. That’d be so fun! There was a LARGE beautiful card catalog at one of our local consignment shops recently. It had some weird hardware on it too… anyway, I got all sorts of excited until I looked at the price… $650!!! OMG I really want one, but I can’t pay that much for it! Bummer.
$650! Yowch! I LOVE the big ones, but man oh man they are pricey. Insanely.
I could not begin to give you advice on what to do with it…..except….ENJOY!!! sounds like you’re gonna have a great time! Can’t wait to see!
Thank you! Can’t wait to get my hands on it and get started.
Love it! I have never found anything that swell on Craigslist ! Good for you. I personally would leave the mismatched pulls. Any who it is super.
Smiles, Alice
Oh good thinking Alice! That’s a definite possibility. Maybe I’ll hold off on buying hardware until I get this guy cleaned up and see how the existing looks. Thanks for the suggestion!
Thanks so much for visiting my blog and leaving a comment… cause that’s how I just found you!! And what a great blog you have!! I’m going to follow you! Marcy
Oh thank you Marcy!
What a great find! I have to watch myself & Craigslist…it can be addicting. I don’t have any advice for ya, but I’d sure like to see the end result. =)
Oh I’m addicted in the worst sort of way! I just sold my small pedestal table… I told myself I can’t bring any more furniture IN until something goes out. I love to redo furniture, but I’m going to have to start swapping things in and out of the house… not just in and out of the basement
I have 3 card catalogs. I stored audio tapes in one and have not gotten around to doing anything with other 2. I have had them several years. They are getting harder to find since libraries have gone to computers. I got 2 of them at a school auction the county has most every year. Look for those auctions; they are well worth the trip. Got overhead projecters last auction, so many we gave some away on Freecycle.