Furniture Rescue

We allll know how much I love a challenge, but I love a challenge even more when it makes you think.  Emily Henderson (who I've gushed about before) issued a challenge/contest/request for instagram pictures-

"What piece of furniture would you save from a fire?"

Of course I just HAD to throw my hat into the ring.  I'm always so indecisive, so it's lucky that Emily's allowing multiple entries.  Here goes!

I'm sure that once my secretary desk is done, it'll be on the top of this list, however, since it's current state is still in shambles, it's not quite the prized possession yet.

Once Clark is done, this desk is priority numero uno!

But what would I save from a fire?  Can I save my future sofa?

In fact, can I set my current couch on fire so I can get my future couch? .......probably not a good idea.....

Seriously, though, back to the challenge-

The first piece of furniture that I'd save is probably my $30 vintage Craigslist settee.  Although it's a newer purchase, I don't think I could have imagined a better piece of furniture for my office.  I adore the tufting and the unique color (and the price I got it for!)and my furry roommates love it too, which makes it even better.  Although I got it in lieu of spending the money to reupholster our other vintage settee which has been living in the basement, I think both with be sticking around for a very long time.

The second piece of furniture that I'd save in a fire is our red antique chair.  This we adopted (along with its matching settee that needs reupholstering mentioned above), when a friend's aunt passed away.  The set had been in our friend's family for as long as he could remember and he was really pleased when Hubby and I gave them a good home.  Although Hubby's not as enamored with the Craigslist settee as I am, this red chair is one I'm sure he'd be saving in a fire too and it's so rare that we agree on design pieces!

With my estate sale/tag sale fixation, it's a wonder that my furniture list isn't longer.  I have several pieces awaiting rescue/refinishing in the dungeon basement that I'm sure will move swiftly up the list when done, but until then, I don't have a ton of prized pieces.  Space is limited in this tiny house, so I usually find myself taking home smaller pieces when I go treasure hunting.

What furniture would you rescue in a fire (assuming that strength is no issue and you can throw any piece over your shoulder)?

future sofa image via Circle Furniture

Clark: Week 9

It's just craziness in the Boston area today and this week.  Hubby's currently home from work until the city gets out of lockdown.  I really hope this gets resolved quickly and no more innocent people get hurt.

Monday was not a great day out at Clark- every time I turned around, I discovered an issue that added to my costs.  Obviously, my bad day was swiftly put into perspective when I heard about the Marathon.  I'm really speechless about the whole thing, so I'm just going to go on with today's update.  #bostonstrong

If you’re new to my weekly progress posts, Clark is my first ever flip house (named for the street that he’s on).  Check out my previous posts here.

The kitchen is one step closer to being done- we have granite countertops!

The first issue I ran into Monday was actually the sink.  It's a fine sink- just not the sink I thought I was getting.  It was included with the countertops, but I was expecting more of a standard rectangular single-bowl sink.  Since it wasn't what I expected, I needed a single hole faucet offset and could not use the faucet that I had previously ordered.  (insert sad trombone here) I was assured by the granite company owner that this is the most popular sink style in granite countertops currently, but it's new to me.  I'm over it now though- the kitchen looks nice, the countertops are gorgeous, the new faucet looks great.  Once I get the dishwasher and sink plumbed they'll be good to go.

I'm hoping to get started on the tile backsplash today- it's one of the few larger tasks still on my To Do list.

The opening between the living room and kitchen got a finished ledge.  The ledge is a new piece I purchased, but I reused the trim from another area in the house.  (This pic should help orient a bit- the door on the right is the front door into the living room)

The living room also finally got a bit of attention this week.  The trim and ceiling got painted and the wall paint got started.  It'll be a nice creamy color called Canvas.

The ceiling went from dingy to crisp white, although it still needs a second coat.

I actually love this ceiling.  It's the only textured ceiling in the house and it's in perfect condition.  I love the character it adds without being overwhelming.

The other HUGE thing this week is the bathroom!  The paneling and trim is up and painted, a new low-flow dual flush toilet is installed, the sink is partially reinstalled, the door has been trimmed down to accommodate the new tile floor, and there is a new ceiling vent fan.  Phew, that was a lot of work!

I was hoping to be able to open up the recess for the medicine cabinet to install a slightly larger one, but that was another speedbump this week.  I'll be reusing/revamping the existing medicine cabinet instead (I'll be showing how in a separate post)

Moving outside, I haven't done any landscaping YET but it'll mainly be cleanup and a lot of mulch.  I may decide to steal this guy for my own house.  (Is it stealing if you take it from one house you own to another?)

One of the other issues that I ran into Monday was the side porch.  I knew it needed a few repairs, but as I checked it out after getting pressure washed and sanded by the painters, it needed more repairs that I had anticipated.  Luckily my contractor is coming to the rescue and is going to be repairing it this weekend before the house gets painted (and also luckily for a very reasonable cost).

In my last post, you saw my instagram shot of the driveway in progress.  I don't think I ever showed you how terrible the before driveway actually was.  The bump-up in the center was probably as high as a foot- my car bottomed out every time I went into the garage.  This needed to happen for resale purposes- it's the first thing that people will see when they come to the house.

Ahhhhhhhh.  A nice, level driveway with no bumps or cracks.

This week I also:

• trimmed down several closet doors for extra clearance over the new wood floors
• squared up the side screen door so that it closes properly
• finished installing floor trim in the kitchen
• got new mirrors cut for the old medicine cabinet
• organized a lot of the mess- now there's a reuse pile, a donate pile, recycle pile, etc.

Our plan is to list Clark a week from Monday (insert panic here) and I have a LOT of work to do before then!  Hopefully the weather will cooperate and the house will get painted early next week and we can get new gutters installed.  I need to be a painting fiend so I can crank out the painting of the 3 bedrooms (including ceilings, trim and walls).  I can't wait to take completed pictures and share the total before and after with you.  I'm a sucker for before and after comparisons and Clark's transformation has been huge.  With that said, I'm off to tile and paint!

Boston map image via SparrowMercantile on etsy

What's in a Name?

As I'm in the process of re-branding this ol' blog of mine, I decided it was time to unify my social media identities as well.  You used to be able to find me under @vintageviolet30, but alas she is no more. On instagram, you'll now find me under the name YofSerendipity. If you aren't already following me, you're totally missing out on some awesome Clark and project sneak peaks like this:

and this

He's getting sexier by the day!  Seriously, this week's update on Friday is going to blow your socks so far off!

Twitter's also been changed to @YofSerendipity as well- pop by and say hello!  And, although my Facebook link hasn't changed,  you should follow me anyway and we can be besties.

In the near future, I'll be migrating this blog from yearofserendipity.wordpress.com to simply www.yearofserendipity.com.  I hope you'll follow me over there!