It's cold outside, I've got free time... looks like I'm going thrifting!

Now that I'm home and actually have time to do things like a normal person again, I can get back to working on fun furniture projects!  This is pretty exciting.  Also exciting is that at some point in the near (hopefully) future, I will have a new house to decorate and fill with pretty things.  It is taking every ounce of my will power to avoid running out and buying a million rugs and flower pots and awesome things for our new place, but I'm being good.  Once I've signed the closing papers though, the floodgates are flying open.

I made some pretty good Craig's List and flea market finds over the last couple of weeks.  New Mexico is seriously one of the best places to find really cool old stuff for cheap.  Good thing I like the look of rough, old stuff!

I picked up this rug from a guy on Craig's List.  It went a little over the limit I had set for myself to spend on Craig's List items (I always set my CL searches to under $100), but I just couldn't say no.  I love it.  Should look pretty great over a nicely refinished wood floor, eh?

Mom and I came across this chair at the indoor flea market.  It was heavily stripped and the wood was dry and the slats were a little wobbly, but it was only $20.  So I bought it.  I'm currently working on fixing it up and making it look pretty, and Mom is going to help me make a cushioned seat for it.  Pretty excited about this one.  I'll post photos when it's finished.

For some reason I've been a bit obsessed with textiles lately.  I'm constantly searching for cool rugs, blankets, and other assorted woven things.  One of these days, I'm just sure that I'm going to hit the jackpot and find some kind of amazing vintage Pendleton blanket at a thrift store for five dollars.  One day...   Anyway, I found this little guy at the indoor flea market too.  Originally I had planned to use it as upholstery for the seat of my new chair, but then decided that I kind of like just having it hang on the wall.  Not sure what it will end up being used for, but it was worth it for a few bucks.



And finally, the most... interesting... thing I've found at a thrift store, possibly ever, is this piece of art:

I've seen my fair share of really bad and really tacky artwork involving Pueblo pottery designs.  But this takes the cake.  Does somebody want to deconstruct this for me?  I am confused by this on so many levels.  Where is that blue light inside the pot coming from?  What is the white animal supposed to be- a jackrabbit, an antelope?  What the hell is going on here?  What does it mean?  This was too bizarre to pass up, so I bought it.  I gifted it to my friend Sam (a fellow southwestern ceramics person) to hang in his university lab, and then he scanned the image so that others of our ceramicist friends could also enjoy being able to see this wonderful art every day on their office walls.  I'm contemplating the option of having it printed on canvas and hanging it across from my desk at work.  You know, to class up the place.