diamond in the rough

Isn't she a beauty? She gleams, just like the hidden treasure she is. So where did I find this leather couch to which I am assigning all of these jewel-like attributes? Craigslist.

Craigslist can be overwhelming and a waste of time, but it can also be amazing. Let me give you the history behind the couch, and you will see what I mean. I've been looking on and off for a new couch for a while. I don't want to spend a lot of money on a new one because I know that having young children isn't good for the life span of furniture. That's why I've been checking Craigslist. I've been hoping to find a good deal on a used couch, but I saw that it was like looking for a needle in a haystack: junk is everywhere. But on Monday I saw an add that caught my eye. The couch looked kind of terrible, but I loved the shape. I thought, maybe it's just a really bad picture and the couch isn't as banged up as it looks. So I wrote the guy and asked. I told him I really wasn't interested in driving to where he was, 45 minutes away, if it wasn't in good condition. I also asked if he could tell me how old it was and where he got it. He had to do a little research because he had bought it from a friend, but he found out it was 2 years old from William Sonoma Home.

Honestly, I didn't even know William Sonoma had a Home section. I had never seen there stuff or been to their website, so I checked it out. Then I fell out of my seat. Their leather couches run anywhere from $5,000-$6,000! I didn't even know couches came that expensive =). But evidently they do, and this guy was telling me he had one sitting in his garage, collecting dust.

So we jumped in my parents' mini-van and headed over to see it in person. Nathan gave me the speech about keeping my game face on so that we could see if he would take less. I gave him all of my assurances about keeping the enthusiasm down, trying not to look sold on it immediately, etc, etc. And then we pulled in, I saw that it was perfect and beautiful and exactly what I was looking for, and I could wait all of 60 seconds before blurting out, "I love it! Let's get it!" I don't think that's exactly what Nathan had in mind when he had told me about that game face, but I could hardly help it. I kept thinking he was going to change his mind. So we threw bartering out the window, bought the couch, just barely fit it in the van, and headed back.

I got the first little prick in my bubble when my dad helped Nathan get it out of the van and he told him it smelled like smoke. Nathan and I have had terrible sinus trouble for the past week, and consequently, we can't smell a thing. So that explains why the couch is currently sitting in our garage. It's fumugating.

I'm really not discouraged. I have every hope that we can get the smell out with a little work and time. So far, I have saturated all non-leather parts with Febreeze, rubbed the leather with a special leather cleaner, and opened the garage during the day for the breeze to help it air out. Any other suggestions? I'd love to hear them, because I am eagerly looking forward to the day (hopefully soon) when the couch makes its residence inside the living room!