Welcome to the New Oak For Less Furniture Blog!

Welcome to the New Oak For Less Furniture Blog.

This Blog is now under some fresh new management - the Furniture Jedi is here to make sure that The Force is with this Blog!

Come here often to check out postings about our furniture, where you will learn about styles, construction, features, and care.

This blog will also feature home projects such as organization and decorating, questions and answers, as well as some of our favorite things that we would like to share with you - whether it is healthy favorite recipes, natural cleaning, posts about pets, even hobbies and crafts...and maybe even a little Star Wars or Star Trek fun thrown in! (This is what you get when you have a family-run business and not a big-box store.)  ;)

Subscribers or followers of the blog will also be notified of special sales, promotions, or featured items.  So be one of the first to know and let your friends know that you saw it here on the Oak For Less Furniture Blog.

Next week we will start a discussion on furniture styles to give our readers insight on some of the various styles of furniture, which we feature in our stores that will complement their homes.

Read this blog, you should.

~The Furniture Jedi

Meet Mama K!

Let me introduce a very special lady to you....Mama K!

A few years ago, we found Mama K late one evening running wild in the parking lot of our Mesa store.  She seemed very young, a gorgeous Siamese maybe only about a year old, but had 2 tiny kittens with her.  They were clearly feral, living in the bushes, but we couldn't imagine leaving them out there so I researched online and called some local no-kill animal shelters, but guess what?  Nobody was willing to accept them...NOBODY.  I tried explaining that two of the 3 cats were teeny tiny kittens but every answer I got was that they were considered 'feral' and therefore 'unadoptable.'

Really?  Unadoptable?  I'm sorry, personally I just don't buy that, but that was what each person told me.  Ugh.

The only place I found help at was the Animal Defense League of Arizona.  I was so glad to have found them, but even they said that the cats were considered feral and as such they could only be trapped, neutered/spayed, and then released.  I learned that the Trap-Neuter-Return program is considered a humane and effective method for stabilizing feral cat populations.  They could lend us box traps for free (but a nominal donation was recommended) and the cats must be released after they were 'fixed'. (For more information on their program, you can call their TNR hotline: 602-265-7729 or check out their website at www.adlaz.org.)

So...although the cat and her kittens all were too skittish and we couldn't get near them to catch them, we were able to trap all three in one night, getting them to a vet the next morning (and it was a miracle we did, since all three had to be trapped in separate traps...the vet would not accept even the kittens in the same trap).

At the vets, I was able to pay a discounted spay/neuter fee because I was doing this through the ADLA, but I paid extra to get them vaccinated as well as spayed/neutered, since although they would have to be released, at least they would have some protection.  Also, as part of the program, the left ear is 'tipped' (the tip clipped off...which made me cringe), but the vet said that it is a universal way to identify a sterilized feral cat.  Okay...

The kittens...we dubbed them "Sarah" and "Chuck".

Yes, we're softies....and I wished we could take them home from the start but we already had 2 rescue cats at home and we just couldn't handle 3 more.  And as you can see from the photo above, Sarah and Chuck's left-tipped ears are barely noticeable! :)

Well, after a bit of a rocky start on the street, everything turned out well for Mama K...it has been a few years and she still lives at our store.  Her kittens were adorable and quickly found forever homes.  From being a wild don't-touch-me feral cat, Mama K now allows us to pet her, and even permits Michael to brush her coat so she looks like the pretty lady she is.  She is even cared for on the days our store is closed!  Mama K is now our unofficial mascot (though she's still a bit skittish around customers).  So, come by our Mesa store and if you see her, give a friendly hello to Mama K!  She is our special little lady!

Now is the Time to Grab a Bargain!

Doesn't everyone love a bargain?  We know you do!  That is why we have put some great items on special sale on our Clearance page!

So, some of you may wonder - what kind of items go on Clearance?  Are these "Scratch & Dent" items?  Are these old and shabby?  Not at all!

These items can be many things!  Sometimes they are last-ones that were discontinued by the manufacturer where we cannot get any more, or extra items that we have multiples of, or perhaps something that we ordered in error (gah - would I really order something by mistake? um, yeah...*headdesk*) ;)

We've even made some videos showcasing some of these little gems and have posted them on YouTube and also our Facebook page!  We had fun making them.  Here are a couple of the items we are featuring at the Mesa store.  Check them out!  We'll be posting more videos this weekend!

These items are offered way below our discount prices - sometimes just above their cost - they are priced to move - so take advantage of these great values and grab these bargains while they're available!

What's Your Style?

When you are looking for furniture, the salesperson will often ask you, "What style furniture are you looking for?"  At our store, we feature a few different styles.  I thought it might be helpful to point them out and that way, you'll have a better idea what to say if a salesperson asks you that question in the future!

Contemporary or Modern Style:
This style is characterized by rounded edges.  Usually there is no hardware on the doors or drawers, just a slot-style cut-out for the fingers to pull open the drawer or door.  Sometimes you will find round wood knobs, but not always.  The lines on Contemporary or Modern style furniture are rounded, clean, and smooth.  No sharp corners.  No fancy trim.  See the pictures below for Contemporary or Modern style examples.

Traditional style:
Traditional style is characterized by classic-style trim.  There may be crown molding, dentil molding (looks like little squares...or teeth, hence the name 'dentil'), or other types of trim that give the furniture that classic appeal.  Traditional style furniture can also have wrapped moldings - where the trim is not only across the front, but it extends around the sides of the piece, such as can be found on TV stands, desks, or dressers.  It can also be found with flush sides - where the trim is only across the front.  This is handy for bookcases, where they will be set directly next to each other, or a TV stand that fits between entertainment piers.  That way, with flush sides, the pieces can be snugged right up to each other.  See the pictures below for Traditional style examples (these examples all have wrapped moldings).

Mission style:
Also known as Arts & Crafts style, Mission style furniture has enjoyed immense popularity over the years.  Comprised of mostly straight lines, this style is clean and elegant.  Craftsmen such as Gustav Stickley popularized it in the early 1900s and desire for its understated beauty has not diminished.  Although it is often seen in a reddish brown "Cherry" stain, many manufacturers offer other finish colors that also look beautiful in this style.  See the pictures below for examples of Mission style.

Rustic style:
The Rustic style is one characterized by a distressed finish, where wood rasps have roughed spots on edges, nail holes are made in the surface, all to make the appearance of being worn and aged over the years.  Rustic furniture can also incorporate the use of stonework, such as natural slate inlays, to enhance its charm.  It is a particularly popular style for cabins or homes in the Southwest.  See the pictures below for Rustic style examples.

Besides these 4 styles - Contemporary, Traditional, Mission, or Rustic - there are other furniture styles, but these are the basics.  They will help you identify what you have or what you like and hopefully help you in your search for furniture which complements your style.

Thanks for reading!  Have a great week!  :-)

Quick Gourmet Chicken Salad to Welcome You Back!

It's amazing how time zips by - and suddenly I realize that I have been focused so much on regular life and the store that I let our blog get a bit neglected!  Hmm...a bit embarrassing.  Well, it's time to resurrect our blog!

Although talking about furniture can be interesting, it's not the most interesting thing all the time.  So, in our blog, I will post not only furniture-related posts but I will also post a variety of things - food, crafts, pets - you'll have to wait and see exactly what!

After polishing and buffing this blog back into shiny new-ness, I will start my posts with a recipe I love (well, my family loves it, too!).  I found this originally on Real Mom Kitchen and once I tried it, I never went back to regular chicken salad.  It is that good.  The recipe is Quick Gourmet Chicken Salad.  It lives up to its name since is quick and it tastes gourmet - like you would get at one of those fancy sandwich eateries!  Mmmm...it is so yummy, we've eaten it as a sandwich on small french rolls or even put open-faced on sliced pieces of toasted sourdough.  It is a favorite for lunch or dinner and I am sure you'll love it too!  I put my substitutions in parentheses in the recipe.

Quick Gourmet Chicken Salad

2 (12.5 oz) cans of chicken (or 3 cups diced cooked chicken)
3/4 cup light mayonnaise ( I use Vegenaise)
1 cup red grapes, halved
1 green onion, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
1/2 cup diced apple (I dice 1 whole apple)
salt and pepper to taste
pecans or cashews, optional
bread or lettuce leaves - for serving

Directions:

Drain the chicken (if using canned) and shred.
In a bowl, combine the chicken, mayo, grapes, green onion, celery, apple, salt, and pepper.
Mix together gently with a spoon until well blended (don't smash those grape halves!).
You may need to add more mayo, a spoon at a time, if the mixture isn't sticking together enough.
Serve on rolls, bread, or croissants.
Sprinkle with some cashews or pecans, if desired.
For a lower carb version, it can be served on a lettuce leaf instead of the bread.

Personally, I don't use the nuts on it - I like it as it is.  But some of you may like it!
Do try it and let me know what you think!

~Suzanne
aka Furniture Gal

The Home of the Future

Home life is changing, according to a recent survey of the International Furnishings and Design Association.

They surveyed nearly 2,000 members to find out what trends they expect to see for the American home.  Interestingly, they forecast that formal living and dining rooms will become spaces put to many purposes, from home offices to entertainment areas and media rooms. That makes sense to me - when we moved into our home 6 years ago, we didn't see the need for a formal dining room, since when our family gets together, mostly we center around the kitchen or eat at the everyday dining table (when we're not in front of the tv). ;-) A formal dining area would just be space we'd rarely use.  And as we all know, space is an in-demand commodity in the home, so my husband and I turned the formal dining area into a game/entertainment/workout area - the room is put to great use and we've been very happy, not missing a formal dining area at all.

The survey also indicated that designers see furniture becoming more multi-purpose, with modular and moveable furniture being more popular than large or built-in pieces.  Buying furniture that is multi-purpose can be money-saving, and in this economy, that's a plus.

They also pointed out that nearly everyone is working at home in some form or another, so having a home office is a necessity.  I can agree.  I can't imagine not having a home office area.  Having a separate area to keep files and use the computer keeps the other areas of the house free from the paper clutter and most times, when I want something, I know where I can find it (even if I didn't remember to file it).  Having a functional desk, a hutch, a couple of files, and some bookcases works for me.  Although, somehow, I still have more books than can fit into the bookcases.  But, that's for another blog.

Just wanted to share the forecast regarding the home trends of the future.  Don't forget to check us out at www.oakforless.com for some furniture options that will complement your home.

Remembering and Reflecting

On this 10th anniversary of the tragic events of September 11, the family of Oak For Less® joins everyone in remembering the lives lost and the heroes that rose up in the midst of those life-altering events.  We pray for comfort for the families and for peace for our world.