For those that don’t know me, you might assume I’m on some kind of controlled substance. Not so! I just got some new lights and it makes me want to dance a little jig.
Check out these gorgeous crystal morsels given to me as birthday gifts by my parents, mother-in-law, grandmother-in-law and husband. It’s all I can do not to just stand in the hallway and gaze at them. I loved them last year when a decorator friend suggested they might be just the thing for our 1930′s Cape Cod home. And now that I see them installed, well, it’s love all over again. Sigh. Let me know what you think in the comments!
This one is in our downstairs hallway. See how the crystals make patterns all over our original textured plaster walls?
I had to get a close-up of the downstairs one. See how it has some extra little droplets of crystal around the sides? The upstairs one doesn’t have that extra little touch but I thought the formality of it was too good to pass up.
And then here’s the one at the top of the stairs that’s hung on just plain old drywall ceiling. A little smaller than the first one. Still gorgeous.
I love these in our hallways. These spaces instantly feel more special – especially when considered against the builder-grade flush mount that was downstairs and the pink (yes, pink), mini (yes, mini) ceiling fan with light kit that was upstairs. But I do think they would be gorgeous in a bedroom or entry way too. We thought they were a good investment because they could be used in so many different places in our home when it one day gets renovated or expanded.
We found these for substantial discount over local lighting galleries on lightingcatalog.com. I really do try to support local companies and retailers whenever I can but sometimes when the price differential is substantial, I gotta go with the online. I found my husband online for heaven’s sake; sometimes online is the ticket. Send me an email (look to the right under stay connected) if you want specifics on theses fixtures.
I have at least 3 more projects that would be easy for anyone to replicate so I’ll be posting heavily through the rest of this week and weekend. Be sure to check back for more stolen ideas!
Big find, y’all, big find. If you know what’s good for you, you’ll read on.
I’ve had a slow burn of an obsession to do something with the “antique” chandelier in our breakfast room. Here she is. What a beaut.
I think this little room is adorable (the built-in china cabinet practically sold me on our house) and merits equally adorable lighting. But I’ve quickly learned that adorable lighting will break the bank faster than you can say “honey, the light bulb needs changing!” Since I hope that one day we’ll renovate our house and expand our kitchen into that space, I don’t want to spend a bunch of money. After seeing a couple of these hanging in my friend Eleanor’s house, I thought to myself that a drum shade pendant would absolutely do the trick. Here is one of Eleanor’s shades:
I mean it’s a shade and a wire, it can’t be that expensive, right?? WRONG. Those suckers can be pricey! Well, I should say that most drum shade pendants with any measure of style can be pricey. Like $200ish. And that price is definitely true of those with substantial size. I’m trying to make a statement here, folks, not any drum shade pendant will do.
So just when I was about to throw in the towel on this quest and put a coat of paint on my “treasured antique” just so I don’t cringe every time I look at it, I came across this little gem:
It may not look like much to you but to me it is a world of possibilities. May I introduce you to the Shade Pendant Hardware Kit from ShadesofLight.com. For a whopping $45, you can convert any standard shade with a washer ring adapter into a hanging fixture. Yes that’s right, any standard shade.
Let the shopping begin! There are some cuties on the ShadeofLight website that I’m mulling over …
16″ Geometric Textured Fabric Drum Shade in Aqua for $79 can be found here.
16″ Crewel Fabric Drum Shade in Brown Multi for $119 can be found here. I’m pretty sure Ballard Designs or Pottery Barn was selling a curtain in this same crewel pattern earlier this year. Not that I’d match them but I just think it’s interesting how fabrics can show up in different places like that. Don’t you?
… but before I commit, I’m going to stew on this purchase for a bit. Why? Well for one, that’s what I do. And for another, armed with this new tool in my decorating arsenal I can shop with an all new lens on the world. There is NO TELLING where I might find an inexpensive shade that will be just perfect for my sweet little breakfast room.
This is super exciting and has me on a whole new shopping mission. Best-friend-Eleanor rip off in the making!! Stay tuned!
No sir. I don’t need expensive Pottery Barn decorations to make the outside of my house a winter wonderland! I found myself pretty taken with this exterior shot when the holiday Pottery Barn catalogs started arriving in October.
But there was no way I was paying $79 for a 22″ wreath and $59 for a 60″ garland studded with plastic ornaments. Plus, the greenery is FAKE! I hate fake!
So I got my own REAL pine wreath for $19 at the Boy Scout tree lot near my house and set out on a mission for ornaments suitable for outdoors. An impulse trip into Kirkland’s turned up just the thing I needed. I came home with over 40 red and silver jingle bells in 3 different sizes for $35! And the next day I found the red and white wired ribbon in a gift shop for $3. Here’s the outcome:
I nestled some of the bells in between ornamental cabbages and kale in my front window boxes. REAL, LIVE ornamental cabbages and kale.
I used floral wire to wire bunches of bells into my wreath. And yes, I tied that bow! WOOT! Click here to see the video that helped me make such a gorgeous bow.
So I’m pretty excited with the outcome, if you can’t tell. What could have been $200 at Pottery Barn was $57 (not including the cabbages and kale because in our climate those will last until spring time) and they should be usable year after year.
Pottery Barn rip-off accomplished!
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