Lighting...Part 1

Ok, so you did not have to wait too long for the next posting. I am anxious to share with you the STEAL OF THE CENTURY.

Let's begin with some background information. I was meeting some coworkers in Geneva for a Saturday get together. On the way, I wanted to stop at this furniture thrift store. I will not mention the name right now, due to the deal that I got. I have really wanted to visit this store for quite some time. As I perused the merchandise I was not terribly impressed...until I saw the STEAL OF THE CENTURY. Well, of course I did not know at the time that it would become the STEAL OF THE CENTURY.

I saw this sitting in the back waiting to be added to the merchandise. A Nelson Saucer Pendant Lamp size large!



I asked Josh to ask the clerk if it was for sale. I have a fear of approaching people and asking questions...usually only when I am with other people who I know will talk to strangers for me. Weirdo, I know. Any way, as we were waiting for the manager to come and speak with us. We were discussing the price. How low would we go? How high would we go. I knew that a Nelson Saucer Pendant Lamp in size large was in the $400s from Design Within Reach. We discussed as we waited. I reminded him that we needed to play dumb if questions arose. We did not have to, the manager did all of the talking. Of course we could purchase the lamp. It was brought in the day before. He told us that it looked like an item that may have been in the New York World's Fair...not sure about that reference. Perhaps he meant futuristic? Regardless of this...we were still waiting for the price. He said that he could sell it to us for...I was ready to negotiate...$20! I immediately said that I would like it. We paid for the light, and quickly ran out of the store before they knew what had just happened.

And so the light sat in my house for a few months. The only problem with the lamp was that it lacked any of the internal lighting hardware. I asked around for advice as to how I could replace it. Finally, I contacted Modernica, and they sold me the internal parts. With shipping, it came to $95. Total cost of a Nelson Saucer Pendant Lamp size large...$115.

Well, handy father visited and the first thing that I wanted him to do was hang my treasure. And now it hangs in my living room. I promise you that I smile every time I see it. *Smile*. And that is how the STEAL OF THE CENTURY came to be.

Oh, and pay attention, if you will, to the color of the living room. I am revealing it now.

Living Room

With summer approaching, I got the itch to begin painting rooms in my house. To remind you, I have been living here for about two years. I have been living in a beige world. The entire house is beige, and I cannot handle it any longer. When I look at beige, even in little doses I become a bit angry. Colors were chosen and narrowed down. It was decided that Chinchilla by Martha Stewart Living would be the living room color (second from the left).



I would also like to let you in on a dirty secret. I hate painting. I painted the inside of a very small closet, and it was one of the most painful things that I have ever done! So, to take on a room of this size was a bit crazy for me. Nonetheless, I gathered my supplies and began painting.

Let me remind you of what the room looked like before:



Oh look, beige walls and beige carpet.

And here are some photographs of in progress.









So, it took me about a week off and on to paint. The finished room, in my opinion is exactly what I was hoping. I will offer the reveal photograph in the lighting posting that will follow. Please come back.

Spring 2011

I was reviewing my posts and forgot about Spring. Spring was not as eventful as the other months, but still worth sharing.

I went to New York over my Spring Break. Josh was art directing some photo shoots for Eyefly...a branch of Bluefly. I went along.



I included the above photograph to make a connection to the following photograph. As I was walking through the Meat Packing District, I ran into one of the photo shoots.



There I am in the background. I fear that they did not do anything with the photograph, but there I am!

As I explored the city I saw these at Anthropologie. I hope to attempt to make one of them.



It also happened during this season that I became obsessed with ferns. I am now the owner of at least six indoor ferns and countless outdoor ferns. Sick.



I also received one of my favorite birthday presents ever...a gold sheaf of wheat table. I am in love with this table.





It became a Craigslist find (thanks Josh) that quickly turned into a eBay bid. Why list an item in both places? I won the bid and now it is mine. I found some matching candlestick sconces at the Vintage Bazaar that I will share when I discuss my house paintings.

So, because of this table I needed to incorporate more brass and gold into my house. I received this great giraffe from Kori.



Next, Maura introduced me to Savers. We made a trip over their one afternoon and found a few treasures.







I also started planning what the patio would look like for the summer season. I found these at Ikea.



We became more involved in the neighborhood. We participated in a neighborhood street clean up. I must admit that it was fun. We met quite a few people. It is not Wisteria Lane, but maybe one day. I want to take more of an active role, so I am in charge of organizing the Monticello Block Yard Sale that will take place in July.

Winter 2010-2011

Not certain where I should start. I think that the winter months inspired me to get back into taking photographs and begin working on house projects. So, here are a few things that I experimented with...

Josh painted a bedroom a shade of navy blue.











I attempted to make pillows over my winter break. Of course I began with the most difficult stretchy fabric ever that resulted in a few sad sad pillows. After this one, I got the hang of it and made a few other pillows in different fabrics.





I did a bit of winter decorating. I know...festive. I sought out inspiration from Eddie Ross and his corny Kmart decorating internet commercials.











My parents came and my father installed the much anticipated fireplace...which I love.







Seeing him work on this made me ponder removing the carpet. So...







Underneath the carpet was hardwood; however, as you can see it was not cared for. Additionally, apparently in the 50s or 60s, to save money only the perimeter was stained and a rug was placed over the unstained parts. If it worked for them, it would work for me as well. I followed suit.



After I conquered the living room, I began on the dining room.







Oh, and we had some major snow that resulted in a few snow days from school and play!



I also became addicted to all flavors of Synergy Kombucha. The problem is that they are only available at Whole Foods.



Well, that ends the postings of the seasons. I have many more photographs to share. I am on summer break, so I will post more photographs soon. I went on an obsessive painting spree in my home, so that definitely will be a post that I share next!

The chandelier...

So friends, the lighting that was in the house when it was purchased was a bit horrendous. It looked like this:

I sold this, by the way, on Craigslist.

My thoughts had been back and forth about how to deal with the eye sore. Should I paint it? Should I replace the glass? Should I try round bulbs? What to do? I even decorated it for Christmas.

As I was on one of my favorite sites, I came across this posting. In the posting Morgan described her successful run at creating the chandelier.

I thought to myself, I am certain that my father could do this for me. Here are a few photos from that journey:

It turned out perfect. A few glitches here and there, which are to be expected. I was afraid in the beginning that it wouldn't produce enough light, but I was wrong. It is sufficiently bright. Well, enough of waiting. Here are the finished photographs. I tried to take it from a few angles as it looks differently from each side.





I do need to add some photographs from Winter 2010 still. I also got a George Nelson Saucer light for a ridiculous price. That too is a posting in itself. I am trying to figure out how to replace the hardware for that. Once I do, I will post! Take care.