Chandeliers belong in kitchens and bathrooms ...

And anywhere else you can sneak one in! A few weeks ago Mr. Nick and I were up at one of our rental properties to turn a unit after a tenant moved out. Of course this always means multiple trips to Home Depot which inevitably leads to me wandering around with stars in my eyes dreaming of the future. Very rarely does my husband humor me as I chatter away about claw foot bathtubs and faucets that look like water pumps but thankfully, for me, he decided to humor me this time.

And I am now the proud owner of the Maria Theresa Hampton Bay 6 light chandelier. And let me tell you, it is gorgeous. Definitely not at all reminiscent of the $99 price tag it carried.

Originally we were just going to put it on our list as an item to come back for but when I started looking in the shelves there were none available for purchase. Then, on a trip to another Home Depot it wasn't even displayed. When chatting with my mother about this she very quickly reminded me of Home Depot's awesome return policy and of the fact that sometimes, when you go back to buy something, it may not be there anymore. So that was enough. Mr. Nick agreed without much of a fuss at all and put the chandelier on order. It took over a week to arrive but now it's here in this teeny tiny box (obviously this is one of those, some assembly required situations). The box actually works out perfect for us though because we're not quite ready. A recent search of three more Home Depot's in the area has only solidified my choice, the chandelier is no longer on display in our area (they even sold someone the sample). So the lesson learned is, when in doubt buy it, you can always return it later.

And I leave you with a couple of ways my mom and I have used chandeliers in our past decorating. Enjoy!

This is my old guest room. The bed, curtains and chandelier came from Ikea. The lamp shade is from Marshalls. The throw is a gift from my best friend (a TJ Maxx purchase) and the framed little prints are greeting cards from Cincinnati, The bed was originally a yellow which caused me to walk right past it but my mom (again!) reminded me that things can be painted. Speaking of painting. She did the treatment on the wall using a mix of regular and metallic paint, a stencil and a plastic bag. She is sooo talented I know! We only had $300 to decorate this room, which is photographing larger than it actually is, so we were pretty happy with it.

A closer look at the painting while Sasha and Fat Pip enjoy a friendly brawl.

This is part of my mom's bathroom ... it's all vintage and I love it.
She lives in a Lindal Cedar Home so everything has the deep rich mahogany trim.

And in case you wanted to see more of her bathroom. Mr. Nick made this fireplace out of MDF. I'll have to do some close-up photos of it when I'm there next ... she LOVES daisies so he worked them into the design pattern.

Snohomish, Washington: Antique lovers paradise?

This weekend my cousin got married up near the Candian border so Mom and I got to combine the wedding with a quick prowl through Snohomish, Washington.

Widely considered the antique capital of the Pacific Northwest those who like antiques will be at home here. Most of the shops are consolidated along the main "drag" where you can walk and sit, eat and sit, and then walk and sit some more. Parking was not a problem. Now keep in mind, we only had a couple hours so my review is based purely on first impressions.

The store fronts are a pretty even mix of antique and antiqued. Shabby chic reigns supreme with many stores mixing in actual antiques with aged materials. Those antiques that we did find were in excellent condition, thoughtfully restored and cared, with a price tag to match (although, according to my mother most things were priced pretty well.)

I ended up purchasing just one thing, in the basement of Antique Warehouse, Inc (where I'm pretty sure the bargains were hiding) for just $35! The dealer wasn't sure what it was (he had been holding it in their warehouse, not feeling like it was good enough to sell, and then just put it on a whim). Our best guess is that it came from the bottom of a bar or table.

We're not sure what it's going to be yet but our wheels are turning. My overall feeling of Snohomish is nice, definitely nice. But I felt like some of the excitement was gone. I enjoy prowling through piles of junk and seeing hidden potential. So for me and my budget, we will stick to salvage yards.

As a side note, cyclists may feel more at home here than antiquers. Snohomish sits alongside the Centenial Bike Trail, a 17-mile trail from Snohomish to Skagit County.

Antique tripod and level: A diamond in the rough

This weekend we made the quick drive North to Tacoma to check out the biggest swap meet in the Pacific Northwest...or at least that's what the website said. We didn't go with high hopes, which is a good thing, since they would have been dashed very quickly.

The swap meet is at the site of the old Starlite drive in movie theater, in fact the big screen is still up in the giant fenced in area. Parking is free and admission is just $1 each.

Inside most of the booths focus on clothes, hats, car radios and used tools. Sprinkled throughout are food stands where we were able to grab a humongous bag of duros doused in hot sauce for just $1.50. The predominant language in the market is Spanish leaving it to feel a lot like the markets we have woven through in the Yucatan and in Nicaragua. Nick tried to get a cheap fitted baseball cap for $3.00 but they didn't have his size...this would have been a similar problem had we decided to spring for the snakeskin and crocodile cowboy boots with matching belt.

We did see a couple of Stihl chansaws, but not well taken care of and not priced all that great. Nick found his almost brand new farm boss on craigslist for just $250 and we saw no deals of that caliber. The tools were also very beat up and mostly mismatched odds and ends.

So, was the trip worth it? Absolutely! (But just barely). In the last row we came across this beauty, an antique level (although it can't be to antique since the level came in a plastic case). I had been looking for one ever since I saw how they can be turned into floor lamps while trowling around an upscale antique store in Seattle. The lamp I found in Seattle was $375, something I was absolutely not willing to pay. It took some convincing of Nick that we "needed" to purchase this tripod and level but he finally came through when I reminded him that Obachan had given me some money for my birthday AND when he realized that it works!

Nick happened to be wearing one of his Goodwill shirts that said "Cascade Christian Ahtletics" which the booth guy gave us a $10 discount for. Paired with his awesome bartering skills we got this $60 tripod and level for just $40!

I know it's going to take a little bit of effort to turn it into a lamp but I'm not worried about that as I'm pretty comfortable with wiring things. Of course, I'll have to wait to take it out of commission until Nick is done using it...ahhhhh...compromise.

Photo Credit: I jumped out and took this photo right before Nick had a chance to drive away...a fun game that he just looooves to play.

A historical find...Dorothy comes home

I'm pretty excited about my latest salvage find, although this would probably be classified more on the unnecessary side of things, I couldn't resist! I loved her as soon as I saw her (she's over 3 feet tall) and then when I got home and started researching who she was I love her even more.

First, what is it? Apparently up until the 1960s the English churches allowed people to rub the brass tomb plates in order to create wax impressions which they then mounted.

Second, who was she? Dorothy Wadham (1534-1618). When her husband, Nicholas Wadham died he left everything  to her (despite her being a, gasp, woman). His sole wishes were to found a college in Oxford, England. Dorothy, being the strong independent woman I'm sure she was, did just that. "She fought all the claims of Nicholas's relations, lobbied at court, negotiated the purchase of a site and drew up the college statutes" (History of Wadham). Within four years of his death Dorothy had started a college from scratch, even hiring the cook herself. 2010 marks Wadham College's 400th Anniversary.

Now this is obviously not a situation I want to duplicate entirely (I'd rather have a "Notebook" style death where Nick and I pass peacefully in each others arms at the ripe old age of 100 or more) I think it's so important for women to continually find inspiration in the strength of other women.

I'm lucky enough to have married a man who values me as an equal team-member, able to pull my own weight, while still making me feel beautiful and loved. Hopefully I'll never be in Dorothy's shoes, fighting to fulfill my husband's wishes, but I like to think that if I was, my Nick would definitely trust I was up for the challenge.

Salvage Finds

So our plan for the barn is to build it completely out of salvage...while Nick isn't quite done drafting up the finalized plans we do know there are certain things we want.

There are two places in the local area we plan on frequenting. Locally, Habitat for Humanity ReStore and then up in Seattle, Earthwise Architectural Salvage.

We're off to a great start already!

This guy came from Earthwise when a local stoneyard closed down...my vision is for it to be part of a fireplace mantle that Nick builds. He was $10!





This lamp came from Earthwise too...it was only $5. I don't know where it came from but I think it's perfect for hanging in an entry-way...it's over 2 feet tall!









This giant window came from the Restore in Olympia, $69. We went for a bike ride one weekend and stopped in only to find the perfect window for underneath the widows peak of the barn. It's double-paned, fiberglass...8 feet tall on the bottom and weighs over 300 lbs. Yes, we hauled it up from our apartment complex parking lot, up three flights of stairs to put it in the guest room (after I cleaned it of course).


This lamp is from the Restore...$40 but in perfect condition, I imagine it going over an eating area...there's an extra light in the middle on the bottom...I like how it's kind of farmhouse but kind of contemporary too.