Happy Valentine's Day!

I found this on pinterest. It's from Etsy's Sweet Perversion. Obviously I'm now a fan.  I think it just about says it all.  Have a good one!

Source: theglamlamb.blogspot.com via irishmama on Pinterest

Ramblings + Ceiling Light Love

I've been sick on and off for a week and it's getting old fast.  Needless to say I haven't accomplished much (boo!)  I did paint the powder room but I'm waiting for the stencil.  Yes, I actually made a decision and bought one.  Shocking I know.  They must be forging the metal to make the machine that makes the stencil somewhere in middle earth right now.  That's the only reason I can possibly come up with for why it is taking so long to get to me.  Anyway, I was going to show the paint color, but I'll wait to show you the whole thing.  It will be more of a surprise.  We also put up a light which looks very fancy shmancy (you'll have to wait for that too!).

In the meantime, here's some lights that I found in my many searches that I'm in love with. Now to find the money a place in the house for one or more of them. 

traditional pendant lighting design by Schoolhouse Electric

eclectic pendant lighting design by boston interior designer Jace Interiors & CreateGirl Blog

modern chandeliers design by Horchow

modern pendant lighting design by Circa Lighting

traditional pendant lighting design by Restoration Hardware

contemporary ceiling lighting design by Circa Lighting

traditional pendant lighting design by circalighting.com

contemporary pendant lighting design by showroom IKEA

traditional chandeliers design by chicago kitchen and bath Rebekah Zaveloff

contemporary bathroom lighting and vanity lighting design by Interior HomeScapes

Looking at these really brings home the fact that I like too many styles.  I'm an indecisive person who likes everything.  Wow that's a lethal combo.  Do you find yourself leaning towards one particular style or do you like an eclectic mix of styles like moi?  

I Got A Liebster Award!!!!

So, imagine my surprise when I got an email from Janet of  House Four saying that she was nominating me for a Liebster award.  My first thought, thank you so much Janet!  My second thought, what the heck is a liebster?  Apparantly it's an award to recognize the J.V. bloggers like myself with 200 (or 16) or less followers.  I was beyond thrilled.  Unfortunately I couldn't be too excited since I was also suffering from some type of stomach virus.  Feeling much better now and am ready to press on with my duties as a Liebster recipient ( I like a bit of drama).

So, there are five rules that need to be followed by those accepting this award:

1. Choose five up-and-coming blogs to award the Liebster to. These five blogs must have fewer than 200 followers.
2. Show your thanks to the blogger who gave you the award by linking back to them.
3. Post the award on your blog. List the bloggers you gave the award to with links to their sites. Leave comments on their blogs so they know about the award.
4. Share 5 random facts about yourself

Let's do random facts shall we?

1.  I'm obsessed with peoples' heights, specifically celebrities.  After I've watched a movie or tv program I will immediately go to  IMDB and find out how tall they are.  Why you ask?  I have no idea.  It's just one of my many bizzare "things".

2.  I was a naval officer for 3 years.  Three horrible years.  I was glad to serve my country but it just was not a good fit for my personality.  I think the Navy actually threw a party when I got out. 

3.  I love horror movies, especially the supernatural ghost/demon ones.  Whenever a new one comes out my husband and I try to see it (when we can get a babysitter).

4.  I have a lot of pet peeves, but my biggest one is littering.  I lived in Philly for a few years which is the capital of said offense.  I once saw someone throw trash on the ground when a trash can was literally 2 feet away.  I don't know why this bothers me so much.  Oh wait, yes I do.  Because it's TRASH.  Throw it in a trash can for the love of God!

5.  I have a bizarre recollection of my dreams which are always completely random.  I'll give you an example.  This may be oversharing and if you're easily offended (or Jules who has already been tortured with my dream playback) then look away.  I dreamed recently that I became a hermaphrodite.  Don't ask.  I have no clue why.  So as I was getting used to my new "equipment" I had the forsight to test something that I had always wondered about.  You know how men are always going on about how much it hurts to get hit in the "balls"? So I thought I'd test it out.  It didn't hurt a bit.  Men!

Hope I didn't offend anyone too much with my ramblings.  I can be a bit 39 going on 13 at times.

Before I pass on the award I should explain a bit.  I've had this blog since last March but it's only been in the past couple of months or so that I've really started to get into it.  I'm still expanding my blog roll and looking forward to adding more.  I will find you, and I will stalk you!  I don't follow a lot of blogs (yet) with under 200 followers so I'll try my best.  And, without further introduction...

1. Lisa from Trapped In North Jersey

2. The designer from Allumer Decor (sorry, I don't know her name).

3. Michaela from Five Kinds of Happy

4. Annie from Bossy Color Blog

5. Danylle from Nana Moon Shop

Please do stop by these ladies' blogs.  I know I've really enjoyed reading them.

The Toilet Has Arrived...And The Rest Of The Fixtures.

I can't believe this day has finally come.

It's so hard to get a picture of the whole room.  I know everyone says you shouldn't use flash, but I had to in a few of these pics.  The room is pretty dark (it doesn't help that I took the pictures in the morning) and the lights aren't in yet.

The long awaited toilet.  I'm going to have to come up with something creative on the walls.  

The sink is actually a lot larger than I thought it would be.  Lots of room to put soaps etc on which is a good thing since it's a console.

Here's the fabric for the shower curtain.  It looks so good with the green gray walls.

So what do you think?  I'm pretty pleased.  Still some things left to do before I can call this room good.

-Light fixtures

-Shower curtain and some type of window treatment. 

-towel bar/toilet paper holder

-Mirror which I bought from Lowe's.  I think I'm going to paint it though.

-Misc decor

-CLEAN!

Not too long of a list in this room which is refreshing.  I'll spare you any more posts on this room until the big reveal.  Hopefully it won't be too much longer (crossing my fingers).  Now to figure out how to take better pictures because mine suck! 

How To Clean Glass To Make It Sparkle

I got a tip from a friend the other day that I thought I'd share.  We bought a foyer light at an antique store that was going out of business.  It's beautiful and we got it for a steal ($50!)  It was pretty filthy though and there were a lot of nooks and crannies in the design of the glass that I knew were going to be a pain in the butt to clean.  So here's the scoop.  You'll need a bucket ( in order to completely submerge the glass), denture cleaner, bleach, and soap.  

Here's what it looked like before.

We started with a bucket of hot water and about 8 denture cleaning tablets.  Ignore the trash bag.  We didn't have a clean bucket so we just threw a trash bag in it and called it good.

The denture cleaner has an effervescence that I think helps lift all the grime.  You let this sit for about 30 minutes.  Then rinse everything, dump your water and  fill the bucket with about 1/3 bleach and 2/3's hot water.  Let this sit for another 30 minutes.

Then rinse everything and fill the bucket with soapy water, immerse for a couple of minutes and rinse off really well.  

And, voila.

Looks brand spankin' new.  There was no way I was going to be able to get all the dirt out of this thing with just soap and a sponge.

And here's the new (old) foyer light (and new medallion that my husband put up).

Do you have any clever cleaning tips?  I sure need them.  The house is beyond filthy.

The New Light

As promised, here's a picture of our new family room light.  

My husband also put up the medallion which this room was lacking.

And, here's the fireplace mantle in place.  We bought the mantle off of Craigslist.  It was taken from a house that was built in 1893, the same year as our house.  The mantle (and the trim) still need a couple coats of paint, but it's definitely coming along.

And here's the room. You  get a glimpse of the paint color.  It looks so pale in pictures.  It is very soft in the room so we're going to have to punch up the color with the rest of the decor. I was a little unsure about the light (and still am a little) since it's so modern.  It's growing on me though and it gives out a lot of light which I love.  I'm blind as a bat and need as much light as possible.  My husband, on the other hand, must have emanated from a cave because he hates too much light.  I see a dimmer in our future.  

Color Pariahs?

My husband and I used to watch "Trading Spaces" back in the day when it still aired.  I remember watching when the designer du jour would unveil the paint color that was to go up in the room.  Most of the time we would cringe and think that the chosen color was hideous.  By the end of the show (usually, but not always)  we'd have to pick our jaws up off the floor in amazement of how the room came together.  I learned from that show to reserve my judgement until I could see everything put together.  A lot of times I dismiss something without seeing the bigger picture.

I've been thinking about this since I posted about the color purple.  Poor purple got a somewhat lukewarm response.  Certain colors are definitely not for everyone, but I've found that some colors that I thought I hated have actually looked good  when I've seen them in a room.  I thought it would be different to pick some colors that aren't necessarily popular and see if I can find pictures where the color works.  I may not make believers out of you (or me), but It might be interesting.  Sometimes it's good to revisit things instead of completely ruling them out.  

I'll start.  I hate the color peach, even though peach and I have an extensive history.  My childhood rooms consisted of either peach and green or peach and seafoam green.  Ick!  Of course at the time I loved it. It probably was an "in" color back in the "Miami Vice" days of my youth.  It certainly hasn't been on the most popular list in a looong time though.

So here goes.

Peach as the headliner?

traditional staircase design by new york photographer Vanni Archive

eclectic home office design by boston interior designer Amanda L. Reid

traditional living room design by seattle home staging Andrea Braund Home Staging & Design

traditional dining room design by newark interior designer Maureen Fiori, AKBD, Allied Member ASID, CAPS

Marshall Watson

House Beautiful- Barry Dixon

Or peach in a supporting role?

modern spaces design by san francisco interior designer Kendall Wilkinson Design

via Luster Interiors-Jay Jeffers

kids design by los angeles interior designer Elizabeth Dinkel

eclectic bedroom design by little rock interior designer Tobi Fairley

contemporary bedroom design by austin interior designer PPDS

traditional hall design by dallas design-build Hull Historical

Source: designspongeonline.com via tulips on Pinterest

Decorpad

This last one is giving me flashbacks.  Maybe peach really is best for a girl's room.  

So, any takers?  My favorites are the bookshelves and the bathroom picture. I'm also kinda loving that non-peach chair in the Tobi Fairley design.    I think that, for me, a little bit of peach goes a loooong way, and I definitely lean more towards the darker rather than the paler peaches.  I'm going to remain open minded, however.  I don't know if I'm going to allow peach back into my life anytime soon but I'm not ruling it out completely.  

Do you have a color that you can't envision working in a room?  You can't pick purple though.  I gave that my best effort.  If you don't like it after seeing the pictures I posted then you just don't like purple;)