Chandeliers, HELP!

I am trying to choose an elegant looking chandelier for a not so elegant price for our master bedroom.  My birthday month is coming up, well in a month and I think this will be my present to myself.  Here’s a couple pictures of my bedroom:

In this one, you'll notice the ugly fan and the vaulted ceilings and the reason why we need a chandelier.

I have been looking for the right chandelier for this bedroom for way too long.  Here are some options that I've come up with.

This one's on Overstock for $160.  New Orleans Chandelier

Here's one from Lamps Plus for $400 – this one has a chrome finish, which I like, but I was trying to stick with gold and bronze metals in this room. Vienna Chandelier

Or? For $186, also from Overstock. Iron & Crystal Chandelier

I really love those crystal balls on the last two.

And then this one from ZGallerie for $249. Venezia Chandelier

I should also point out that I plan on getting one of these sconces for each side of the bed.  We don’t have enough room for table lamps on both sides, so these will be perfect.  They are from Pottery Barn, another birthday gift from me to me J  My Pottery Barn Rewards certificates will help with the $149 price tag, which isn't such a bad price for the pair.

One last picture of the room.  Which one do you like best for this space?  My #1 commenter Claire, any suggestions?

         Insert Chandelier Here

No More Poker in the Kitchen

Below is our kitchen, pre-anything.  So much is wrong in this picture, starting with the white eye sore appliances, you hardly notice the granite because those appliances are blinding!  And then there’s the white formica underneath the cabinets, not sure who thought of that smart idea.  This picture is from the first morning we woke up in the house. As you can see from the Miller Lite, pizza boxes and poker table, we had some friends over the night before. We didn’t care that the house hardly had furniture or had a poker table for a kitchen table, we just couldn’t wait to have people over in our first house.

A few months later, our kitchen got a facelift.  Paint Color and new stainless appliances made a world of a difference.  My brother-in-law painted the kitchen, living room, hallway, bathrooms and our master bedroom as a wedding present.  My grandparents so generously bought us the appliances of our (my) choice as our bridal shower gift.  The appliances are Kenmore Pro.  I solely based my decision on that beautiful stove/oven.  I love the feet and the stainless backsplash.  Also notice that there are now oak baseboards under the cabinets instead of the formica.  My grandfather, retired carpenter, was quickly and easily able to glue those pieces on.   Poker table is also gone, sorry Justin.  My parents and I actually found this table at a warehouse sale about 5 years ago.  Even though I was still living at home, was not engaged, I insisted on getting it.  It lived in my parent’s basement for years.  Originally in the thousands, we got it for around $250.  But of course, it was free for me because my parents paid J.  The table is a rectangle shape that seats 6, but has a leaf that makes it a huge square that comfortably seats 8, though we have squeezed in 12-13.  The chairs I bought later at Crate & Barrel.  In the second picture, you can see where the fridge is.  The fridge was about a quarter of an inch too tall, so my very handy grandfather lifted the top cabinet to the ceiling.  Then I asked him to make that convenient wine rack in the extra space and I love it.  It fits 9 bottles of wine. Just perfect!

And below is our kitchen as it stands now.  (Sorry for the night time photos.)  I switched out the chandelier for the Pottery Barn Halton chandelier, added some art, and had curtains made.  Things on my kitchen to do list include: painting the cabinets a creamy white, switching the hardware, adding a glass backsplash, and swapping the sliding door for a French door.  So who’s with me on painting the cabinets?  I know my husband and grandfather(an oak lover) are not too happy with it.

The New Year

A new year means two things to me.  The first, is that Christmas is over and the decorations and snowmen have to come down :( .  Two, that there is a whole year full of new possibilities.  After a few months of falling in love with blogland, I promised myself that I would start a blog this year.  So here it is!



After Christmas is all tucked away in the attic, my house is ready to get redecorated!  The fireplace is always the first place that needs some attention, post garland and stockings.  This was my fireplace during the holidays.

Recently, after a bad day at work, my husband took me on a field trip to Homegoods, best medicine ever. And I picked up this gold starburst mirror, love! 

It is a little bit smaller than I would like, but it definitely makes me HomeGoods Happy for now.