Let There Be Light

We're at the point in our farm house renovation where every time I walk in there I see a change.- Bill has been busy installing the lighting "we" squirreled away.  My last post was about how I reworked two old chandeliers... this blog continues the theme as those two, and others, are put in our forever home.

It's amazing how much light fixtures can change the look of a room.  The instant ambiance... the overall feel - how the correct age appropriate lighting can immediately place you in the era you are striving to achieve.  Our living room, with the vintage sconces and new stained glass ceiling fan has just enough light and a whole lot of personality.  I can't wait to get the mantle and the French doors in... but I SEE the vision and I'm loving it.

The kitchen, dining and breakfast areas are mostly light fixtures we had, but one is new... a housewarming present from one of our favorite people on the planet... Derrick Kicklighter... If you're in the Atlanta area, you should look for his estate sales (Old Mill Antiques).  He's fair in pricing and just a hoot to pick from.  Derrick, this beauty is hanging over our kitchen island.  When we finished installing it we both just stood back and grinned in awe and happiness.  I think you'll love the vintage looking LED globes we found.  Thank you for the thoughtful gift.  I expect years of "where did you get THAT?!?" from friends and family that visit.... and even better, many toasts to friendship under that amber glow...

Our dining room chandelier was moved from our current home to the farm, and will continue to shine in it's place over our dining room table.   I bought it 17 years ago at Bandit's Down Under in Lakewood.  I had Dave, the owner drill holes in the fixture so I could hang crystals from it.  I loved the chandelier but it needed a wee bit of bling... When I got it home I added the vintage purple, gold and clear crystals.  It was the first fixture I blinged out with vintage crystals... when we hung it today I noticed a few things that showed the novice that I was back then... but decided not to fix something that wasn't broken.  It's still one of my favorite lights in our home.

Speaking of favorite lights... I absolutely LOVE the two smaller chandeliers I talked about in my last blog.  They're offically hanging in the hallway.  The picture doesn't do it justice.  Y'all will have to see them in person when we have our housewarming/MoonCrest open house.

When I left Bill today he was hanging the ceiling fan in our master bedroom.  I've got to go back tomorrow afternoon and help him hang the master bathroom chandelier... and maybe just maybe, finish off the job I had today... I'll give you a hint to what I was doing... Roger was very happy to supervise me while I performed my duties... Watching me and listening to Bill curse out every light fixture was much better than being out in the pouring rain... or should I go southern and say pissin rain?  I don't know... is it lady like to say that?  Would Scarlet O'Hara have called it that?  Oh hell, neither of us would be considered lady like lol....

Hang tight... the next blog shouldn't be far behind... I've got the title in my mind already... I just need the tiles and tub installed in my master bathroom to put my concept to words.

For now, in case I don't write a blog this week I'd like to end this one with two thoughts...

1)  I lost a friend yesterday to cancer.... way too young and way too quick.  Hug someone close to you.  Tell everyone that you love them.  Each day is a gift. 

and

2)  May you have a blessed Thanksgiving with family and friends.  From our home to yours... May peace be with you.

Putting on the Bling... Because Crows Like Sparkly Things

Before

Y'all have been faithfully watching our miscellaneous posts on Facebook and Instagram - cheering us along with each new step of the transformation of our farmhouse... This crazy renovation journey we've been on is running into our 21st month soon... we're 5 months over our initial plan to move but we're finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.... We should start the roaring '20s in our new old home.

The last two weeks have been about drywall going in throughout the house and the installation of the kitchen cabinets, counters and garden window.  This upcoming week the interior gets painted, the dishwasher and refrigerator will be delivered and the bathrooms will be tiled.  Which means it's almost time for toilets... and for our claw-foot tub to be set up in the master bathroom... and almost as exciting for me as I look around this cramped very full home around me - very soon I'll be renting a sprinter van to deliver the doors and fireplace mantles that have been sitting in my living/storage room.

Before

This also means the lighting can finally be installed... old chandeliers that have been hanging in our home for the past decade are coming down, being replaced with modern light fixtures for the upcoming staging of this place for sale.  Boxes of light fixtures I've squirreled away are being pulled out of storage and being glammed up for the farm.

Before

The farmhouse had a purple and green chandelier in the hall that the owner left behind... it was missing some crystals but that's my THANG... I'm forever hording interesting crystals... I have two plastic bins full of them... it may be an addiction.  I'm not ashamed to admit it.  Anyway, we needed a second small chandelier... I knew we'd never find one like the one left behind, so I searched for one that could compliment it.  I found it in California junking last year with my mom and bestie in San Carlos.

After - the CA light

Two weeks ago I started the transformations.  Bill had taken the California chandelier and covered the brass.  I spent a night pulling crystals out that would make it more artsy.  I figured this light had a clear crystal base, thus needed colored crystals, where the one that we got with the house had the purple/green base and needed clear crystals...  So for the first chandelier I pulled blue and purple (to keep one color in common) crystals and completely changed up how things hung on the fixture.  It's slimmer looking and by the time I was done I was thinking how well this will compliment the stained glass transom windows we are hanging down the hallway.

After - Original

Bill is very good at putting things in safe places... and finally found the original light in a drawer in our barn this week.  I brought it home tonight and brought it back to life while watching college football (Geaux Tigers and DAWWWWGGGSSS!)...  I decided to keep the majority of it original except for the bobeches.  I pulled the original purple crystals down the center bottom of those bobeches for the continuity from top to bottom.  I think (along with the cleaning of the whole fixture) that the clear crystals really brighten up what was kind of a dark chandelier...  I'm pretty happy with the finished look.

I'm really excited to see how all of these visions pull together.  We're changing some of the vision as we go - such as last week when we had some issues with our tile... I rectified it with some new tiles but I'll do a blog on that next week after these tiles are installed.  I'm actually thrilled to finally have stuff I can do to pitch in.  Bill has been working til he's about to drop daily.  He never ceases to amaze me with what he can do.  This house will be beautiful when done because Bill see's the visions I talk about and then, as always, he knocks the implementation of my dreams out of the park.

I'll end this with a quote... I almost bought this today... but when I went back it was gone.  It captures what this downsize means to me perfectly...