Vintage Crate Turned Side Table

I found this amazing old, industrial shipping crate at a yard sale when I was visiting my sister in San Diego.  It was one of those rare days of rain in Southern California and most of the yard sales had been canceled, when we came upon this yard sale full of interesting objects and antiques sitting in the rain.  It was love at first sight for me, when I saw this crate, and it was only $3! We (my sis, her husband, their two babies, and myself) squeezed into my little Honda to go yard saling, so, try as we did, we could not fit the crate in the car to take it home.  My brother-in-law was nice enough to go back out in the rain and load it in my car for me.  Thanks Max!  

The wood is perfectly weathered and so are the metal straps.  I love the old patina and the original, worn stamps on the top and sides.

The crate is really large and it is the perfect size for a side table.  It has shelves on the open side against the wall, so it will be great for hiding extra storage in my small house too!

I am thinking I might use it as a night stand in my bedroom.  I am working on a new headboard for my room too, so when I get that done, I will share it with you.

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Mid-Week Design Inspiration: A Chandelier for Every Room

Chandeliers add so much enchanting warmth and sparkle, so why not put them in every room of the house?   

I love this bedroom with the chandelier hanging from the open-beamed ceiling. This room looks a lot like my current living room, minus the natural colored wood beams.  I am working on a large chandelier to hang in my living room and can't wait to show you the finished result!  

Country Home

They look lovely in a sun room too, with all the natural light shining through the crystals.  Don't you love the shape of this vintage, crystal chandelier?

Country Living

Look at the charm this chandelier adds to the cottage kitchen below.  (I know this post is about chandeliers, but one of the reasons I chose this photo is because I am in love with the antique, marble-topped table on caster wheels).

Country Living

You must have a splendid chandelier in the dining room too!  It is, after all, the traditional place for one.

Cote de Texas

Why not dress up the bathroom with one too?  A chandelier adds so much glamour and sophistication to a bathroom... and wouldn't it be nice to take a relaxing bath underneath a sparkling chandelier?

I wish I had a library, complete with a sliding ladder and large chandelier dripping in crystals!  

Cote de Texas

I really created this post to motivate myself to finish three chandeliers that are on the floor in the corner of my living room.  I love picking up new projects, but I do not always finish old projects, before adding new ones to the pile, and therein lies the problem.  One of my new year's resolutions is to finish all the projects I have laying around the house before I go to any more yard sales!  

I wish you all a happy new year filled with inspiration and motivation to tackle all of your resolutions!  

Crowns, Jewels and Sheet Music

I bought more of these tall candles from the grocery store that I decorated for Christmas. I could not pass up this $1.50 candle sale! This time I copied my vintage sheet music onto cardstock and then printed crown clipart, from The Graphics Fairy, over the music. I used modge podge to wrap the paper around the candles and then added glitter paint to accent the crown details.

I used a copy of this vintage print for another candle. I altered it by adding a mini crown and lettering.

The last two candles were the ones I had already covered in brown, vintage sheet music for Christmas. I took off the Christmas greens and added burlap and vintage, pearl earrings to dress them up.

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Merry Christmas!

I hope you all had a lovely and restful Christmas day!  It rained all day and it was so nice to stay inside with a warm fire. 

Santa left me a special surprise in my stocking  - raw cream!  Anyone that knows me, knows that I am crazy about cream!  I made some delicious eggnog which we enjoyed by candlelight, next to the twinkling lights of the tree.  Mmmmm...fresh eggnog is my favorite Christmas treat! 

We cut down a sucker redwood tree from our neighbor's yard this year and we could not tell how lopsided it was until we removed it from the giant trunk of the mother tree.  I love the droopy, sparse branches and unusual shape. I decorated the tree with birds, sparkly fruit, icicles and shimmery ribbon.  It was a bit of a challenge to decorate, but it is still beautiful in its own unique way!

Merry Christmas to all and to all a goodnight.