I Think I'm Gonna Like This Place...

Last week, I embarked on my very first antiquing trip with my cousin Kara, and I really cannot believe I waited so long! 

There's something truly special about browsing through hundreds of random objects that once belonged to other people, and experiencing the history behind these objects is enchanting (not to mention all of the wonderful photo ops)!

  

Tell me this isn't the cutest post office ever.

This was a staged dining room inside an antique store. Isn't it gorg? With prices rivaling Pottery Barn, though, we didn't purchase anything here- just browsed.

My dear friend/cousin Kara accompanied me on this trip, and I couldn't have asked for better company! We're two peas in a pod who appreciate the finer things in life (for a bargain, of course). I must say, the whole experience was quite productive. 

I picked up a beautiful French charcoal drawing of a mother and child, as well as a pair of vintage bird prints for a steal. Gotta love vintage artwork that's cheap!

 

Not only did I find some new/old treasures, but I also picked up a bunch of decor ideas and stored them in my memory bank for future reference. In fact, I see many more antiquing excursions in my future. Just don't tell Mr. S.  ;-)

Light My Fire...And Dining Room!

For weeks, I've been searching for the perfect chandelier to replace the ugly ceiling fan that is currently hanging (off-center, I might add) over our brand new dining room table. Instead of just going out and buying a new one though, I've been scouring the local thrift stores, Goodwill and Craigslist for a vintage piece de resistance. Sadly, my search has been in vain, and I haven't found that one special chandelier that really butters my toast yet. In the meantime though, I've been drooling over these beauties:

I'm really loving the whole using-an-outdoor-lantern-indoors thing that's hot right now, and apparently the folks at Pottery Barn and Restoration Hardware share my appreciation (see above photos for proof). It fits my style perfectly, which is a combination of French-inspired, cottage, coastal, country and traditional. Mr. S is purely traditional. When I'm decorating though, I don't necessarily choose items that adhere to these styles or any "decorating rules" ( I know, I'm an affront to interior designers everywhere). Honestly, I just like what I like. If I don't absolutely love something though, I don't get it. That's my rule. That and what I like to call the "pretty vs. purposeful" rule: is it something that is purely decorative, or can it function in another way?

However, as my mother once said, an object that is solely decorative still has a purpose (so I can still justify my Target purchases even though I don't have anywhere to put them? Sweet!). I also do a mental scan of our house/floor plan if I find something I like, that way I can "visualize" it in a space before I get it. And boy can I visualize some of these chandeliers hanging over our brand spankin' new table. Maybe Christmas will come early this year? We'll see.