West Annie Street

I have been scouring ebay for interesting accent light fixtures for a while now and I actually have some finds!

A note about ebay - we have also found most of our appliances, bath tub, and kitchen sinks there. I love finding deals, aka I have a bit of Yankee in me (okay, I’m cheap) and ebay is there to fuel my fantasies of finding that overlooked gem for a steal. But really it is also populated with legitimate “storefronts” that sell new items at great prices. I always like to call and talk to a live person if the purchase is sizeable (say, over $500) and everyone is pretty much on the up and up.

So. Here is the rundown:

This is the first light I won (for $51) - it’s a good size, 17″ tall x 9″ diameter. We were going to put it over the clawfoot tub (from ebay) in the Master Bathroom. You notice the past tense - it broke during shipping. It’s the first time that’s happened to me but the seller was super nice and responsive and sent me a refund check including shipping costs.

This is the light that is actually going over the tub ($35). It has similar proportions and size (18″ tall x 8.5″ diameter at the widest portion) but obviously is completely different in feel. The material is white enamel on steel. I think I prefer this one to the first fixture.

This one I bought in spite of Scott’s protests. I really wanted something a little sparkly and chandelierish and just pretty to hang in the Guest Room and there are alot of these “basket” crystal chandeliers on Ebay. This one I got for $56.66 (kind of pricey) and the size is approximately 12″ wide and 9″ long. It’s sweet.

Now for the wacky. I LOVE this fixture and would buy it in a heartbeat if it wasn’t $475. Even so I keep looking at it and longing for it.

That second image is another one from the same seller is almost as tempting but even more expensive ($695).

And this I just found today. It’s got a buy it now price of only $1100. I hope it finds the right owner.

So we have been trying to pick our exterior paint and stain colors and it’s hell, I tell you, hell. Larry, our contractor, is breathing down our necks and the painter is calling him three times a week. Geesh.

This is the thing: all the colors, ALL of them, need to work separately AND with each other. The stucco is one thing that we don’t have to agonize about because we have a bee-you-tee-ful stucco sample all picked out. That was the starting point for the house.

Here are two elevation studies I did, to try and picture the whole thing. Remember, the colors are not exact, especially with different computers and screens, but you get the general idea.

Front:

Patio wall with Fireplace:

Oh, and that lady is me. I’m going to get a bouffant hairdo and dress like that around the house when the time comes.

These are the actual materials - clockwise from top left:

Stucco (yum), white oak wood, paint sample (we’re actually going with a slightly more khaki grayish taupish color), “paint grip” metal roof sample, and in the center, the “bronze” painted window sample.

It looks like we are trying to envelope the house in khaki camouflage!

Thanks to Larry, our contractor, for personally painting these swatches.  Tomorrow Scott and I have to make our choice, along with the stain color for the natural wood.

They look so similar but I think I am leaning toward # 3.  We have to see it with the stucco sample too, of course.

The custom trapezoidal windows have gone in in the Master Bathroom.  They look really good and the view of the tree is so amazing.  I have to say, I LOVE these Gherkin windows, “Bronze” painted, they are so clean and beefy. 

These hang in a little restaurant in Marfa, Texas and I love them. The owner said she got them at a restaurant surplus auction for something ridiculous. I blocked the exact sum so I can’t say it here.

She’s got six of them hanging in a small room and it looks great. Sigh… I have got to start hanging out at these auctions.

We had a structural engineer review the framing, mostly for shear forces from the wind load (that’s the sideways push on the structure), and were directed to strengthen some connections to the foundation, add plywood on some walls and the biggest deal of all, to add three steel tube posts on the front wall.

These went between windows and are two stories tall. Larry, our contractor, did a great job getting all this done and now we can be secure if the 100 year wind storm hits.

On a happier note, here are some views of our future Living Room with drawings of future cabinetry.

Umm, coffee in the yard…