The William Morris Project: Bright Lights Edition

Remember last week's little teaser?  

Well, here's a hint:

Don't you love the "before"?  I know, we're not quite ready for an "after", but good things come to those who wait, right?  Right.  

PS - I know you're jealous of my wallpaper. 

And a VERY good thing came my way last week. Can you guess what it is?  I know, I hate guessing games too, unless they result in international getaways or diamonds or ice cream.  You really just can't lose with ice cream.  Unless you're lactose intolerant in which case, I'm sorry for you. 

Anyway..... 

A potent combination of web stalking, being ready extra early on a work day (a rarity tantamount to an albino tiger), and luck brought this lovely to my home last Wednesday!  

 The backstory is that I actually pinned this exact chandelier 40 weeks ago.  I liked the modern lines and classic style, and the fact that it was available at my local Big Hardware Store.  But I didn't like the $179 price tag.  So, I continued to live with The Hideous Fan of Grossness while other home projects took precedence.  Then last week I noticed a handful of light fixtures had been marked down online, and while my local store showed there was ONE available, it wouldn't let me purchase it online.  I chalked it up to bad luck and put it out of my mind.  The next morning I woke up still obsessing thinking about it and decided it couldn't hurt to swing by & see if there might be one laying around.  There was!  And it was marked like this:

After I picked myself up off the floor (it was 1/3 the price of what I had seen online), I hightailed it to the checkout counter with my prize in tow.  It WAS a display model, but the staff assured me that I could return it as long as I kept my receipt. 

Return it?  NEVER!

I was a little apprehensive that Hub wouldn't like it, but he was totally on board - especially after seeing the price tag. We did end up spending another $2 for a cross bar to hang it with, $4 for the hook, and $13 for CFL bulbs.  So my lovely chandy ended up costing a grand total of $34.26.   

I know, it's a poorly lit picture, but I just can't look away from its blazing glory.

Good-bye disgusting fan!  I hope you make some Goodwill shopper very happy! 

And then.....

The knob on the garage door fell off.  And it just wouldn't screw back in securely, so of course it was time to make the upgrade (finally!) to brushed nickel... with an actual working key to the lock (up til now, we have only had keys to the back doors).  So, if we're going to do one, we may as well do the front door and rear garage door, too, right?  And choose a lock set that matches so we only need ONE key to get into the house.  What a concept!

Good-bye hideous brassy knobs with no keys.  

Hello beautiful brushed nickel with a working key.  You look lovely against that blue front door.  

And let's end with some irony: My lovely new doorknobs conspired to lock me out of the house this morning.  I thought I'd be "extra safe" last night & lock the door from the house to the garage.  This morning I hustled the kids into the garage, and grabbed a bag of trash to throw into the bin, leaving my purse, keys, phone on the counter.... and not realizing that my fancy new knob would allow me to open the door from the inside without unlocking it - BUT NOT LET ME BACK IN.  One hour, one ruined window screen, one nice neighbor with a phonebook, several clumps of hair on the ground, and $45 later, we were back on track.  

This post is part of The William Morris Project from Pancakes and French Fries.  Be inspired!