Chandelier, Chandelier

We have one powder room on our first floor that I am determined to give some serious pizazz!

Our house is a 1937 Cape Cod. The previous owners, while renovating parts of the house, kept some of the original vintage features like the sink (which I love). The current fixture, however, is a little ho-hum for my taste.

                                                                   

We need to infuse this little space with style! And my style is an ecclectic mix of old and new, glam and rustic, classic with a little edge.

It'll be a work in progress...on the hunt for wall paper as well (never thought I'd say that again after scraping wall paper off of a previous powder rooms' walls while 9 months preggo!)

I am always a fan of a powder room that looks like a little jewel box...pretty soaps, lush toweling, candles...and well, a unique and statement making light fixture. My mom has this pretty lil' thing in her powder room...hues of smoky lavender and violet...oooo la la!

Soooo....the design excursion I had planned involved chandeliers! Scoped out some ideas and inspiration at a local antique store, The Heritage Trail Mall in Wilmette, IL. And oh look at that, it's sale time! Perfect:)

This little beauty below I LOVE and would be so kickin' especially if I paired it with a great graphic wall paper...perhaps something black and white...although it would be dramatic with my current red walls. With the winter sale this one comes in at $228...for an antique and rewired gorgeous chandelier! They have a very similar "new" version in the current Pottery Barn catalogue starting at $299!

Possible fave.

Went upstairs to find this one on sale (originally priced in the 400's) marked down to $200 and then half off of that! Should have known it would be snatched up at $100...came the next day and...SOLD.

Steal at $100!

Another pretty one, not quite what I am looking for but lovely nonetheless. Green porcelain and pricey at $595.

Other beautiful chandeliers...lots of great choices...

I also LOVE a great pair of sconces and couldn't help but notice how pretty these were...look at the crowns! 

They had some great stuff...like this collection of blue glassware. This would add an easy punch of color in your built ins or kitchen...awesome with bright white!

Also great mirrors and well, who doesn't love a little sunburst...or two?!

Found these stunning oversized stone urns...

And a gorgeous forsythia display with emerald green foo dogs...

And I LOVE me some Foo dogs...I inherited that gene from my great grandmother I think!

So did I buy anything? No. Not YET. This was "chandelier homework assignment numero uno". Still have my eye on that first fixture though! Always fun to get some inspiration from the past in order to give it a dose of fresh and modern. Stay tuned lovelies!

Find out more about items featured here at: Heritage Trail Mall

Saturday Morning Breakfast

I don't know about you...but after a week of keeping to a pretty regular schedule of school drop off, pick up, various classes for the kids, workouts, errands, work etc...I LOVE Saturdays! And I love to cook and bake...leisurely in my kitchen with a candle lit and music playing...yes, although I have two kids and am making Elmo pancakes...I need ambience!

So that's what we did this past Saturday. As a housewarming gift, my lovely friend Darci, gave us this blueberry pancake mix from William Sonoma.

She thoughtfully paired it with these adorable Sesame Street pancake cutters!

The girls were pumped for our task...Daddy is sleeping and we will have a fancy breakfast prepared upon his waking up.

So here's  what you need with the mix...unsalted butter, milk and 2 eggs.

SO easy as you add all the ingredients together...and stir. I added a little water after everything was mixed for easier pouring into the pancake cutters.

You can see the blueberries. The batter is amazing. Not slightly salty like some pancake and waffle batter can be. Sweet and delicious!

Spray non-stick skillet as well as the pancake cutters with cooking oil and place them on the skillet over medium heat. Pour the pancake mix directly into the cutters. Wait a couple minutes or until you see the batter bubbling, to lift the cutters straight up off of the pan. Let them cook another minute until you take a spatula and flip them.

Big Bird is on the left and Elmo on the right. Cookie Monster was not pretty enough to be photographed! I WILL say, this is something you need to perfect over many Saturdays...we decided to cover up flaws with sliced bananas!

And top with some yummy Maple Syrup-this is our choice-Love me some T.J.'s!

Maeve is our picky eater. She didn't like the fact that the blueberries messed with her very perfect regular pancakes. Oh well...you can't please everyone!

On to BACON! My husband treated me to a Mother's Day Bacony Brunch at the Chopping Block in Lincoln Square, Chicago a couple years back. This is one of the recipes we walked away with and use every time cooking bacon. No skillet...you BAKE it. Set the oven at 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil. Lay out your bacon strips. Use a pastry brush (or a spoon) to spread on that lovely maple syrup of your choice.

Top with a layer of fresh ground pepper...

And bake for 15 minutes. Once done, I personally like to broil on high for 2 minutes to get that extra crispiness.

So hubby was WAY happy upon his arrival to the kitchen and the girls were beyond pleased with their efforts. All of this done while in pajamas and not worrying a bit about what time it was and having to be anywhere! What could be better?! Well...this Bloody Mary WAS an added bonus for Mom and Dad ;) Happy Weekend!!!

Bloody Mary Mix (Zing Zang), vodka, worchester sauce, hot sauce, fresh ground pepper and topped with olives. Yum.

I woke up this morning...

....and thought it's a great day to start my blog!

Why did I name my little journal Wander In Art? Well, besides the fact that it sounded like a line from a lovely folk song, painting wandered back into my life after thirteen years. I had picked up a brush once every two years and tried to squeeze something inspiring onto the canvas. Once, eight years ago, when I was living in California, I did a painting for my parents, based on an old photograph. It was completed after months of work and self-doubt.

It was in January of 2011 (January...ah the month of resolutions!) where I began to paint regularly after the urging of my husband and mother-in-law. I tucked my five month old and two and a half year old daughters into bed. And I painted them, my two children. It was a good place to start.

Since then it's been a whirlwind of painting and learning how to navigate my one-woman art business from my home.

I'll be sharing some of that and some of the rest of my art driven life. I love decorating my home, painting and doing projects with the girls, growing my garden, setting the stage for a fabulous dinner party, giving old furniture new life, and scouring blogs, books, and antique fairs for inspiration. Wander In Art encompasses all things beautiful that I strive for in a life well-lived.

My Original Muses