Sunday, November 21, 2010

the chandelier story

Interesting little story I have to share about an old chandelier.  

I can't begin to tell you how much stuff I have at my house.  I inherited a ton of stuff from my parents and grandmother.  For those of you who have lost parents, it often hard to get rid of stuff you inherited.  So, I've hung on to a lot of it; so much of it that I often forget what I have.  I think I've mentioned before that as my pal, Jennie, and I go junking, I often see things and say "I think I have one of those" and Jennie replies, "of course you do."

So, Jennie is redoing her master bath.  She really needed to....let's just say there was golden color wallpaper and border that was, well, no nice way to say it, the color of, um, shhhh...pee (it came with the house).   Jennie lives in a huge house in one of the nicest neighborhoods so the bathroom makeover was a must.  She tells me she would love to find a vintage chandelier to hang over the bathtub.  
"I think I have one of those."
"Of course you do."

It's amazing how you view things as a child.  I remember going with my parents to an estate sale when I was a kid.  They bought a chandelier.  It hung in our formal living room (you know, the room nobody goes in).  I remember it being huge, lots of crystals, gawdy.  I remember it being so 70's (which is the decade we bought it from the estate sale.)  Hey Jennie, you're welcome to use it but I don't think you'll like it.  So we haul it down from our attic.

Here is the huge gawdy 70's chandelier:

hmmmm, not as 1970's as I remember; maybe a little older than that

but it's missing crystals and it is DIRTY, gross dirty.

here are the crystals that have fallen off; yep, there supposed to be clear.
ugh!

So, we hang it up and take a pic to send to Jennie because after she sees it, 
we'll be able to throw it back in the attic. No way she'll want that. 
You know, it's really not that huge like I remember.

What?  She wants it?  Is she crazy? Ok, you can have it. 
Come and get it.  

She does.  She takes it home and washes it.  She takes every crystal off
and washes them in the dishwasher.  She darkens the brassy finish just a bit and painstakingly 
hangs each of those crystals back on.  

OMG...wait for it....
it's beautiful!




and so is her new master bath (love those curtains!). The walls are a solid color
but you can see the pattern the chandelier creates on them.
It cleaned up pretty well, don't you think?


I'm linking up to a few special linky parties in my list above or down below on the right.

40 comments:

  1. Gorgeous! Her bathroom looks it deserves a post of it's own.

    ReplyDelete
  2. wow!!!!! it looks perfect in her bathroom. the whole bathroom is stunning!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Oh ma gosh it's beautiful! I love it! Looks a bit like my "70's" chandeliers that now hang in two rooms in my house, too.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Wow, that must have been a lot of work. Looks beautiful in the new bath. I love those curtains too. Did she make them? Oh gosh, i hope not so I can just buy them somewhere ;)

    ReplyDelete
  5. What a lovely chandelier and a great story!

    ReplyDelete
  6. I love the chandelier - it cleaned up so well. What a smart idea to put the crystals in the dishwasher.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Omaga....gorgeous! And perfect for that spot. She'll have a great story to tell when others come thru and see it :) And you'll always know where your inheritance ended up. You could go visit it once in awhile and maybe she'll let you soak in that amazing tub!

    ReplyDelete
  8. What a beautiful chandelier! I love the story you told us. :)
    Blessings,
    Sandra

    ReplyDelete
  9. Wow...that looks great! What a pretty bathroom :)

    ReplyDelete
  10. What a gorgeous chandelier! It looks perfect in your friend's bathroom, bet you wish that you had kept it!

    ReplyDelete
  11. You are such a great friend! That beautiful chandy looks fantastic in your friend's bath. BTW that bathroom is great also. I am a new blogger (two months) and your newest follower. Please visit me as well. Ginger

    ReplyDelete
  12. Positively stunning! What a sight as you soak in the tub! So envious.
    ~Danylle

    ReplyDelete
  13. I can't believe you gave it away! Jennie is lucky to have a friend like you. She did a great job cleaning that beauty up and enhancing it, now it is perfect in the bathroom with those high ceilings.
    Funny how perspective changes over the years, for sure!
    I love your new header photo!
    Rose

    ReplyDelete
  14. looks lovely like it was meant to be...Jeannie is a very lucky girl.

    ReplyDelete
  15. You are a good friend and it looks fabulous!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Wow!!! Gives new meaning to "you clean up pretty good!"...such a wonderful and stunning chandelier! Beautiful bathroom too! Thanks for sharing.....Cathy aka GGJ

    ReplyDelete
  17. It's gorgeous! It's just perfect in her bathroom, too.

    You're a great friend to share your stash like that. :)

    ReplyDelete
  18. That is beautiful! Can I be your friend and go through your attic too?

    ReplyDelete
  19. Wow, what an amazing makeover! This shows great patience. I don't know if I could have done it. But boy did that hard work pay off! :)

    ReplyDelete
  20. It looks great! A little elbow grease goes a long way, doesn't it?

    ReplyDelete
  21. That's gorgeous. And just the right size for a bathroom. I want to move into her bathroom. That tub looks so comfy!

    ReplyDelete
  22. That's beautiful, it looks perfect in Jennie's new bath. Isn't it funny how we remember things?

    ReplyDelete
  23. Now that was meant to be! It doesn't look like the same piece. Great transformation and gorgeous bathroom.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Wow, I go away for a weekend. You get a new header! Love it. Chandelier greatness! Does she have to return it ever? She won't want to.

    ReplyDelete
  25. That is gorgeous! You'd better go see what else is in the attic!

    ReplyDelete
  26. Go Jennie! (can I come over a look in your basement/attic?)

    ReplyDelete
  27. Wow you are such a generous friend to give away your treasures like that! Jennie did a great job cleaning that chandelier up and it really completes her master bath! You two make a good team. :)

    ReplyDelete
  28. beautiful. I love chandeliers in the bathroom. That must have cost a fortune in it's day. You are a good friend!

    ReplyDelete
  29. I have the same situation. I see so many "vintage" items stored in my basement that I've inherited. My house would be bursting out the seams if I ever got around to doing something with all of it.

    I love the chandelier and that it's now a part of your friend's home. I'm sure she's in love with it as well as the fact that it's a gift from you.

    ReplyDelete
  30. That's a great story. She did a beautiful job with it.

    Take care,
    Lisa

    ReplyDelete
  31. Totally fabulous. Seriously gorgeous.
    love it. I found you on Funky Junk's link party.
    The chandelier story caught my eye. I have a chandelier story too- thought I'd share:

    xox J. http://beeskneesbungalow.blogspot.com/2010/10/best-find-ever.html

    ReplyDelete
  32. Isn't it great that your parent's chandelier ended up in such a pretty spot. Do you wish you hadn't given it away, now?

    ReplyDelete
  33. mmmmmmmmmmmmm....amazing!!! This is why I can't buy anything new - it's SO much fun to do the transformation! I have a thing for chandies - I've refinished one and have two waiting for their makeover. They'll end up in a blog...someday! Glad I found you via funky junk! -diane

    ReplyDelete
  34. Absolutely gorgeous!! Wow.. what a recovery!! You are amazing!!

    ReplyDelete
  35. it looks great love the vintage of it all

    ReplyDelete

Related Posts with Thumbnails