an ebay fairytale

(warning: this post is written in third person. i only warn you because i am still bothered by a speech karl malone (an NBA player for the utah jazz) gave over 14 years ago in which he referred to himself in third person the entire time...)

once upon a time there was a designer who loved pretty things. (yep. that would be me.) often, these pretty things were very, very expensive.

sadly, this designer was on a very tight budget. 

however, with some patience, and a knack for finding a bargain, she usually found something pretty for her castle that was also within her budget.

because this designer loved to find high-end items at a fraction of the cost, she often shopped on ebay. one morning, she noticed a lovely chandelier for sale. 

this one to be exact (but without the shades):

but instead of the usual $1000 price tag, the bidding on this beauty was starting at just $100.

"oh!" she exclaimed, "i had my eye on a different chandelier for my dining room, but this one is VERY lovely, and if i can get it for a decent price, i will be very happy indeed!"

the days passed, and she watched the auction with interest. she knew that if she REALLY wanted it, she might have to spend a few hundred dollars, but since the item was located in the kingdom where this designer lived, she could save the shipping fee if she drove and picked it up! plus, she had since grown very fond of this chandelier, and knew it would look perfect in her dining room.

the time for the auction to end was coming to a close...the designer watched with intensity on her magical tablet. (ha! you know you all feel that way about your iphones/ipads at times! admit it!)

with only 15 minutes to go, our heroine was still the high bidder, and the beautiful chandelier was still just over $100...

only 9 minutes to go, and her bid was still the highest!

4 minutes to go, and all is well!

oh no! someone else is trying to snag our designers amazing chandelier with just a few seconds left. evil ebay bandits!
(SO typical.)

oh, HARK!!
what is THIS? has our heroine won the auction??
and for only $211.50?
tis so! all is well! 
(she can be sneaky when it comes to online auctions, that designer...with a little help from auctionsniper.com)

as soon as the designer was able to, she rushed to the nearby warehouse to pick up her beautiful and affordable prize! 

she placed it in her chariot and rode off into the sunset towards her castle.

she unpacked it and oohed and aahed at how pretty and perfect it was!

(and how cheap!)

soon, arrangements were made for the hideous temporary light to be removed, and the new and amazing chandelier to be hung in its place....

and here is the lovely chandelier, hanging proudly in the content and happy designers home:

oh, and just in case you were wondering... the designer lived happily ever after. 

(at least i believe she will!)

so, what do you think? do you believe in fairy tales?
have you ever scored an incredible deal on ebay?
do you think i should write a post on how to shop on ebay for designer goods?
let me know!

ebay triumphs!

i have spent a fair amount of time over the last few weeks searching for a few affordable faucets and light fixtures for my new house on ebay, and i have had a few victories that i wanted to share!
i am finally starting to feel a little vindicated since my "devastating ebay losses" post. i have a few more defeats, but for the most part, things are pretty peachy.

although i never did find another kohler memoirs faucet for under $150, i DID manage to snag a kohler purist faucet in brushed bronze for the powder room:

this is the same faucet that erika powell used in the coastal living showcase house, and i have been gaga over it since! (shown here with the cross handles)

these faucets usually retail for around $500, but i managed to get mine for $125! yee-haw!! (can i get some applause here? this is a BIG deal!)

i have gone back and forth on what to do in the upstairs main bathroom. at first, i wanted to do two hanging pendants....and then i thought i wanted three sconces. but then i spotted TWO restoration hardware triple wall lights on ebay for a starting bid of $90, and i knew i wanted to use them instead. (they are in a "satin brass" finish, and in a discontinued style called the "evans" collection. they also came with fabric shades.)

 i received them in the mail a few days ago, and they are gorgeous!

i got both lights for just under $130 with shipping! (these photos are from the original listing, and i have been too lazy to get a better picture of them...but these will at least give you and idea of what they look like!)


i also won an auction for this jado faucet:

it sells for $350+ on other sites, and i bought it for $50. it will go in my sons bathroom upstairs.

these jado faucets were each $100. many people don't realize that ebay is a great source for finding items at "buy it now" prices. this means that you don't have to go through the bidding process, which can be a real blessing, especially if the price for the item is reasonable. many times, sellers will have multiple items that can be purchased...which was the case with this seller.
i bought three of them...one will be used in the master, and the other two in the upstairs "girls" bathroom. i had my eye on a few other fixtures, but i just couldn't pass up the price on these. they remind me a lot of the kohler memoirs faucets, which i wanted for my master bathroom, but at 1/3 the price.

and, i got this quoizel laurie smith sconce for $25 (including shipping!) this same sconce is currently at shades of light for $139.  i know... a STEAL. my arm is getting tired from patting myself on the back over this one.

i also got into a bidding war on this light fixture and WON!

it is the audrey flush mount fixture from circa lighting. i plan on using it in my powder room.
it wasn't "cheap", but i did get it for more than 60% off the regular retail price.

*as you can probably tell from what i have been purchasing, there will be a fair amount of warmer metal-toned light fixtures in the house---i.e. BRASS. there will also be some chrome fixtures and black ones. most of the plumbing fixtures (with the exception of the powder room) will be chrome. i know some people get worried about mixing metal tones, but i happen to love it.

another recent ebay purchase:

a vintage audobon buffalo lithograph for a local boys bathroom remodel that i am working on.
the image came from a book, and already has a seam down the middle. i am going to split it at the seam, and frame each half of the buffalo separately. i think it will have a nice balance of masculinity and whimsy that way.

do you shop on ebay?
have you ever purchased any lighting or faucets or other items for your home on ebay?
have any tips you want to share?

my first nude

i spend a LOT of time on the computer. 

like, uh-LOT.

sometimes, when i need a break from what i am doing (whether i am gathering ideas for a client pinterest board, returning emails, researching a product, or writing a post...), 

i like to *shop. (shhh....)

i love to visit places like one kings lane, the foundary, joss + main, and of course ebay. 

my favorite things to look for are small or moderately priced accessories for my home. 

i have always loved the classic look of a nude sketch. 

of course, i don't really want to see ALL the bits and pieces...i just think a *hint or suggestion of nudity is all that is needed. i was looking on ebay a few weeks ago (see previous post on devastating ebay losses), and i spotted the PERFECT nude...

1. classy--not too much "lady stuff" showing

2. inexpensive--it was taken from a book, and set me back about $15, (the overall dimensions are 8x10)

3. done in a loose, sketchy way that i think is beautiful.

4. the lady has a little "padding". after all....i don't want to damage my self esteem TOO much by having a skinny, perfect nude lady hanging on my wall!)

i still need to frame my lovely lady, and i won't do that until we are finished building our house, but i imagine that she will hang somewhere in my new master bathroom.

hanging a nude can be a great way to add a collected feel to any art wall.
here are some beautiful inspiration rooms featuring nudes:

ashley goforth

ashley goforth

traditional home

thomas obrien

 donna dufresne

what do you think of nudes?
would you put one in your home?
do you already have one in your home?

devastating ebay losses

is in case you haven't heard, we are going to be building a house!
oh, so you have heard?
cuz i talk about it non-stop?
yeah..ok.
:)

well, because my dreams for the interior of the new house are BIG, and my budget is NOT, i  have been on the prowl for  a few bargain ebay goodies for my house--in particular light and plumbing fixtures.
usually when i bid on something, and i REALLY want it, i will get onto this site and put in my absolute  maximum bid. sometimes i win, and sometimes i don't. but at least i don't get roped into paying more than i wanted for something because i got caught up in the heat-of-the-bidding-war moment.

 i guess i got lazy in the last couple of weeks, because i decided i wasn't going to take the time to try and snipe the items that i wanted. after all, i have the ebay app on my iPhone, and it alerts me when something i am bidding on is about to end. i thought i was good to go.
oh, how wrong i was!
i have lost two auctions in the last few days that are seriously making me c----razy.

for our master bath, i want a faucet that rides that line between modern and traditional. i looked at a lot of faucets, and fell in love with a few from waterwork$.
they are insanely beautiful, but also very expensive. like $1700 for a bathroom faucet. thats almost as much as my entire budget for all the lights and fixtures in the entire house.

SO, i "settled" on the memoirs fixtures from kohler. the widespread fixture retails for around $450, but i found a brand new one on ebay for a starting bid of $25. i was willing to pay $100 for the fixture, but bid $65. seconds before the bidding ended, i got an alert on my iPhone that the bidding was about to end, and i had just been outbid! i frantically tried to bid again, but it was too late. someone else got MY fixture for $66!
ugh! that hurt!

then, on saturday, i spotted a PAIR of visual comfort sconces, going for $75. a PAIR! they were just like the ones pictures above , but in the "aged brass" finish. so dreamy!
these babies retail for over $300 a piece.
once again, i decided to not type in my absolute max bid (which would have been somewhere in the neighborhood of $200), and lost track of time, and lost the auction.
double UGH!!
they sold for $104 plus shipping! blast it!
i was so cranky after that.

i tell you what though....i will NOT lose another bid like these again. i am going to be FIERCE.
like a WARRIOR ninja.
ok, less like a warrior and more like a ninja.
a sneaky tech ninja.
(...and by that, of course, i mean that i am  going to go to auction sniper
and let them do the dirty work for me.)

oh, and by the way, here a few other items i am always eyeing on ebay:

do you shop on ebay?
do you have an ebay triumph you want to share?
is there something you are "always" looking for?
do tell...

oh, and happy bidding!!
(unless you are bidding against me...)