So sorry for the LOOOOONG delay since my last post! As you know I love my Shabby French Cottage--and nothing quite says "Shabby French Cottage" like Chandeliers!
Here are some photos of some of my chandeliers! I just love how they make a room feel so much more grand! I have all types of chandeliers, from tole to crystal, from Empire to Shabby Chic--I even have a fabloulous Gothic chandelier--which will lead into my second part of my post--my GOTHIC FRENCH office!
I hope you enjoy--and for those of you finding me from Cindy's Show & Tell Friday post, please follow me! I'm new to this whole blogging thing--and am hooked! Don't forget you can find me on Facebook!
And without further adieu, here are the chandy pics as promised!
I know it's cliché, but what romantic home decorating blog is complete without at least one chandelier hanging from a birdcage stand? It certainly makes for a beautiful floor lamp! Both Chandy and stand are from Ebay. 
This beauty was $15.00 --no that's not a typo! It came from a yard sale around the corner from where I live now--I got it before I bought this house!
This vintage Italian Tole Daisy Bouquet came from Ebay, below is a matching sconce I got from my friend Brenda's booth at the antiques mall I used to run--more on that in a future post! It hangs in my kitchen, and the sconce is over the sink.
The little piece of lace was where the price tag was tied on--I liked it so I left it there, I did tear the tag off, so I'm not quite Minnie Pearl!
This was from the same antiques mall I use to run, but from a different vendor--it was ugly and brass and missing most of the crystals--so I raided my stash--painted it Valspar Ice Cream and added clear, pink, and green crystals! I wish I had a before photo of this!
Here is another view of it in my dining room.
Here is another angle, you can really see the different shapes of crystals is this photo! You can also see a sneak peak of the behemoth Empire Basket chandelier in the living room--this baby was so sad when I first saw it--dirty, and hanging on a wall in Cold Harbor Antiques Mall--I went there many times to look at it, but they wanted too much money for it, but alas--it went on sale, the dealer was moving out--and at a 25% discount plus another 60% off, I gave in! It is still missing may crystals, but it is beautiful, I lined it with vintage lace and hung it back in all of its reclaimed glory!
You can see my love for Gothic, from the Antique Ogee Arch stained glass window and organ pipes (these are a speaker, not real pipes--but when I play my keyboard through them it is like being in a cathedral!!!) [Edited for silliness--Look there is still Christmas Garland up! I got a ton of this beautiful frosted green faux spruce garland formerly on display in Macy's front window in NYC--the one on 5th Avenue, that is! This is on top of the Circa 1830's armoire that hides the tv--it has the original stenciled birds, vines, and faux raised paneling! It is also in a Federal style--you can't see the pediment for the garland, though! I'll have to do a post on it in the future! It also shows you how often I watch tv or sit in the living room! I should have noticed by May that I still had up some Christmas decor!]
Here is a close-up of Mr. Giant Empire Chandelier--it is nearly 4 feet in diameter and 18 inches deep!
I just got this beauty not to long ago, and as you can tell, it is still on the floor in the living room! I love the verdigris finish and all the tole leaves and vines! This will go in my laundry room! Oh--and it was $30.00! I got this off of Craig's List!
This iron beauty is in my office. This room is done in a Gothic French style. This brings us into part two of my post today! I hope you enjoy!
Here is a close up of the detail on this chandy! Each section is a shield with a castle, lions rampant, and it is topped off with a crown. I'm not sure how old this is, but the seller on Ebay said it was Victorian, I don't know if it is that old, but it is not one of those cheapo things from the 1970's, either--but a hand cast, very well made beauty!
Here are some more object d'art in the office, a lion rampant, and a bust of the Passion of Christ. I have to be careful around this, as the thorns are metal and really sharp!
Some more neat Gothic items--the thing that looks like a stamp is actually a stopper from an organ pipe--because it is round, most likely a stopped diapason made from metal. A stopped diapason is a small scaled flue rank that sounds somewhere between a flute and a diapason. The stopper makes the sound one octave lower than otherwise would be possible with the length of pipe used. Alright, enough with the organ building info.....on with the interior decorating!
The mantel is from an mid-nineteenth century farmhouse from a nearby county--the cast iron Victorian Grotesque is a reproduction from Goodwill! The lovely antique cast iron Chinoiserie French fire box surround came from a yard sale in a near-by historic neighborhood--it is from the early 1800's. It did not have the door when I bought it, but I found this sometime later at one of my favorite shops, Class & Trash! As luck would have it, it was a perfect fit--I just love how the large fleu-de-lis cameo in the center ties both mis-matched pieces together! To the right is an organ pipe. The beautiful brass andirons are actually antique candle stands (probably from a church's altar) that had been converted into really tacky lamps--I turned them back into candle stands!
I got the beautiful circa 1820 Federal mirror at a shop in VA Beach--I restored the gold leaf myself. The brass candle stand in the center is a very rare find and gift from a dear friend for Christmas a few years back. As an organist, I think having a bust of J.S. Bach is required. Also, here is part of my collection of Gothic crosses.
Here is a beautiful vitrine with a display of a large Celtic Cross topped with a gilded crown. A gargoyle stands guard nearby.
I just love this lamp made from a violin! The lovely fleu-dis-lis tassel hanging from it was a gift from my friend, former neighbor, and massage therapist, Christine! She has a most amazing home! Maybe I can convince her to let me do a photo shoot for a future post!
I LOVE this painting--it is a reproduction, but simply beautiful It is also huge! Something like 3' by 4'!
Here is another vignette backed with an antique guilt mirror. I love this birdcage--it is definitely my favorite--and for all you bloggers out there--I saw this or an identical one in a decorating magazine sometime in the past year or two--if you know, please let me know!
