Madison Wisconsin Living, Sell your House or Buy your Home with Jamie Miller Realtor®

Top 10 Markets for Home-Price Growth in Q4 2011

Jamie Miller — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 13:29:31 +0000

Median single-family existing-home prices rose recently in several markets tracked by the NAR – Green Bay, Wis., being one of them.

An Answer to "What’s it Like To Live Here?"

Jamie Miller — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 07:26:45 +0000

Trulia has announced the release of a new free search feature that aims to give users a better feel for locale in areas they’d like to live in.

vintage find: umbrella stand

Katie Stephenson — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 12:35:25 +0000

Sometimes great vintage finds don’t need to be relegated to thrift stores and yard sales. I popped into a local interiors shop Iconi last weekend and walked out with this awesome zinc and brass umbrella stand for under $50. I had been looking for one of these for my entry for a long, long time, years actually. Trolling garage sales, thrifts, Ebay and Etsy never lead me to anything special enough with the right price. When I spotted this little number locally, I thought for sure it would have a 3 digit price, so I was delighted when the tag read $48.

Now, can we talk about the elephant in the room? That golf umbrella, ugh. Functionally it is amazing, it has a 5 foot wingspan, 2 tiers and keeps your whole body (and your buddy’s) dry. Stylistically it is…not so good. At one point in my life I owned several beautiful long handled umbrellas, my dad went through an umbrella-gifting phase while I was in college. Sadly, one by one, they’ve all been left in shops, restaurants, libraries or loaned away. I’ve rounded up some fun umbrellas for my wish list, along with some other great stands below:

I’m really into florals lately, I don’t know what’s come over me, I’ve never been an overly flowery girl

Clockwise from top left:

-The muted colors of this floral are so this moment $63.99, Amazon

-This purple and yellow vintage floral could go granny quick. Pair it with a kelly green rain coat and it’s fresh again. $26, The American Homemaker, Etsy

-This colorful vintage pagoda style umbrella is so fun, I love its shape. $48, Atty’s Vintage, Etsy

-And now for my favorite, I really love everything about this one, except perhaps the price: $134, Umbrellas.net

I really couldn’t find many good umbrella stands online. Are these soon-to-be bygones? Nevertheless, here’s 4 I did find:

-The cutest ceramic owl from two’s company through Amazon, $119

-I’m not sure what this is really supposed to be (it has a lid) but the size would be perfect and I love the not-shiny gold color and diamond wire pattern, $139, Antiquarianone, Etsy

-Viva la Umbrellastand! Okay, viva is probably not the right word for this asian themed stand but wow, that color really screams “here I am!” Nobody would ever forget their umbrella at your place with this flasher in your entry. It really is the prettiest shade of green, but might be harder to work into your decor: $89.60, Ebay

-This is really what I thought I wanted: a white ceramic stand with a little something special in terms of texture. I still like this option but I’m so much happier with what I ended up with. $38.88, Ceramics by Alice, Etsy.
Clockwise from top left:

This ruffly black umbrella is from Amazon, $42.99

I dig the clear dome shaped umbrella, especially this one with the blue trim. It would look so special with a printed slicker. Price not listed, Caccessories.

I once spotted a fancy lady coming out of Neimen Marcus in Chicago in a tomato red trench with a sky blue umbrella. That pairing has stuck with me for probably 10 years, though I have yet to recreate it. Add this sassy red pagoda umbrella to a light blue coat and the color combo is yours, at a nice price, $27 from Amazon.

I’ve seen this red and white show stopper around the net a lot, but I couldn’t leave it out, it’s so pretty: Bella Umbrella Pagoda, $129, Umbrellas.net.

REALTORS® Looking for Positive 2012

Jamie Miller — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 01:19:58 +0000

Buyers in Sauk County have sought to take advantage of the lower prices, driving up home sales

Small Businesses Request Resumption of Renewable Energy Support

Sustainable Times — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 01:19:13 +0000

Over 150 small businesses, organizations, schools, and local officials appealed to the Public Service Commission (PSC) to restore full funding for a nationally recognized renewable energy program that reduces the cost of solar, wind, and biomass installations for Wisconsin utility customers.

In an open letter delivered to the PSC yesterday, the signers asked the PSC “to exercise its oversight authority over Focus on Energy and restore funding, without delay, for renewables at a level consistent with previous years’ allocations.”

Aldo Leopold Nature Center Announces New Board Member