Seattle Home Show Top 10

I was a little surprised that Chris wanted to go to the Seattle Home Show, but I think he was hoping for a mega cache of "miracle products," like the ones he always get suckered into buying at state fairs. I wasn't sure what to expect since I've never been to a home show, but I do like nice homes!

The event is at the CenturyLink Field Event Center, a huge space near the baseball park. Inside are vendors of everything from hot tubs to lawn care services, and since we don't have a definite remodeling project in mind, we just wandered around to see what caught our eyes. Here are 10 things that intrigued me.

There are a lot of pest-removal services with scary displays like this. God, I hope our house doesn't get rats!

I looked at about a million door handles. If I didn't restrain myself, my whole house would probably have whimsical handles like this woodpecker.

I really love the colored appliances. But will orange become the avocado green of the future?

We found a place that makes the original wood-framed windows in old houses functional and easy to open. And they had this cool twiggy window on display!

This CargoCottage by ShelterKraft Werks is so cute! It has a kitchen, living room, bedroom and bathroom in one tiny 20' space, and it actually looks pretty cool too. This one's just $35,000. Perfect guest house?

I love these giant refrigerators. There were so many cool ones! Guess there's no way it would fit into the CargoCottage, though.

I am strangely attracted to these tile murals. Too tacky?

Unfortunately, this display of astroturf got Chris and Oscar set on finishing the basement in pseudo-backyard style. They were also intrigued by the faux stone grotto shower display.

This is the coolest idea! A solar-powered roof vent fan. Hey, I just made a pun.

The highlight for me was an "Antiques Roadshow"-like event called Dr. Lori's Trinket or Treasure. Each show attendee can bring one object for Dr. Lori to appraise. Before we left our house I couldn't think of anything I own that I thought was valuable, but now that I've seen the show I wish I brought something after all. The show was educational, but Dr. Lori is also extremely funny. She's very sarcastic (or mean, depending on how sensitive you are), so if you don't have a thick skin, maybe stay away. Anyway, here she is, and a cookie jar that turned out to be a treasure! If you like antiques and/or vintage stuff, check out Dr. Lori if she comes to your area. She even hosts vacation cruises.

Finally, I really like this sign encouraging everyone to pay top dollar. Ha ha!

All in all, the Seattle Home Show is a great place to go to get ideas for your home, so if you're into home improvement, I'd recommend it. There are also seminars every day, from maximizing your closets to working with an architect to improving energy efficiency. If you buy tickets online, you get free parking, a free subscription to Better Homes and Gardens, and can even use an online coupon code to get $5 off each ticket, so it's not expensive at all to get in (it ended being about $13 for two adults and one child), but the food prices are outrageous ($3.75 for small bottle of water, $9 for chicken nuggets, $7 for a slice of pizza, $3 for one doughnut), so eat before you go! The show ends February 26.