Bri and the Flea

Don't you love how the post title rhymes? It sounds kind of like a fairytale. Well, it did have a happy ending. I met up with Bri at the Flea Market Friday morning, and she surprised me with this birthday gift . . .

Does this paper look familiar? See one of Bri's recent posts.

Even her wrapping paper and ribbon has great style. Like a kid I ripped it open to reveal this . . .

Yes, I got a Bri original. Can you believe it? It's so pretty! I might have hinted once or twice (or 25 times) that I love her art and would love to have a piece of my own. She picked up on my subtlety. I can't wait to find a frame and the perfect spot for it! Thanks so much, Bri!

We had been at the Flea Market for maybe fifteen minutes when we ran into Eddie Ross. I was a little starstruck. 

This is a photo of Eddie at the Charlotte Flea, not Nashville. We were too starstruck to ask for a photo.

If you've been living under a rock, Eddie is famous for many things - being the 1st runner-up on Bravo's Top Design (which is sadly no longer with us), being an editor for Martha Stewart Living and now he has a column running in Southern Living where he visits flea markets across the South looking for furniture and accessories to make over. So, this past weekend it was Nashville. And I spotted him while wading through some mud. He was very sweet and chatted with us for a minute about Bri's recent $2 rattan side table purchase. Very nice guy. Now on to the finds.

I only came home with one thing, but there were lots of goodies to be had . . . 

I actually saw this chair at an estate sale and passed on it because of the price. It's in great shape, just wasn't for me.

 

This vintage sofa was a wonderful chartreuse green/yellow and in great condition. Alas, no room even in the booth.

Cool lidded pottery dish marked McCoy. I've never seen one quite like this. Maybe should have gotten this one.

This great spun fiberglass set. Pretty good price. Once again, wouldn't go with my house. Reminded me of this: 

from House Beautiful.

And this was a great, little delicate wingback chair for just $10. Alas, it was not be. I don't have the time or budget to re-do one more thing!

So, what did I make it home with? I know you'll be shocked, but it was another piece of Chinoiserie/Asian furniture. . .

I can't help myself. I think I might require a 12-step program. It's a vintage Lane cabinet with brass hardware. The only glitch? It reeks of smoke. Here it is sitting on my screened-in porch, airing out. I followed some tips online about how to get rid of the smell. Not sure it helped 100%, but maybe a little. It's currently sitting in my living/family room. Not sure if it will remain there or move to my bedroom, but I really like it, and for $30 I think it was a great day at the Flea!

Happy Memorial Day!

Sources: Eddie Ross, Bri, me and House Beautiful

Eye Candy: Rustic & Refined

To me, both these interiors capture a perfect balance of a rustic and refined. They're from Dream Homes: 100 Inspirational Interiors by Andreas von Einsiedel and Johanna Thornycroft. I refer to it as the "book that keeps on giving." Even if you've looked through it a hundred times, if you pick it up a few months later, you'll see something new. (Above interior design by Sally Jeeves.)
Interior design by Collett-Zarzycki Ltd.

Today is the Day . . .

I was born 38 years ago, and I've been craving one of these all day!

I'm old or young depending on your perspective. I'm going for young. Although, I think I could definitely benefit from some Botox. And I've decided just today that I'm too old to shop at Forever 21. I keep trying but I end up looking ridiculous in most things. I guess I'm not really Forever 21. They lied.

In honor of my big day, my husband is taking me to see this later . . .

at my request. I can't pass up a crass, laugh-out-loud film on my birthday. When I saw the release date was May 26, it was a done deal.

I might also indulge in one of these . . .

Oh, and my sweet husband surprised me with one of these . . . 

The iPad 2. I'm not exactly tech-savvy so I'm not sure of the capabilities, but it's really cute. And now I get to pick out a cover. Yeah! Here are some options I've already run across . . . 

One of these leather cases from Dewdrop Designs by Gillian Stevens. She also has a wonderful blog called Ticklish from a Distance which is quite inspirational.

Or this Mumbai print case from Stephanie Johnson.

I'm sure there are other options as well, I just need more research time.

And I leave you with this . . .

I "Custom Cut" My Own Seagrass...

Here's my new living room seagrass covering the fireplace hearth. How did this happen? Backstory: An email arrived from Sisal Rugs Direct offering a limited 2-day 15% offer. I opened this email late at night after drinking a glass of wine (well, really a bourbon & ginger ale, but wine sounds somewhat more refined) a few hours before the offer was to expire. I had been wanting a custom cut seagrass but in that impulsive moment I decided I could custom cut it myself once it came. So I ordered it 13' wide and about 21" ft long for $941, including shipping.
Before: Here's the living room just as we started moving furniture out. You can see my previous purchase, an 8' x 8' seagrass, which was too small and only served to chop up the space. No excuse, I wasn't drinking when I bought that one.
Because I was nervous about cutting it exactly right, we pulled up the wood trim around the hearth to give a little extra room in case I needed to recut. A more organized person would make a template...
Removed a section of the trim as the ORIGINAL ideas was to then reattach the trim around the cut section. Cutting the seagrass was actually not difficult. The plan was then to put glue on the raw edges to "seal" it and then attach the trim by glue over the cut section. This way it would fit around the hearth. (Forgot to take a picture of it all cut!)
However, an easier option emerged when my husband suggested just putting it underneath the trim. Realizing we could try that and if we didn't like it, go back to the original plan.
It's a bit of a hybrid between a custom cut bound seagrass and an installed version (under the hearth) but so far I really like it.

Belly Up to the Bar & Guest Post

While I will occasionally indulge in a nice cocktail, I've never been a huge liquor drinker (I'm more of a Pinot Grigio girl like Ramona). Thus, I've never really needed a bar cart . . . until now. I've finally found a reason to display my hooch proudly . . .  St-Germain.

Are you familiar with this French liqueur made from elderflower blossoms? I wasn't until just recently. It all started a little over a week ago when I tried a French Gimlet at a restaurant in Chattanooga. It was so nice and refreshing - a little gin, a little lime juice and a little St-Germain. After our exhausting yard sale Saturday, my sweet husband went out and gathered the ingredients to recreate it for me. Little did I know how beautiful (or huge) the St-Germain bottle was. It's like an art deco work of art. 

And the French gimlet he made? 

Delicious, if a little strong. The next one might need some tweaking. With such a beautiful bottle, it made me want a bar cart or at least a bar tray to bring out for special occasions (since I truly don't have the room for a full-time bar/bar cart). Here are some inspirations . . .

Love Lindsey Coral Harper's fun inspiration board behind her bar.

Classic

If only my bar cart came with a view of New York in the background.

Must have that tortoise-shell ice bucket.

All these bar carts might be enough to drive me to drink. Well, at least to have a well-stocked bar just in case I fancy a libation. 

If you're interested in trying the French Gimlet for yourself, here is the very simple recipe from the St-Germain website: 

French Gimlet

2 parts Gin or Vodka

1 part St-Germain

1/2 part freshly squeezed lime juice

Method: Pour all ingredients into an ice-filled shaker and shake well. Strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with a lime twist. Enjoy!

Also, today I'm guest blogging over at Meet Me in Philadelphia as sweet Ashley is on her honeymoon in Greece. Surely, you've visited her blog before as she is absolutely delightful and has wonderful style, but if not, it's the perfect time to pop over and check it out. 

Multi-Colored Books

Instead of going just with white, David Barden of David Barden Interior Design added in color covers to add interest to the shelves in the Gentleman's Study of last year's Richmond Symphony Designer House. I like this mix. Hope you're having a good week - a bit too hectic here on my end.

Happy Weekend

If you're looking for something to do this weekend, I highly recommend seeing Bridesmaids.

You will not regret it. Well, you might regret the abdominal pains from laughing so hard but it's worth it. 

Oh, and I have this pillow (or one extremely similar) featured in Lillian's apartment in the movie.

I'm actually thinking of selling it tomorrow in the yard sale we're having. Did I mention that? Oh, yeah, our neighborhood is hosting a big yard sale tomorrow. Heaven help me. Mostly stuff that has been hanging around my house (mainly my garage and basement) for way too long. If you're in the Nashville/Franklin area and interested, just email me and I'll be happy to share the details.

Happy Weekend to you!

Source: Bridesmaids

Finger Lakes Make it on The Office Finale

If you've read my blog over the years you know I grew up in the Finger Lakes region of Central New York (Auburn, Owasco Lake)

It was great fun last night when Jim Carey, aka interviewee for Michael's old job, said he had to rejoin his family vacationing in the Finger Lakes. Hey, the Finger Lakes got mentioned on The Office!! But, my husband and I both started laughing when he went on to say people get lost hiking there because people actually do get lost hiking - - but that's in the Adirondacks, about 3 hours away.

Above wintertime shot is from NASA. Here's a pic in the summer. If you've never been, go. It's one of the most beautiful parts of the country.
Hope you have a great weekend. Back Monday with pics of projects I've been working on at my house. You know I mentioned that on purpose so I'll finish them up!

Dreamy Sitting Room

Betsy Berner and Tara Sutphin of Berner Sutphin Designs are participating in this year's Stately Homes by the Sea Designer Show House and I'm happy to share these images they forwarded to me. They created a dreamy sitting room with soft colors and luxe details. The gold outlining on the secretary makes such a difference and I love the simple styling they chose. Just noticed the casters on the horn legs of the ottoman! (all photography by John Bessler)
Rectangular bolster and an incredible accent chair replete with lion head - fabulous!

The show house is open through June 12th.

I Swear I'm Not Bragging . . .

but I found some more awesome lamps.

I still haven't decided if I'm going to keep them or sell them in the booth.  I've seriously been lusting after black lamps lately, so these might have to live in my house for a while so I can make an informed decision. Don't want to be too hasty.

After I looked at the lamps a little more closely, I noticed these stickers on the sockets. 

So, who is this Paul Hanson? Good question. I had no idea so I consulted my good friend Google. I got no real description, but found several examples of Paul Hanson lamps on both 1st Dibs and eBay. Apparently, he made a lot of lamps of varying styles starting in the 1940's. Here's an example of a pair on 1st Dibs . . . 

These are selling for $4,200? Hmm. Good to know.

In other news, I found this chevron/flamestitch fabric in the form of curtains at the Habitat store (Bri found this last week but there were still a couple of panels left). Thought I might be able to use it somewhere in the house. 

Or maybe not. My husband hates it. A lot. I think it reminds him of his grandmother's house. He pulled his veto card. Oh well. You've got to pick your battles, I guess. Bri, if you want some more of this fabric it's yours.

Today's the last full day of my son's Pre-K, so I'll be running around like a mad woman. Happy Wednesday to you.

Craig is Looking Good

Sorry, I was planning to post this on Thursday before I went out of town this weekend but Blogger had other ideas. During one of my recent Craigslist trolling sessions, I found some interesting pieces. First up, this Brutalist/Cubist-style mid-century dresser/credenza . . .

It looks to be a twin of Nelya's (of Head Over Heels) that Naomi (of Design Manifest) was lusting after . . .

I alerted Naomi to its presence, but alas it's too big for her space and she can't truck down to Tennessee to get it anyway. So, if anyone out there is looking for a cool piece, it's still available. A slight hitch - they're only selling it as a set (with a bed, highboy and bedside tables).Why people refuse to sell things separately is beyond me. Here is one of the bedside tables . . .

And speaking of bedside tables, I also spotted a pair of these up for sale . . .

which bear a striking resemblance to these on 1st Dibs . . . 

And while we're on an Asian kick, I thought this little side table/cabinet was pretty cute . . .

I also saw some great mid-century modern chairs . . . 

and barstools . . . 

Lastly, some cool rugs.

Love the colors in this kilim rug. Where could I put this??

I usually see these in red, so cream is a nice change.

And last but not least, this handmade Greek rug. Just loved the colors . . . 

So, have you found any great Craigslist goodies lately?