OK- before we write anything further, we just wanted to say THANK YOU to the 500+ people who read our blog yesterday.  Who knew Steinmart was our ticket to the over 500 viewer mark?  But, today I’m talking chairs.  How rescuing chairs somehow rescues me.

With the Whitland Home Tour deadline ticking away (less than 30 days), my stress therapy seems to be coming in the form of refurbishing old chairs.   As I toiled in my driveway a couple of weeks ago, my friend Leigh screamed from her car window, “Don’t you just love arts and crafts for the over 50?” Excuse me?  NOT going there, except to admit I do have a strange attraction to chairs in need of some HELP.

This chair therapy post is a “before & after” expose’ where you get to see the before chairs at their MOST primitive state and the after chairs, once they have been ever-so-lovingly refurbished for the HOME TOUR.

To start, I have listed the chairs from most to least expensive.  Here goes:

Carved rosewood chair from Dealer's Choice

Chair #1. I purchased this exquisite rosewood chair with its creaky leg and small missing piece from Dealer’s Choice on Eighth Avenue.  It will sit daintily by my bathtub with lush towels draped over the back for the aforementioned HT (Home Tour).  For those of you NOT courageous enough to walk through the doors of Dealer’s Choice (quite understandably by the way) please know that you can walk in off the street and make an offer to the owner, Barry Wilkinson, for almost any item in Dealer’s Choice.  Even though Dealer’s Choice is an auction house, Barry does give some good deals just for asking.  Chair # 1 cost $125 and will be re-upholstered in a simple, yet elegant, beige linen with my INITIALS on the seat.  Hey Liza, does that meet with your approval on the monogram front? Let’s hope so, because I do not plan on driving my chair.  She was quite opinionated on that post, huh?  Love a gal willing to speak her mind…

Dealer’s Choice Antiques

2109 8th Ave S
Nashville, TN 37204-2203
(615) 383-7030
www.dealerschoiceantiqueauction.com

Chair #2. Steal of a purchase from the Nashville Flea Market.  I saw this chair from afar and couldn’t resist its folk art qualities.  The chair is solid as a rock (no wobbling), needs some minor stripping (OK, I have gone crazy) and has two seat cushions in need of recovering.  Somewhere along this chair’s torrid past, someone painted the base red, white and blue. How patriotic!  My plan is to repaint with an eggshell type of milk paint.  The seat covers I can do myself  with a simple beige Sunbrella fabric, add some brass studs for a more detailed look and be done. Chair # 2 cost $45 as I tried to strike a deal at $40 and lost.

The Old Fashion Milk Paint Co.

www.milkpaint.com

The Nashville Flea Market

http://www.tennessestatefair.org

Chairs #3. Yep, once again I struck an amazing find at the Nashville Flea Market with these chairs at a WHOPPING $15 each (I got two identical ones).  One is sturdy and the other is wobbly, but both have fantastic lines and work PERFECTLY with an architectural piece in my family room.  Task at hand is to paint both chairs a dark brown  and accent with  a Porter Paint glaze to give a vintage  textured look, then re-upholster.  During the same trip to the “Flea” I also scored a remnant of fabric reminiscent of William Morris for a bargain at $35.  If time permits, I may attempt to cover them myself, but probably not.

Porter Paints Color: Fudge Truffle/ 526-7

Porter Paint Glaze: Black  6.K.2E

www.porterpaint.com

There they were– the gates of the Nashville Flea Market. For those of you that have never ventured in, you may not know what you are missing.  Hopefully, this post will inspire you on the treasures and surprises to be found amid the barns, the stalls and the buildings of the flea market.

On Saturday morning I received a much needed “hall pass” from my husband. So, with absolute glee, I headed to the flea market with no real purpose except to order or purchase a pair of mint julep cups for my sister Eileen.  If you are a collector of these objects of beauty as I am, you know how difficult they are to find.  My first stop was to visit Helen and John Rodman (goodlardjohn@charter.net), exquisite sellers of fine silver and cut glass, located in the Creative Arts building.  From the moment I met them, I adored them.  Helen never sets a table with one silver pattern but mixes  it up to create a magical table.  She stands at almost 6 ft tall with an aura of elegance and refinement.  Helen can help you find any silver pattern…and at incredible prices.  John is homespun and loves the hustle and bustle of the market; He knows every vendor by name.  If you want some good deals, go through John.

Once my order was placed, I made a quick stop by a guy selling readers @ 2 for $15,  but he was so busy I had to move on (Do you think we are all going blind or was the price?)  Then, I ran into my high priced decorators- each loaded with goodies. Ann had an exquisite beaded vintage top that she snagged for $12; Rog had a fabulous rug for a client.  One look at the top and I immediately headed to the rabbit barn as I knew exactly where she found it.

There I scored an amazing Michael Kors skirt for my trip to Mackinac Island this summer.  Also found: a pair of incredible orange suede shoes to go with a favorite white summer dress.  The woman selling  vintage clothing is a hoot.  She says that Nashville never was a city of high style and most of her great finds come from St. Louis and Atlanta.  From her tone and conviction, I suspect she’s probably right.  As I handed her a $20, I saw a turn style filled with clothing with a big sign 50% off.  “Now that’s interesting. ”  I found 2 tops and a great white jacket for summer.  The seller had clothing from Ann Taylor, Ralph Lauren , Kay Unger and others… all in perfect condition and with the tags still on.  “What’s the skinny here?,” I pondered and then had to find out: She is clothing buyer from Atlanta selling overstocks and samples.   My bill there was $38.  Finally, I popped in one of my favorite buildings for jewelry.  I found an incredible cuff for $1 and a pair of gorgeous rhinestone vintage shoe clips for $20.

Strolling out, I stopped and sampled some delicious strawberries and  tomatoes.  SOLD for the sum total $8.  As I walked through the gates of the market and glanced back at the sea of humanity carrying shrubs, tube socks, antique rugs and bags of WHO KNOWS WHAT, it occurred to me that this is why I love Nashville.  Nothing can beat the flea market on a gorgeous Saturday in April.  The Flea Market occurs the 4th weekend of the month, rain or shine.

Not bad for a 2 hour hall pass.

I have two Sunday morning obsessions (besides my dear husband) that if I could define perfection, would be at the top of the list. 1) reading the New York Times in its ENTIRETY.  2) watching the CBS Sunday morning show in its ENTIRETY. Alas, interruptions and obligations make accomplishing these a rarity.  This past Sunday afforded me a moment with the NYT Style section and I noticed on the back that Coach ran a full page ad.  What caught my eye immediately was the arm the model: look at this stack of colorful, playful and totally chic BANGLES. In my view, nothing completes an outfit better than a great bracelet or even better, LOTS of bracelets.  They just add an air of sophistication. I love to stack 5-6 gold bangles or mix a silver bracelets with black pearls.  Challenge yourself to recreate the look from this ad. You can mix different prices points; you can stay high-end; you can stay cheap.  Whichever direction you go, this look can be attained within anyone’s budget. You can find tons of bangles at TJ MAXX, Pangea and local antique malls. The flea market has vintage offerings from Bakelite and fabulous enamel bangles.  I plan to buy one from Coach (priced from $78-$200) and keep on adding!   Spring is almost here,  it’s time to get your arms adorned.