Pilgrimage to the Homeland

My children and I traveled to my hometown of Memphis over the past weekend to visit the family. It was a short trip, but full of good times and some misadventures. 

 No, we didn't party on Beale Street but I just grabbed a Memphis promo photo off the Internet.

On Saturday, we got my son's 5-year-old shots at my dad's pediatric office then proceeded to get lost on the way to my nephew's baseball game across town. How is this possible when my mother and I both grew up in Memphis and were both in the car? I have no idea. I blame the fact that I had never been in this particular part of town and on my mother's inattentiveness (sorry, mom).

My daughter happened to be snapping photos from the backseat during our seemingly endless wandering in a not so nice part of town. Fun.

After the game, my sister and I escaped to one of the Worlds Away outlets in Memphis to check out the merchandise (I neglected to take photos, sorry. These photos are actually from their website).

These pieces were in the store, but even at wholesale prices nothing was really within my price range. Sigh.

Later that day, we went to see Marmaduke (not exactly an Oscar-worthy film) with the kids because it was too hot do anything else - oppressive heat blows.

After the terrible movie, my sister and I rewarded ourselves with some shopping. This time - paydirt. I didn't buy anything but I did find some super cute and super cheap fabric at this great store called Premier Fabrics in Germantown just down the road from my sister's house.

Hello . . . fantastic prints at incredible prices -  $7.99 a yard for cotton and $8.99 a yard for linen fabrics. They also offer a very affordable line of furniture upholstered in the fabric of your choice. You can check out more of their fabric options online.

Here's the cute Parson's chair they offer for $215. Somehow, I neglected to photograph the chair I would like to purchase for the corner of my bedroom - a skirted winged-back chair variation. Now, I just need to pick a fabric. I'm leaning toward the bamboo lattice or possibly the zebra. I know I have zebra throw pillows on my sofa already but that's in a totally different room for heaven's sake.

Since that's all the shopping I got to do out in the real world, I decided to go shopping around my parents' house. Not as exciting, but there are always things to covet.

I used to think this gilded candle holder passed down from my grandmother was gaudy. Now, I'd like to steal it. No dice. Mom's not parting with it. 

A gigantic suzani from one of my dad's trips that hangs on a wall in their den behind an old desk. How cool is this? Once again, they're not letting go of this puppy. 

And more faux bamboo that you could shake a stick at. This chest of drawers was part of my bedroom set growing up and still sits in my old bedroom. Good ole Ethan Allen circa 1975 (or so). Of course, years ago, I didn't want it. Now, I want it back please. There are matching twin headboards stored somewhere too possibly under a bed. 

Lastly, I was able to barter a deal with my sister for this little beauty . . .

It was very inconspicuously hanging out on a corner bookshelf in her living room when I spied it. She bought it many moons ago at Pier One, but I think it's got a nice timeworn elegance.  She didn't really want it anymore so I traded her a necklace that didn't fit me well. Apparently, my neck is fatter than my sister's because it looks great on her. Win-win situation!

But the best part of the trip was getting to visit with family and friends. Most importantly, these little monkeys got to spend lots of quality cousin time together . . .

Meg is happy. She really is. She just hates getting her photo taken. Especially, now that her two front teeth are gone.

And, I got to visit one of my best friends from college and finally see (and love on) her new baby . . .

Josephine Claire aka "Josie"

and her beautiful red-headed big sister Abigail.

Aren't they precious? 

We had a great visit and hope you have some safe and happy journeys this summer!

Sources: Roamingtimes.com and Worlds Away

Good Things Come . . .

I'm sure we all know the old saying, "Good things come to those who wait." I think it rings true . . . in some cases anyway. In this particular case, I'm referring to a chair. Of course, I would be talking about furniture.


Does anyone remember this chair?

My friend Becky snagged it at a tag sale back in March, and I had major chair envy. For several months now, she has moved it all around her house and thrown numerous fabric swatches on it, but finally decided she didn't have the right spot for it. So, being the good friend that I am, I offered to buy it from her for the same amount she paid. Selfless, I know.

So, now it sits in my entryway, waiting patiently for its makeover. As it is a single chair, I think I will leave it here for the time being even though it seems a little lonely. I love things in pairs (as I have blogged about ad nauseam), but there's also something appealing about a single chair that can be pulled into another room when the mood or need strikes.

I really like the fabric that's currently on it - a turquoise and cream velvet that has striations like moire silk - but it is beyond faded and stained.

Since this chair could be used in various rooms as needed, I'm actually thinking of going with a black and white or dark gray and cream fabric. Very unusual for me. Maybe I'm turning over a new design leaf.


Of course, I love what interior designer Celerie Kemble did with very similar (if not identical) chairs.

It might be hard to tell from this photo, but the fabric Celerie used is an ikat pattern that seems to have a very small repeat. Most of the ikats I run across have huge repeats and thus are not appropriate for this rather thin, waif-ish (if that's even a word) chair. It's sort of like the Kate Moss of chairs -  whip-thin but full of style.


I really love the look of the fabric on these chairs by interior designer Meg Braff.

I'm not sure what fabric it is, but I know I've seen it before and it's expensive. So here are some options I came up with . . . 

Chipper in Charcoal by Premier Fabrics

 

Togo in black and white also by Premier. This one reminds me of . . . 

Confetti from Kelly Wearstler's Groundworks for Lee Jofa collection

This ikat fabric from Fabricadabra. Of course, it's only 15 inches wide. That may not work.

Leopard in black also by Premier Fabrics

Kenya Black Fabric from Ballard Designs. I like the ikat leopard effect of this one.

Are any of these appealing or am I just going through a phase? I think I should decide on a fabric first, then that will determine what color the legs should be. Also, I would do the piping either in black or a contrasting color (and maybe match it to the legs?).


And, in other chair news, I've hit a few roadblocks while trying to re-do the bamboo chairs for my breakfast area. That's another blog post altogether. Let's just say, I didn't inspect the chairs as well as I should have before purchasing. Details coming soon . . .

Shopping = Bliss

Yesterday, I got the opportunity to do a little shopping/antiquing on my own in and around downtown Franklin. Sometimes it's such a treat to just wander through stores aimlessly looking for inspiration. 


At my first stop, the Winchester Antique Mall, this greeted me on the front porch:

I'm a sucker for a good Chippendale bench. According to the tag, this one was made locally and was $325.

Heading inside, I found these goodies . . .

I loved this antique wicker chair. It's very small in scale so would really only be appropriate in my daughter's room, but it was a little too pricey ($300-something) for me.

The gilded bamboo frames on these were great, and the mat was more of a muted coral or salmon color, not such a bright orange as it looks here. I would switch out the butterfly watercolor prints for charcoal or line drawings. For $29 each, they weren't a bad deal. Still may go back for these. Sorry, my iPhone doesn't have a flash so these aren't the best quality photos.

I can't pass up a good bentwood or Thonet-style chair. The blue on this one captured my attention as I'm looking for a desk and desk chair for my son's room. After sitting in this one, I passed because it was a little too rickety and I'm not sure it was fixable.

I'm not sure you can even see, but there is a little Greek key detail on this alabaster lamp. 

This vignette of purple bottles really caught my eye. Reminds me of my mother's birthstone, amethyst.

Such pretty turtle shells. These were $45 each.

Love the over-the-top nature of this Italian tole lamp. Quite a statment piece!

Another cool gold lamp.

And on my way back to my car, I spied these little concrete foo dogs. Perfect guard dogs and only $29 each.

Next stop, Scarlett Scales, a great little shop in downtown Franklin. Scarlett has a great eye and her shop is always chocked full of cool stuff.

And what should greet me at the front door? A pair of the mama foo dogs. These would definitely ward away any evil spirits from your home. $235 for the pair.

Some of the great displays in Scarlett's shop.

A unique art deco style alabaster lamp. I'm not sure if I've ever seen one of these.

Yet another display of purple bottles. Is this a new trend?

At the Arbor Antique Mall next door, they had a new vendor with some really cool stuff.

I loved this chalk head sculpture. This would look amazing as part of a tablescape. 

My last stop was the Downtown Franklin Antique Mall across the street. Just a couple of gems here . . .

How cute is this elephant garden seat? I could pull this up next to anything. Maybe it could keep my lonely chair company?

And for some reason I neglected to take a photo of the white painted bamboo mirror (behind the elephant), but it was a beauty too.

And, lastly, this brass-plated lamp. Very elegant. Could go anywhere. And it was on sale for $54.

Speaking of lamps, I hit TJ Maxx earlier in the day and found a neat lamp.

Loved the shape, the faux snakeskin and brass accents. It looks expensive to me, but only $35. Bargain.

And since I'm sharing treasures, I've been selling some things on Craigslist lately. So, of course, I do a little browsing while I'm there. 

Here's what I found . . . 

This solid wood dresser was only $35. Call me crazy, but I think it would look fabulous painted orange or blue or green or some bright lacquer color. And the hardware is killer. Unfortunately, I have no where to put this, plus it's sold already. Oh well.

Once again, I don't know where I would put this fan/throne chair, but I like it a lot. It's $20 but the guy said he would go lower. 

Does anyone need a dining table? Because I think this Parsons-style one is fabulous, and for only $75! I so wish I had a place for this.

Well, I think that wraps it up. Do you see any treasures in the bunch?