Farmer's Market and a Home Project

A few weekends ago, my parents invited  me to join them, along with my grandparents, to a show at TPAC. We had a little confusion with the time and ended up getting there early, so we decided to go to the Farmer's Market at the Bicentennial Mall not too far away. I haven't been there in a long time, but it is such an interesting place. Being the beginning of November, there were tons of gourds and pumpkins. I LOVE gourds and pumpkins! Here are some of the more interesting ones I saw. Not sure that there is a purpose, other than for display, but still pretty cool.

 And of course there were many lovely pumpkins as well. Of all shapes and sizes...

They even had a very pretty display with a variety of the pumpkins they sell. 

Changing subjects completely, I have been in major home improvement mode. It is a problem I have several times a year. I bought this mirror at the flea market years ago, and it has occupied a space in my house since then. But I thought it needed a little updating. So I took it apart... 

 And took it outside to spray paint. I already had the bronze colored paint, and what did I have to lose? So I sprayed it down. It has a totally different looks now. 

And it only took about 30 minutes to do (minus drying time). I seriously love painting just about anything that sits still long enough. Good thing I don't have any pets, right? On to the next project!

Birth of a New Chair

Pinterest is the foundation of 99% of my conversations. And the birth of this latest and greatest idea. I have this fluffy, comfy, and slightly hideous old chair that belonged to my parents since... oh, I don't know, the 80's? I've seen pictures of it in a brown pattern that might have been a velvet of sorts. Then my mom had it recovered in the late 80's or early 90's, I would guess. When I moved into an apartment in college, we used this chair and couch in our living room. I pieced together some green slipcovers and it was functional, at best. Since then it has been a mix-matched fixture in my bedroom at my current house. The green isn't so bad, but does not fit any of the other colors in my room. 

Here begins the birth of the "new" chair. I saw this pin on pinterest on how to paint a fabric chair. That's right, fabric. I was doubtful, to say the least. Here is a picture of the monstrosity before. 

Doesn't it look kinda like an elephant? I think it's the wings that look like ears and the curved armrests that look like trunks. Or maybe I have just been teaching too long... 

First, I partially read the tutorial. Next, I started throwing the "ingredients" in a solo cup and slapping it on. Then, I read the rest of the blog and realized I had forgotten a step. Oops. But it didn't mess it up too badly, and I don't plan on really lounging in this chair, so a messed up chair wouldn't rock my world too much. I mixed the fabric medium and the paint with some water, painted it on, and then let it dry. 

After many days of drying and about 4 layers, I put the chair back together and was pretty happy with the results. It's the Earl Grey of my upstairs. Now I just need to pick a fabric to make a band for the bottom of the chair. Where the chair's pink skirt used to be. Too bad I ripped that off years ago...

Nashville's Finest (and coldest) Flea Market

Last Saturday, I rolled out of bed bright and early (relatively for a Saturday morning) and headed out to meet my friend Lindsay for the fall's biggest and best flea market! We arrived around 9ish and IT. WAS. FREEZING! Talk about unseasonable cold. And overcast. And windy. But we persevered. And it was worth it. I saw some lovely furniture and stored away some great ideas for future projects. Most importantly, I only bought 2 things. I found 2 matching chunky frames.

Last, but certainly not least, I found these delicious cinnamon rolls! I always used to try to find them, but they sell out pretty fast on Saturdays. I made sure to stop there first, just in case. The picture really doesn't do them justice, but they pile on the icing and are very yummy!

Apparently I am very focused on food these days (and before these days... and probably after these days) Using Pioneer Woman's recipe, I attempted to make some sausage and cheese calzones. And they were pretty tasty. But they kinda exploded in the oven. And might have made a little big mess on the pan as well.

Never mind the looks, my stomach doesn't judge that much.