Budget Minded Modernist
So TWO weekends ago I hit the flea…couldn’t pull off the Friday deal this time, so I had to go on Saturday like most everyone else…
This was the best scene ever….vinyl chesterfield laden with real fur pelts….have I mentioned how much I LOVE flea markets?
Cool stuff, but I decided to pick up this number….you know how I say I never have enough shelves…..
I interrupt this regularly scheduled drivel with this important announcement. Costco has Coral Bark Japanese Maples (Acer Palmatum Sango Kaku) in 3 gallon pots for only $19.99…..Yep…you read that right. If you’ve never bought a Japanese Maple, then you might not appreciate that I got 3 for what you might normally pay for one.
Go…quick before the landscapers get there and buy them all….GO!!!!!!!
Woohoo my local peeps! Nashville finally got an Art-O-Mat! Only 13 years after the first one was made in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. For those not familiar, Art-O-Mats are refurbished cigarette machines that dispense small packages of unique goodness…a little piece of art. The artists who provide the items in the machine vary from location to location, but are part of the group Artists in Cellophane, created by Clark Whittington. Click here to see if your town has one….can’t wait to go to The Tennessee Performing Arts Center to see what’s for sale.
The new springlike weather has us trying to grab every dry and warm moment to spiffy up all the outdoor furniture. I still have some more sandblasting to do, and some additional coats of paint on other pieces….but that’s what happens when every single piece you own is scavenged and worn.
I hope I don’t regret this, but I decided to hit my faux Salterini hoop chairs with a splash of orange. All the other pieces are getting painted a dark bronze, and these needed something special.
Speaking of hoop chairs….On the copycat front….The new CB2 Igloo is certainly more affordable than those Acapulco chairs I’ve been wanting. While certainly not as groovy, these could work. Has anyone sat in them yet? What’s the verdict? No CB2 store in Nashvegas, so no test drive available for me. $149 v. $400.
I picked up a few things at an estate sale this past weekend….and my favorite score is this pair of dioramas….I don’t think the photos do them justice. They make my collection of Japanese tatebanko pale in comparison….
Lovingly carved of bone and shells, (I think) I haven’t been able to find much info on these. Shout if you know asian crafts.
If you look closely, one of the little shell flowers has come off the tree…but no worries…these cleverly designed beauties have a slot at the top so I can slide the glass off and do my repairs without hassle. They’ll need their frames spiffied up a bit, but isn’t that ALWAYS the way?
I really didn’t know what to expect at the Nashville Lawn and Garden Show.  Didn’t go last year, and now I needed to scout out some purveyors of cool and interesting plants. I shouldn’t have been surprised that every garden vignette on display was tragically predictable and traditional. A few nice plants, but all in all, MAJOR disappointment. I have a lot more bad to show you than good.
What did surprise me was that I was the only person in my line buying tickets that was under the age of 65. I’m sure there was another one behind me somewhere, but I hadn’t felt that youthful in quite awhile.  I’m going out on a limb and saying that Friday’s clientele had an AVERAGE age of 70…..and the smell of Ben-Gay in the air was palpable.
Here are a few lowlights of the floral gallery:
This is supposed to be the best Nashville has to offer? Some willow branches and wire?!
I honestly don’t get this. Is it supposed to be a scarecrow or what? Blech.
Seriously? It’s a branch in a bucket of tulips picked up at the grocery store. Scale?
On a positive note…there was a beautiful display of orchids….an especially nice selection of lady’s slippers…
and some gorgeous, yet pricey bonsai…
But what I really came for was the bamboo……
Met the owner of this bamboo farm north of here who has everything I will need for my new planting beds. Super nice guy, very knowledgeable…just who I was hoping to find at this show. When it gets a bit warmer, I’ll drive up to his farm and pick a few specimens for the house….he even grows the splendiforous Phyllostachys Nigra, or black bamboo. Bright green leaves with a dark blackish/purplish stalk. YES.