Before and After: Arm Chair & Mailbox

One look at this arm chair and I knew it would be gorgeous all shabby!  The carvings at the top of the chair were exquisite and I loved the ribbing down the curve of each leg.  It was nice and sturdy and came with a padded seat which I took off in order to shabby.  I started priming it and then remembered that I needed to take a 'before' picture - 

that is what the white is on it!

The pad just happened to be in great shape and I loved the tone on tone linen look so I just screwed the original pad back on after I sanded, primed, painted and then distressed the wood to help the beautiful carving stand out more!

This wall mailbox was dirty and had the remnants of stickers on the front.  It quickly got a thorough cleaning and some goo-gone took the sticker remnants right off. These mailboxes usually have a metal eagle attached where the holes are - but this one must have taken flight!  What was I going to replace the eagle with?  I wanted to make this look a little more feminine thinking it would be great for storing office files in home office.  It was just the right size, would even hold legal size and the closing lid would hide the mess of paper files out of view.  After some light sanding and a coat of primer, 

I decided I would paint this two-toned.

I grabbed all the wooden embellishments I had on hand and started placing them over the holes.  This one covered all of them beautifully!  So after some light sanding and priming, I decided to paint this pink and white, and then glued the wooden embellishment on with some E6000 glue.  Now this 'mailbox' is ready to store files or even to collect the mail!  Both of these projects are now on sale at Melange! 

The Flea Affaire

Every year about this time, a fan of Sierra College, in Rocklin, Arts Programs opens her beautiful yard to the public to host "The Flea Affaire" - a flea market in the California foothills!  Here a vintage tricycle welcomes guests with its basket filled with flowers!

As visitors drive through the gate, visitors are asked to donate one dollar to the Arts Programs, but get a raffle ticket for one of the prize baskets in return.  The site is gorgeous - a home site which includes a bass pond, barns, vegetable garden, etc.   The garden theme is repeated in all the vendor spaces as well!

Jennie and Doris, two Melange vendors, shared a space - Jennie brought her gorgeous gray upholstered chair along with lots of darling tutu's and other shabby furniture

Doris has been a regular at the Flea Affaire for years!  Here Doris displays some of her bird house creations on a shabby plant stand.

Doris filled this wonderful little cart with seasonal flowers for her display!

Karryann and Lisa, of Gracefully Vintage in Historic Folsom, brought this whole tabletop of vintage candlesticks along with shabby furniture and a space full of treasures!

My friend, Diedre, teamed up with Lisa and Karryann to display her creations in their space.  I just love these paper wreaths she made - I bought one to use at a bridal shower I am having for my niece!  The addition of the "Je t'aime" tag sold me!

The turquoise blue framed mirror in Heather's space caught my eye - it is one of my favorite colors, reminding me of my beach days growing up!

Saturday is my day to work at Melange, so I had to stop by really early, shop, and then get back on the road to the store.  I was one of the first to drive through the gates and found some wonderful treasures!  

The six Mica chandelier shades I found will be the perfect addition to my rust chandelier.

An original floral, oil painting; a funny mirror that reminds me of my age; some sheer, pink, ruched gloves for my frilly friend; a sweet vintage doll dress to put in my hope chest and the shabby paper wreath made by my friend, Diedre, were my cherished finds this day.

As I was leaving I noticed this baker's rack filled with vintage hats - it was so hard to walk by - but if I had stopped, I would have been late to open the store.  Vintage hats are so much fun and people come into the store looking for them all the time - mostly for theme or costume parties.  "Mad Men" parties seem to be really popular, the Kentucky Derby is always a big hat day, and lastly, the Royal Wedding added to the popularity of hats and fascinators this year!  I recommend the "Flea Affaire" to all shopping enthusiasts and I love that it supports the arts - something my heart will always cherish.