Monday, September 27, 2010

Country Living Fair 2010, Part One

What a day for a Country Living fair!  I spent from 10 am till 5 pm scouring the fair for antiques and treasures and I had a wonderful time!  I attended 3 of the event seminars and will chronicle them here for you over the next few days. 

(*don't forget to enter my blog giveaway by midnight EST on 9/28!)

This "Junk Market Style" display by Sue Whitney was picture perfect.  Every detail of this harvest table was so on point that could practically smell a turkey in the oven.

During her lecture, Sue emphasized that junk is relative and that when you need a neat design element in a pinch, something "found" will often add the perfect unexpected touch to a room. 

Who's to say that an old dishwasher rack full of mason jar "vases" (shown hanging like a chandelier) isn't the perfect way to add a floral element to your dining room.  Simply spray it with galvanized paint and suspend it with some heavy rope.  Want it to be versatile?  For the next party, fill the jars with candles for a soft romantic glow.

The wooden chargers you can see at each place really are wood!  When a stump in Sue's yard had to come out, she converted it into thin wooden chargers with the help of a friend and his band saw.  Now that has to be the ultimate in repurposing!

Her soft brown "tablecloth" is really a needlework floor cloth project (that someone never got around to working with thread) so Sue used Gorilla Glue  to cover the center with plain linen and let the interesting boarder speak for itself.  So country western - I love how it pulls the colors together.

Her last unexpected touch?  Antique metal doorknobs became vases (filled with Alstroemeria blooms) at the center of each place setting.  Who knew that old knobs were hollow?

What is your favorite "junk market" object in your house?

2 comments:

Elaine said...

I have a collection of old doorknobs - I love that idea of using them as little bud vases! What wonderful ideas in just that one photo.

Anne Reeves said...

Neat, Elaine. You should try out a door knob vase, for sure!