finds

mega art.
we had an enormous, blank wall along our stairs.  i can't stand blank walls.  especially blank, WHITE walls.  ick.  a few weeks ago, as i was strolling through the stellar flea market that's less than a mile from us (the waterfront flea in brunswick), i saw exactly what i wanted.  two mega-tall, framed pieces of handmade paper.  i expected the dude to tell me he was asking 200 bucks for them, because sometimes prices are crazy wonky there.  50 for both.  what?!  um, ok!  he didn't know anything about them--only that they're signed and dated (1998) and over six feet tall.

they're labeled "sunrise" and "sunset"

you can see the ruffled edges of the paper  

love that my kids see these the second they come out of their rooms

broyhill brasilia dining set.
when we moved into our house, we were going from a 1150 square foot condo to 2300 square feet of what seemed like 87 rooms.  we were set for couches and comfy things, but didn't have anything for our dining room, which is RIGHT in the center of the house.  you walk through it to get everywhere.  and it's quite a room...two windows, three closets, a fireplace and five doorways...not to mention its glorious pressed tin ceiling.  when i stumbled upon our dining set on craigslist, i couldn't tell from the photo that its level of coolness was so high.  i wasn't familiar with the brasilia line...but dang.  i am now.  just go look on ebay...search for broyhill brasilia.  want to know what we paid?

100 bucks.  only in maine, i tell you.
the table top needed some refinishing, so i used howard's restor-a-finish...a miracle in a can.  i had hoped the original fabric might be hiding under the filthy tweed crap on the chairs.  while it was indeed underneath, it was equally filthy and ripped to shreds.  i dyed an old cotton velvet curtain panel (found years ago in the as-is bin at ikea for $2...) a mustard goldy yellow and re-covered them.  seems crazy to have a mid-century table in a dining room with a tin ceiling, but somehow, it seems to work.  for me, anyway.