FAWN + HEARTH

I’ve learned there is no simple way to encompass the beauty of Franklin, my passion for fresh starts and my work as a realtor, with a name. Each year, there is a baby deer born on my land, so I’ve decided Fawn + Hearth is fitting.

Now that it’s Spring, I stare at the deer everyday, wondering if there’s a new fawn on the way. I’m looking at their bellies, noticing if one is laying down more often to take a rest, I know, it’s crazy. The fawns from the last 2 years have grown so much, it’s almost too hard for me to tell them apart from the others. Random fact, the gestation period of a deer is about 7 and a half months. They mate in fall, so come May/June there may be a new little baby deer around, spots and all. So for now, I wait!

Finding a daybed for my sunroom proved to be an all-out obsession. I searched far and wide for the perfect piece. I found two that fit the image in my head.. but they were $725 and $1500. Others I saw were cheaper (by not much) and weren’t worth the spend for the compromise in comfy aesthetic. Then it hit me – I remembered seeing an old wicker daybed on the back porch of Pick-It Fences in Leipers Fork the previous summer. I jumped in the car and was happily stunned that it was still there. I borrowed my neighbor’s pick up truck and made it mine.

Thing is, it is really hard to find real wicker these days. (Enter my fruitless endeavor to find a wicker sofa for my front porch.. maybe one day.) Old wicker usually has broken pieces, it needs to be cleaned up and re-painted. And with this daybed, I was in for it.

Supplies: Tarp, scrub brush, hose, dish soap, too many cans of Rustoleum than I has assumed I’d need.

First I hosed the daybed down and scrubbed away dirt and layers of chipping paint. I did not use a wire brush, so as not to damage the delicate weave of the wood. I gave the rusty springs a thorough scrub down as well. I left it in the sun to dry. Then I painted. I used white semi-gloss Rustoleum spray paint with a plastic bag over my trigger finger in lieu of gloves. I think I bought 2 cans to start with – ROOKIE MISTAKE. I went back to the local True Value for 2 more. FOOL ME TWICE. Tail between my legs, went back in for a final, 5th can.

Wood is porous. Add to that the weave and texture of wicker. And there was a random, yet constant breeze outside. It took a lot of paint. But it turned out beautifully.

For the seat, I was in luck. Though the frame had been outside for ages, there was a new, simple plywood and foam mattress that the shop had made just for it. All I had to do was finish it.

Supplies: Cotton batting, upholstery fabric, brass thumbtacks, fabric shears, hammer.

I layered cotton batting over the foam for comfort. Then I took pretty fabric and wrapped it around the frame, cut to size, stretched it tight, smoothed the edges and hammered it to the wood mattress frame with tacks. Ta da! 

In Franklin, Tennessee, there is no ugly time of year. After all of the leaves fall, I mourn the lush, green hills and hours of sunlight. But it’s still pretty dang gorgeous. When the ice covers the ground and hangs in the trees, here, I’ve learned that it is just a sign that you need to be stocked up on milk and other groceries in case the roads are too slick. Sure, wintertime feels long with the seemingly endless rain we are having this year, mixed with the odd day of warmth and full sun, a total trick. But outside each of my windows, it still looks like a painting.

Almost 2 weeks ago, my daffodils decided to give it a go and opened up. They’re in full glory now and hanging in through the weather. Last year, these daffodils were the first pleasant surprise I discovered about my property after we moved here. It was a welcome relief, actually, to know that this land of mine held a good secret. And it showed up just in time. We had a rough first few months and these were a solid sign of lovely things to come. So when they appeared again this year, I was instantly inspired for Spring.