in architectural awe....

Last night, we attended a dinner party at The Columbus Athletic Club, a historic building located in downtown Columbus, Ohio. This place boasts architectural specimens that one only occasionally sees. I thought I would share some of the intricate architectural details that have been preserved for us to enjoy in this millennium.....

chandeliers like this were everywhere

the ceiling! not only was it ornate, it was painted in muted shades of
rose, aqua, and tan with gold accenting....very elegant indeed

each of the formal rooms was aptly named like this

a floor to ceiling painting of the building

this was the crown molding around the ceiling....the fleur de lis design was stunning

this fireplace is huge.....the mantle is at least 7 feet high!

Mr. Sassafras handed out scholarship checks to some very deserving young men last evening. I was so proud of him....he presented a fine speech and inserted humor at the appropriate times! The camaraderie and brotherhood established in a fraternity is life-long and life-changing. They will forever have a friend in the course of life.

Thank you for stopping by....enjoy your weekend!

White Wednesday and mid century modern

Once a month, I spend the day out and about on the thrifting trail looking for wares for the shop (and maybe a few little things for me too). This month's adventure took me on an 84 mile round trip excursion to a few of my favorite spots where all sorts of white goodies called out my name. Here's some of the eye candy that found it's way home with me yesterday...


The stack of white dessert plates are marked France on the bottom....there was NO DOUBT those were coming home with me! Whenever I set out on one of my {inventory} buying sprees, I always say that if I come home with just one piece of ironstone, it was all worth it. My very first stop of the day yielded this big old ironstone bowl. If I had found nothing else, it would have been ok....I had IRONSTONE in my hands!

An old Reader's Digest book titled "Making the Most Out of Life". So many days could be brightened by reading an excerpt or two from this little dandy!

That big platter is Haviland (France again!!) - SOLD

Though it's not white, I think this might be one of my favorite finds of the day.....an old hotel sugar engraved CP for Columbus Plaza. And, I also love the stamp holder (SOLD) sitting behind it.

And now, on to the mid century modern part of this post. I came across this piece by accident really. I was rummaging through some halloween decorations strewn across a table when I noticed a small little sliver of the trademark honey color wood known to Heywood Wakefield pieces buried underneath a pile of costumes and wigs. The halloween decor quickly took a back seat while I began unearthing what I thought to be a piece of mid century modern furniture. Once I had uncovered it, I thought the shape and color of the legs on this swivel stool were seemingly genuine, but one never knows. I flipped it over, and there it was, the Heywood Wakefield stamp!

A rare find for sure! It is not in perfect condition.....unfortunately the legs are a bit dinged up, and the original cinnamon colored upholstery is a bit faded and dirty. But look at those lines! I did a little research and learned that this is the Heywood Wakefield pouffe swivel vanity stool. I first learned about Heywood Wakefield about 10 years ago when my husband and I were dating. We loved going to auctions together during our courtship, and I specifically remember an estate auction where the house was literally filled with this furniture.....living room, dining room, bedroom. Neither of us was immensely attracted to the style or color, but we did like the modern lines, and thought, well if it goes cheap enough, we could always paint it. We learned a little lesson that day.....Heywood Wakefield does not go cheap!! Thousands of dollars later, we watched as those furniture pieces were carefully wrapped and loaded thinking to ourselves, "and we were going to paint it?!?!?!"


This Heywood Wakefield pouffe stool is currently available for sale at my booth. Any questions, please let me know! SORRY, the stool is SOLD!

Head on over to visit Kathleen at Faded Charm to see her White Wednesday lovelies....it's always a treat to visit her blog and the others who participate in White Wednesday! Faded Charm can be found on my blog list.

Goodnight all, and happy white wednesday!

Polly

beautiful gifts straight from Paris!

I have a wonderful mother-in-law. She's a woman who completely devoted herself to raising her two children on her own. Just a couple years ago, she reunited with her long lost high school sweetheart, and their marriage ensued. (yes, it really does happen in real life!!) The two of them travel and enjoy their time together as if they were still in high school. They spend a majority of their time traveling to visit relatives near and far, but some of their travels arejust for fun! Recently, they visited Sweden, Italy, and France....a trip that lasted 17 days! I can't tell you how jealous I am! Paris is on the TOP of my bucket list!!!

This sweet mother-in-law of mine is really and truly the best gift-giver! Not only did she bring me wonderful finds STRAIGHT FROM PARIS, she knows me and my style so well! Every time a package comes from her, I get so excited and giddy to open it, because I already know, whatever it is, I will absolutely love it. This time was no exception! The black and white (of course my favorite color combo) bag is covered in french words (another fave). Not to mention that I have a thing for bags too! And the red french dish towel will be perfect in my kitchen that I'm constantly trying to "french" up.

Thanks Mr. Sassafras's mom! You're a gem! But next time you head off to Paris, I'm joining you!

Holiday 09

Greetings all! It is Friday evening, and OMG my feet hurt like a dickens! Mr. Sassafras and I spent the day at the shop restyling the booth for the holiday season! Five carloads of new stuff hit the shelves today! Ironstone, vintage Christmas goods, tarnished silver pieces, jewelry, and other eclectic finds that I just can't wait to share with you.....



The photo below was taken from aways down the hall looking down towards my corner.....boy, we packed the goods in today!



There's the folding screen I posted about a few weeks ago. The robins egg blue shelves are freshly painted. You can click on these photos to enlarge to see the smalls better....

PRISMS!!!! TONS OF PRISMS!!! They look beautiful hanging on a Christmas tree or in a window. I've also seen lots of very cool handmade jewelry featuring altered prisms....

more prisms on a green depression glass fleur de lis tidbit server...

prisms hanging from burlap framing the windows....so pretty when the sun reflects the cut glass....





Ho Ho Ho! and lots of vintage pink Shiny Brite ornaments...


old flash cards...


a couple old cast iron spacers painted silver - makes a funky candle holder.... they are resting atop a rusty cast iron plant stand....




the jewelry display....



the cubby has now been filled with tarnished silver, ironstone, and other neat things....



and an area with some interesting retro finds .... coca cola Santa drinking glasses, an old bottle brush tree in the original box, a platter covered with colorful vintage light bulbs (these would also look quite festive in an apothecary jar, a spool of vintage holiday wrap most likely from a butcher, cast iron piano movers hold red ornaments....





a couple old sleds....Happi Time and Rocket Plane....

The booth is just overflowing with all sorts of vintage wares! We took in tons of holiday stuff, but we also added quite a bit of other things as well. A big shout-out to Mr. Sassafras for getting up early on his day off and putting his muscles in overdrive loading, unloading, moving, hanging, and drilling.

Hope you enjoy stopping by this evening! The holiday is almost upon us....it's not too early to start gearing up for your holiday gift-giving and decorating! I am soooo ready to do my house now!!

Until next time, please take care!

tarnished elegance....

We worked on a fresh display earlier this week at The Olde Shoe Factory Antique Mall, and I thought I would share some pictures. We pulled together several pieces of furniture constructed of very dark wood, TONS of tarnished silver, milk glass, and some bling bling jewelry. We didn't start with this idea in mind, but it kind of turned into a bedroom where some fashionable gal might be getting ready for a holiday gala. Here we go....

a beautifully shaped coffee urn and lots of vintage silverware

this shot below is taken from the bottom of the stairs as you enter the area we made over......


love this vintage silver beaded dress! so glamorous! pearls and beads surround the neckline while the fabric is threaded through and through with silver.....several fancy rhinestone, pearl, and glass bead necklaces are available as well.......and those headboards are gorgeous! We unfurled some old piano rolls and draped them throughout our makeshift canopy and used them in other areas of the display...


We have a vendor who makes very beautiful ornate lamps.....very victorian in style. We pulled several of his lamps with fringy shades and glass prisms for this display....


a few close-up shots from inside the old cabinet....





this bedroom set includes a tall dresser with very neat divided drawers, a vanity set (missing mirror), and another dresser with a very large mirror.....

this is an old postmaster's trunk.....dark wood, filled with all sorts of cubby holes and drawers....this would be such a great hope chest....

It is always fun to work on displays at the antique mall with my managers......pulling together all sorts of beautiful things.....rummaging through the back room that is literally overflowing with stuff ready to be cleaned and hit the floor......getting creative with the things we find.....

We try our best to come up with interesting displays and to keep things fresh and new throughout the shop! If you're out and about, stop by and check things out!

Until next time, take care all!