White Wednesday - my new cupboard

Not too long ago, I posted about the new cupboard we picked up for my office.  

Well, I've got it all accessorized now...

I searched high and low for baskets to use to hide all kinds of unsightly office supplies.  You would think baskets would be easy to find, right?  Not so much!  Too big, too small, too dark, too light, too "new" looking, blah blah blah!  I finally found these somewhat whitewashed, somewhat weathered looking baskets with neutral oatmeal colored liners....

I found this sweet quote recently for 30 cents!  

Yep, framed and just 30 cents!  Isn't it sweet?

 

I like the look of these little rusty buckets, and the cream covered dish is an heirloom piece...

You can see tons of lovely whites and dreamy creams by visiting Kathleen's blog, Faded Charm.  It is always a treat to see how everyone use white in their homes and gardens!  

Thank you for stopping by today!  Chat with you soon!

~Polly~

our spring farmhouse kitchen display

Today I got to lose myself in creating a display, and it felt wonderful!

My boss {and friend} Debbie and I worked on our front area display that we like to change as often as possible.  Debbie and I each possess skill sets that seem to complement one another,so when we work together, we have fun taking each other's ideas to the next level.  

Our starting point for today's display - which we ended up dubbing "spring farmhouse kitchen" - was this old enameled cast iron Garland stove....

Don't you just love it?

We added this farm table with spindle legs, 2 white farmhouse chairs on one side, 

and a green bench on the other side...

Above the table, there were 2 red retro diner pendant lights leftover from our previous display.  Instead of reinventing the wheel and dealing with the hassle of rewiring a new chandelier, we decided to wrap a couple old feed sacks around the existing pendants....

And then the accessorizing began!  We kept our color palette light and sweet with white and cream and added touches of black, yellow, lime green, rusty galvanized tin, and weathered woods...

tons of black and white enamelware in every shape you can imagine...

check out this vintage trash can...

And here it is....the {almost} finished project!  We couldn't find our tub of chalk to write a sweet little message on the chalkboard!!

So much great stuff to fill a farmhouse kitchen!  I want to bring it all home with me! Especially those dairy crates and the farm table!

got bling?

I have been digging around in my vintage jewelry collection to fill a showcase to take to the shop later this week....

I like jewelry that is big
and chunky
and sparkly...

rings that make a girls' right hand sparkle and dance in the sunlight....

beautiful bracelets that make us feel like a queen...

and some pieces just bring out our fun side....

and for those days that we're feeling a little more refined, a fragile flower
adds a touch of sophistication....

Vintage jewelry makes my heart go pitter-patter!

These items will be available in my booth later this week!

~ Polly ~

cobblestones and pansies

It was a rough week around here.  But today was a new day.  I forced myself to go outside and raise my cheeks to the sunshine.  I puttered about the yard and allowed my mind to wander to a happier place.

I love this cobblestone path that Mr. Sassafras installed a few years back....

I walked along the cobblestone path and planted some pretty purple pansies here and there...

 My mind and spirit felt a sense of renewal after an emotionally taxing few days.  

I am looking forward to a fresh new start this week!  I can't believe I'm going to say this, but I'm actually looking forward to Monday!  Hope you all have a good week!

Claddagh

Being that we are of Irish origin, I thought I would share some photos of how we celebrate our heritage year round.

This recently acquired artwork hangs prominently in our home. It is a photo of the Claddagh symbol set in stone. I find it to be simply breathtaking. The photo is by Barry Hendrickson (www.BarryHendricksonPhoto.com). I purchased it at our local Arts Festival last summer and had it framed...


The Claddagh is the Irish symbol of love and faithfulness. The heart symbolizes love, the hands friendship, and the crown loyalty.

We received these crystal glasses as a wedding gift.

Just found the Claddagh candle holders a few weeks ago.

Mr. Sassafras purchased this handcrafted sterling silver Claddagh ring for me many moons ago. Single folks should wear their Claddagh on their right hand with the heart facing out showing that their heart is open to love, while married folks should wear it on their left hand with the heart facing inward signifying that their heart has already been captured by someone.

I wear mine as a right hand ring with the heart facing inward as my left hand is reserved for my wedding ring.

My husband is enormously into genealogy. He has traced his family tree to dates, times, and places that are simply unimaginable! He found an obituary from a gentleman whose death occurred when he was hit by lightning while he sat in his rocking chair by his fireplace with his dog by his side. They died together in this seemingly impossible situation. My husband has been lucky with this ancestral research as his Granddaddy lived to be 100 and whose memories were as brilliant and clear in 2009 as they were in 1920. This wonderful patriarch sadly passed at the end of last year.

While researching my family tree, we learned that my heritage is also Irish, having traced it back to County Cork, Ireland just four generations ago! This was much to my surprise as my parents had little information about their ancestors.

We may do a little bit of traditional Irish celebrating today too....

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

lime in the living room....

Good morning! I added a little touch of lime green to our living room over the weekend. This is the space where we spend most of our time lounging, reading, and watching tele. This is definitely the most used room of our home, and I decided it needed a little pepping up for Spring!

Here is a photo of this room taken about 2 years ago. We sold these red couches at our yard sale last summer....


And here it is now from three different angles....

(the view as your enter from my front room office)

(the view as you enter from our kitchen)

(and a view from the far corner)

There is a twin size bed in our living room for when my mom is here, as all of our bedrooms are upstairs. It has actually worked out well to house my ever growing pillow collection. Mr. Sassafras has declared that I have a problem with pillows and pens. I can't stop buying either! I think I will forever be on the hunt for the perfect writing pen, although, the MagnaTank, currently available at Dollar Tree is my pick right now!

I switched out the black and white dust ruffle for the fun and lively lime green one.

Just found the ruffly lime green pillow at TJ Maxx on Friday! Isn't it scrumptious?

This is the top of our tele armoire. I found the french print at a junk store in the most awful frame you could ever imagine! I just had to cut it down a bit to fit into this upcycled frame that I already had...

I bought the bunny weathervane from a friend a few years ago, but I think she
said she got it from Target.

This little green drawered piece is one of my favorites! It's small, but fits all the Wii games just perfectly! It's the perfect fit right here on this wall at the bottom of the steps. I couldn't put anything too deep there.

A lime green suitcase...

and a lime green bucket....

This last photo is a tip for all the burlap lovers out there. Maybe this is old news, but Meijer has these burlap lampshades for something like $15! They only come in this larger size, but they are a great size for floor lamps.

Thanks for visiting today! I hope you make it through your Monday!

Keep smiling!