Shamrocks and Daffodils

I don't know if it's because I'm so o-v-e-r winter or what but I'm just loving these colors right now.  I began my spring decorating with some of my blue and white dishes as you remember from this post.  Yesterday, we went for a walk to the old farm next door and collected these beautiful, bright yellow daffodils.  Add those to the blue and white and it's gorgeous.  Now, with St. Patrick's Day approaching, I picked up a pot of shamrocks at Kroger.  The vibrant green just makes the whole thing over the top WOW!  

The Latin name for shamrock is oxalis acetosella.  

This plant family also includes sorrel.  If you're a Seven Brides for Seven Brothers fan, you'll know that sorrel makes "real nourishing soup."  :)

Look at that yellow and green!  

I always thought a shamrock had 4 leaves...you know, a four leaf clover, luck o' the Irish kinda thing. Nope.  Shamrocks have 3 leaves.  Clover can have 4 or more.  Yeah, I googled that.

Vibrant yellow daffodils against the shamrock green.  

Did you know you can dry daffodils?  You can!  Just like hydrangeas, they will slowly over time become paper like but will retain some of their yellow color.  And like hydrangeas, they will be somewhat fragile.  Once mine are dried, I remove their stems and just used the blooms as a bowl filler or even carefully added to potpourri.  (Does anyone still use potpourri?)

Since it's St. Patrick's Day, I pulled out my old Atlas "Good Luck" jar for the daffodils.  

It's a little hard to see but this jar has a four leaf clover and the words good luck on it.  I can't remember where I found this jar but it was more than likely a thrift store or yard sale years ago.

Thanks for stopping by and God bless!
Angie

I'm linking here:

THE STYLE SISTERS

JENNIFER RIZZO

FROM MY FRONT PORCH TO YOURS

COMMON GROUND

HAVE A DAILY CUP OF MRS. OLSON

COASTAL CHARM'S NIFTY THRIFTY TUESDAY

FRIDAYS UNFOLDED

FEATHERED NEST FRIDAY

ONE MORE TIME EVENTS

TWIRL AND TAKE A BOW

SAVVY SOUTHERN STYLE

STONEGABLE 

UNDER THE TABLE AND DREAMING

ART IS BEAUTY

Spring in Blue and White

We finally received a decent amount of snow this winter.  And, now I'm over it!  I'm ready to get on with spring.  I've pulled out some of last year's spring decor but it seems I'm going with a blue-white-yellow theme.  So far, I've only added a few things to the kitchen and living room area.  As soon as the temperature gets back in the 50's at least, I'll work on the front porch and deck.

Warning this post is a little photo heavy so grab a cuppa something to enjoy while you're here.

Some of my favorite blue and white dishes in a old brass planter.  

I've also added a glass with vintage silver and ivory handled flatware.  

Love the patina...fancy word for tarnish :)

I swapped out the bamboo tray that was on the bar table for my grandfather's old tool caddy.  I love the mix of the old rough wood with the silver and glass.  Cobalt blue tumblers, found at Goodwill for $1.99, were added for a punch of color.

An old calf muzzle, purchased from a yard sale, holds wine corks.

The silver punch bowl, ladle, and demijohns were all found at my favorite thrift store, The Bargain Center.  I've found SO many things there.  If you're ever in the Murfreesboro area, let me know.  We'll go treasure hunting together.

I didn't use a wreath on the mirror of the bar this season.  I let a couple sprigs of forsythia cascade over one corner.  I love forsythia bushes.  I planted a couple this past summer.  I hope they come back this year.

And, because I'm dying to get my hands in the dirt, I started the kale plants from seeds a few weeks ago.  We love kale broiled with a little sea salt and olive oil.  It's so good it rarely makes it from pan to plate.

Finally, what says spring more than a baby chick?  This little guy is so life-like he's fooled a few people.  We've actually raised chicks before and enjoyed it.  Now, since the girls are older and involved in so many activities, it's easier to just buy pullets and raise for eggs.  It's on my to do list once the temperatures stay warm.

I hope you've enjoyed the spring decorations I've added so far.  I'm linking the The Scoop's Mega Spring Linky Party HERE.  Be sure to check it out!

Thanks for stopping by and God bless!

Angie

I'm linking here:

JENNIFER RIZZO

FROM MY FRONT PORCH TO YOURS

COMMON GROUND

HAVE A DAILY CUP OF MRS. OLSON

COASTAL CHARM'S NIFTY THRIFTY TUESDAY

FRIDAYS UNFOLDED

FEATHERED NEST FRIDAY

ONE MORE TIME EVENTS

TWIRL AND TAKE A BOW

SAVVY SOUTHERN STYLE

STONEGABLE 

UNDER THE TABLE AND DREAMING

ART IS BEAUTY

 

Greige or Grey or Gray or Beige - Whatever You Call It, It's Now In My Living Room

Gallery Wall
(sorry for the grainy iPhone photo)

As school was nearing the end this past Spring, I had great plans for repainting many rooms in our home during the summer break.  Most of the rooms had not been repainted since our house was built in 2003.  I was so excited.  I poured over color samples.  Pinned lots of great looking rooms for inspiration.  Well, as the old saying goes, "the best laid plans of mice and men (and decorators!) often go awry."  The last week of school, our friend, who is also a real estate agent, contacted us with an offer.  Wait, what??  Our house isn't even on the market!  That's right.  His office was working with a couple that had been looking for a place with acreage, storage, outbuilding, pond...our place.  They had been unsuccessful in finding exactly what they were looking for but our friend thought our place fit the bill.  He also knows that we had talked more than once of selling our place and moving back into town for the convenience of being closer to our kids' many activities.

Before Gallery Wall and Paint Color

So, we took the offer with a contingency of the buyer's home selling.  And we waited and waited and waited.  All summer we waited until our contract ended in mid August with no sale.  Yeah, mid August, when school begins and hectic schedules and busyness.  And my great plans were pushed aside.

Another Before

I took the Labor Day break to at least get our living room/breakfast area painted.  I used Valspar's Colonial Beige and had it color matched with Behr paint.  It is called a beige but it really is a great neutral between beige and grey.  This room gets a lot of light in the morning and changes during the day as the sun moves to the front of our house.  It worked as the perfect greige for my house.  From the photo, it doesn't look that much different than the original paint but it is.  For one thing, the new paint is a grey/beige and in an eggshell finish. The original paint (contractor grade I'm sure) had a pink fleshy color and was a flat finish.  Actually, the builder used flat finish EVERYWHERE in the house, including the bathrooms. Who does that?  The master bedroom and bath are next on my list.  Do you know what steamy showers do to flat paint??  It isn't pretty.  I'll try to post pictures of that when I redo the master bathroom.

Gallery Wall After

After painting the living room, I had the chance to rework my gallery wall behind the sofa.  It was by accident that I moved some of the pieces.  I thought I could remember where everything was before painting.  Thankfully, I couldn't remember and the result is even better than it was before.

I use a lot of orange and aqua in our main living areas and I love the combination.  It works perfect with Fall decor too!

As always, thanks for stopping by and God bless!

Angie