wallpaper download

a quick before + after of my back door...
remember where i started?
(you can see my "action plan" post here)

before:


after:
 the new rug adds a little jolt of color and pattern, which i love...it also helps hide dirt!

 the door was painted benmajmin moors "onyx", my all time favorite black.

 the simple, matching art pieces add additional color and the gold frames add some warmth.

i plan on adding some horizontal trim banding on all of the kitchen walls, and may possibly change the color they are right now. the walls are currently "winds breath" and the trim and kitchen cabinets are "swiss coffee".
this is what i had in mind:

i spotted this treatment here, and have LOVED it ever since.

adding the wall trim is a bit of a "pandoras box" project---in order to add it, we also need to add the casings around the windows, and box in the cased openings in the living room so they look more like columns, AND add crown molding...so, it is a project that we may not tackle for several months. you can see a picture of the space right after we moved in here:

for now, i think just adding some art to the walls and getting some curtains up will add enough softness to the space to tide us over until we tackle the trim.
yay for progress!

oh, and if you follow me on instagram, you may have noticed that i finally got the stenciled grasscloth project underway!

it turned out GREAT--i am just working on getting some pictures of the space, which is a bit of a challenge since my "regular" camera lens broke (is is just me, or does it seem like EVERYTHING electronic that belongs to me is having issues??), and the space is really small and has no natural light. i should have a post up in the next day or two!

i love the simple, great looking frames that are available at stores like west elm, pottery barn, ikea, target and michaels. most of these frames come with mats that are cut to fit standard size prints. but what if you have a piece of art/print/object that doesn't fit the norm?
here are a few ideas to help you solve that dilemma:

custom framing

custom framing can cost a small fortune but is worth the occasional splurge.



custom mats

 even though i am a big believer in custom framing, there are MANY times when the money in my budget or clients budget needs to be spent elsewhere.
one of my favorite tricks is to use an inexpensive, store bought frame (ikea ribba frames are a favorite of mine!), and have a mat custom cut to fit my art.


source



no mat

one very simple solution is to place the art work directly on a piece of canson paper (available in the art section of any craft paper) or mat board. this works best when there is minimal contrast between the art and the background.


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trim to fit your frame

have a inexpensive poster or print that doesn't fit any frame? consider cutting it! the trimmed piece will seem transformed with its new shape that you will most likely just find more appealing that the original! (can you tell i have bison on the brain? the print in the background here is the same one is used in grady's bathroom.)


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floating your art between two pieces of glass helps the eye to focus on the art, and any uneven space between the art and the edge of the frame becomes less obvious. this is a budget friendly option, as it requires no mat or paper to mount the art on.

something i have been loving lately is seeing a single piece of art, split into two or more pieces, and hung together. it creates an interesting "mini gallery" wall effect, that i find really appealing.

via

i really love how the blue in this butterfly print is echoed in the velvet headboard. the blue is deep and rich and yet still maintains a freshness to it that makes this room feel happy.


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the orange walls in this space are really dramatic, and are balanced so nicely with the soft and ethereal horse photograph that has been split into three.


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while these two abstracts are separate pieces, they are certainly meant to be hung together, creating a strong connection between the two that is pretty mesmerizing.



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this is a really unique treatment of the "divide and conquer" idea---the image is centered in the middle of the 4 frames, and the negative space of the mat draws your eye in and creates a very interesting effect.



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i love this detailed, vintage-style tree print, framed in these two simple black frames.



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there are so many things to love about this room, and one of the things i love most is the oversized city sketch, broken up into 6 long, narrow frames. this look can be easily replicated at home with a large plotter style print of a photo and some inexpensive poster frames!

this is one of my all-time favorite spaces. i love the zebra on the stairs, the sculptural tufted chair, and the amazing abstract black and white landscape. this space really is a simple space---there isn't a whole lot "going on", but i find it so captivating, and the main reason is because of the unorthodox art that feels  so traditional and yet, upon further inspection, is really rather abstract.

i am working on my own little "divide and conquer" project for gradys' bathroom that i hope to share soon!

 donna dufresne

what do you think of nudes?
would you put one in your home?
do you already have one in your home?

well yay for me!
we have been in this house for just over 8 months, and i finally have a few things hung on grady's wall:

exhibit a:
the "g" from print collection that i picked up from the framers last week.


exhibit b:
the rhino head from cardboard safari, hung on top of a picture of grady's 18 month old feet
in the sand. i think every mother has a secret favorite photo of each of their kids...and this is my favorite of my little man. even though it doesn't even show his face, looking at this picture always takes me back to the exact instant that i took this picture on the shores of lake tahoe in 2005. i LOVE that you can see just a peek of his diaper in the picture. yes...he was in a diaper at the beach. totally redneck, i know, but that's the way we roll sometimes.

exhibit c:
i decided to rehang the vintage license plates i had up in his last bedroom. they represent where my husband (alabama), me (i  was born in georgia, but grew up in ohio), and my son (tennessee) are from.
i love using vintage items in kids spaces. i think add a sense of history and charm. plus, vintage stuff is already all dinged up, so when the  kids ding it up even more, it just adds to it's "character".
it's a win win situation.

phew.
i think i am worn out from the hanging of all that STUFF.
i may need to take a 4 or 5 month break before i attempt any other project around my house....yah. that was a joke, but it will probably become a reality.
happy weekend friends!

to see the design board for grady's room, and a few pictures of his room-in-progress click here.

i bought this one for grady's room.

doug sent me these two samples to review:
"geranium varieties"


i already have the perfect frame for this "buffalo running" print. i just need to take it to my local framers and get it set.

the prints are clear and crisp, and appear just as they do online. the paper they are printed on was also high quality. sometimes i hesitate to order prints online, because they are sometimes printed on flimsy or inferior paper. NOT the case with this company!

i was really pleased with how quickly the items were shipped, and the care with which they were packed.
the smaller "g" print arrived in a very sturdy flat parcel, and the two larger prints arrived in a 3" diameter tube. all three came in thick plastic sleeves to prevent sticking or damage.

print collection has also agreed to be my newest sponsor....so look for the button on my sidebar and click on it for a direct link to their shop. new items are being added daily, so be sure and check them out regularly.
here are a few that we added this week:

happy shopping!

it's a long weekend, (for most of us--yay!) and i for one am grateful to be able to sleep in tomorrow!
i am a very patriotic person, and have always felt that no matter WHO the president is,
or what party he/she may be from,  that the title and weight of such a hefty calling has my full
support,  faith and respect.
now... while you will never find me plastering my walls with images of george bush or bill clinton,
there is something about the images of our older presidents that i find completely captivating. maybe it
is the sense of history that they evoke, or that things seem so much more simple and unpolluted "back then", or that their images seem to have a sense of dignified whimsy?
i'm not sure.
all i know is that i really like pictures/prints our founding fathers.
here are some that i would love to use in my own home...maybe in my son's room, in a family room or even a library or entry...
founder
quentin curry


washington silhouette
john birdsong


lincoln montage
paul van scott


original painting: george washington
elizabeth mayville


great presidents
museum shop

on monday, i will be sharing a design plan for a young man that is mildly obsessed with baseball, coin collecting, and all things presidential! i really love taking peoples personalities and interests and creating a
space for them that reflect who they are what what they love! it is one of the things i love most about what i do!