Family Photo Gallery Wall

I was so ridiculously excited yesterday when we FINALLY hung the photos behind our couch. This has been VERY long process in picking out what to put in this 8' wide by 6' tall space behind our 9' long couch. I have a basement full of photos and artwork, but none of them seemed right and so for the past 3 years I have agonized over what I could put here that would achieve the look I wanted and fit my budget. I have contemplated everything from a giant canvas to a decorative iron grate but kept coming back to wanting a series of square frames. Then last November we had a great set of family photos done by Maaike Bernstrom Photography so I decided I definitely wanted to use those and create a gallery wall. I found the Lee Gallery Frames in an oversized 8 x 10 at Pottery Barn which I loved, but at $129 apiece and since I would need 6 of them, that idea was quickly dropped by this unemployed blogger. Then, to my surprise, I found the Ribba frame at Ikea which at about 20" square was only slightly smaller and way less expensive. I was able to get all 6 frames for less than the cost of one of the Pottery Barn ones. Score!

Oh, but not so fast (I bought them last November). Now I had two new issues, the first being that the opening of the picture mat was 12" x 12". This is only a problem because it is nearly impossible to get a photo to fit this size. Your options are 11" x 14" or 16" x 20" so you will be just a tad too short or quite a bit too large even if you zoom out and trim down. I decided that since I liked the square thing I had going on that I would have 8" x 10" photos printed and then trim them down to 8" x 8". Great, right?

Problem number two, I now needed to find an additional mat to make up for the gap between the 12" x 12" mat and the 8" x 8" picture. I didn't want to use anything white because the mat was already white and I needed something that would match my wall color which is Ocean Air by Benjamin Moore. I looked at everything from different colored papers, fabrics, wallpaper and more, but nothing seemed right. I thought about having pieces of mirror custom cut to fit the frames which I actually think would have been very cool, but the thought of bringing two toddlers into the glass shop with me was daunting, and now I think it probably would have looked a little more formal than the rest of our house is these days. And then it hit me, I had nautical charts sitting in a closet waiting to be wallpapered onto my downstairs bathroom wall, but that project wasn't ready to be done. The blues in the charts would pick up the wall color perfectly and the charts would add more interest to the frames while still being subtle enough not to compete with the photos. Plus, the charts are of Rhode Island and include a lot of the beaches and bays that are near and dear to our hearts. I am completely thrilled with the result! Now I am on a roll and am doing another gallery wall message center in my kitchen which I hope to share with you by the end of the week.

Jonathan Adler Junior

Back at the beginning of 2010 I just about jumped out of my own skin with excitement when I heard about the new Jonathan Adler Junior Collection. Well at last it is starting to become available. I mean a junior version of the Lampert Sofa? Yes please! I might actually start to look forward to seeing my kids' stuff scattered about the house if it looked like this.

This Junior Letter Pillow would be just perfect for my little Carolina's room. And here are a few of my other favorites too. Lion Rug

Sun Wallpaper



Giraffe Wall Sconce

Some of the items have actually been in his collection for a while, but they are perfect for kids and that's what makes his stuff so wonderful. You can buy it now and they can still use it for years and years to come. A perfect balance of modern and traditional. I say these are my favorites, but really I'd like one of everything. Actually, better make it two!

Etsy Pick of the Week: Sleeping with the Fishes

These ocean critter pillowcases by Royal Kane on Etsy are a perfect way to add a little splash of the ocean to a room without overdoing it and they add a great pop of color too. I think they are perfect against all white or would be great with a solid colored bedspread to match. Each one is silk screened with an original piece of artwork and there are dozens of images to choose from.

They come in standard pillowcase size and are a mere $11.99. Talk about bang for your buck!


My faves are the lobster and crab, but of course I couldn't resist throwing in the whale too. It seems a little more appropriate for a kid's room while the others are a bit more sophisticated looking, but whichever one you fancy, you'll enjoy sleeping with these sea creatures.

IdeaPaint

We've all seen the many wonderful uses of chalkboard paint, but now you can do similar things with dry erase board paint by IdeaPaint. I think this is a fabulous product because, while I love chalkboard paint, sometimes we don't want a big black mass on one of our walls, especially if our space is already dimly lit. The IdeaPaint is white so you can create a nice bright space and if you don't have anything written on it, your walls still look nice and fresh and bright. And you can do cool things like the the tree featured above and it looks hip and modern. Don't give up completely on chalkboard paint. It still has it's purpose (and I'm actually working on a project with it at the moment), but now you have even more options when developing a creative space whether it be at work, home or school.

Image: IdeaPaint

Brimfield Buy

At last, I am finally posting what I bought at the Brimfield Antique Show last month! So here they are, 4 vintage Pop Shop crates that I am using as planters on the back steps of my breezeway because we very rarely use these steps, and I am always looking for ways to extend my gardens. I won't be able to plant anything that needs deep roots in here so I think I'm going to do my mesculun mix from seed which will grow just about anywhere and some cutting flowers. I love that they have two sections so that I can easily divide what I'm planting and I love the way the blue writing picks up the color of the door. While there were much more exciting things at the show, I decided that I really needed to go with what I knew I could put to the best use and I've always loved the look of vintage crates so I'm quite happy with my purchase!

D.I.Y.: Colorful Pots

All spring I have been looking for great cobalt blue pots for my front steps. It's not that they are so hard to find. It's just that they don't seem to ever run less than $60 per pot and that was a lot more than I wanted to spend. Then I finally had an aha moment this week while making placecard holders for a party last night in which we spray painted miniature pots to use as the stands for the placecards. Why not just buy terracotta pots and spray paint them cobalt blue? I went to a few places before I finally found the right size and shape for what I was looking for, but I found them. Step two was to lay them out on newspaper on the grass.

Step 3 was to paint them. I used Krylon Indoor/Outdoor Gloss Paint in Regal Blue. I first painted them upside down and then flipped them to do the rims and upper part of the interior. This paint dries super fast so it only took a few minutes before I could flip them. I could have gotten away with just one coat, but I wanted them to look as good up close as they did from afar so I did two coats. You can also do a spray primer first, but I wanted them to be a little more rustic looking with some of the terracotta showing through.

And voila, here is the finished product with plants. The color is a close match to my front door and shutters, and it is amazing how cohesive the front of the house now looks. I do like terracotta pots, but I just wanted something a little more special for my front steps (even though the rest of the front entry needs a LOT of work still) and I like how it came out so much that I'm thinking I might do the ones on my back steps too. The total cost for 2 pots (not including plants) was about $33 so a pretty significant savings compared to the colored ones you find in most garden centers. Of course, now I think I need new house numbers and a new light fixture never mind the woodwork that needs to be repaired and the steps that need to be replaced.

Hope everyone has a wonderful holiday weekend!

Etsy Pick of the Week: Buoy Pillow

When I first saw these life size Buoy Pillows by Cobalt Sky Studio on Etsy I thought they were cute, but then when I saw that they can be customized with a last name, house number, or baby's name and birth date, they became a little more irresistable. They are the perfect unique gift for anyone who lives by the sea or just loves the nautical look. And at $25, you can't really go wrong.

Under My Umbrella

Watermelon Cover by Santa Barbara Umbrella

Ahhhhh, the beach weather has finally arrived and a little bit ahead of schedule here in the Northeast. I am eternally conflicted with my complete and total adoration for the sun and my very fair and freckled skin. And while I can handle a little too much sun (even though I shouldn't) I can't bare to see my kids whom are even more fair skinned than I (in fact the doctor claims she has never seen a fairer pair) get a sunburn. Hence it is time to figure out how I will shade these two outdoor loving little people. Here are my favorite picks for beach and patio umbrellas.

Lillypond Umbrella by Santa Barbara Umbrella
Hampshire Stripe Round Market Umbrella by Pottery Barn

Mid Century Sunshade available at Design Within Reach

Tuuci Razor Shade available at Design Within Reach

Aqua Market Umbrella by Pier 1 Imports

Bamboo Parasol by The Conran Shop

Now I just have to figure out how to keep the little dears under my umbrella. Enjoy the beautiful day!

My Favorite Day of the Year

I spent most of the weekend in the garden moving plants, extending my perennial garden, mulching, etc. and was so tired and achy last night that I went to bed at 8:30. This weekend was also the 3 year anniversary of when we moved into our house and even though there is always a lot of work to be done when you own a home, I am amazed at how much progress we have made in our yard which had been long neglected before we moved in. Today I got a reminder of why it is all so worth it, the day I look forward to all year...more than Christmas and my birthday. My absolute favorite flower is the peony and I am so happy for the few short weeks they are in bloom each year. Today our first peony of the year is in full bloom! Here it is, and I'm looking so forward to the dozen or so more that are to follow. It is so rewarding to work so hard and have such a beautiful result. For those of you who don't garden, you might think I'm nuts, but gardening is a little bit like raising children. You remember when you planted each thing, where you got it from, and are amazed by how much it's grown with all of the tlc you've provided it. So I encourage you all to go out and get dirty! It'll be well worth it.

18th Century Colonial Renovation: Part IV

The 18th Century Colonial Renovation we've been following has made quite a bit of progress in the past month and we can now see a bit more of what the end product is going to look like...at least on the outside. This week the clapboard was installed on the front of the house (the sides are going to be shingled). The material they selected for the clapboard is call HardiePlank lap siding. It is a fiber cement product that is resistant to moisture and rot and only has to be painted every 15 years. It is also considered to be an eco-friendly product that earns points toward LEED certification (if you are going for that). In case you don't remember what the front of the house looked like originally, here is a reminder. The front porch has obviously been removed and a new set of double stairs will be installed soon.
As for the interiors, it still looks like this, BUT, really this isn't all that bad because all of the electrical, heating and plumbing have been installed and the inspections are are being done so we should be seeing sheetrock very soon. Above is the future kitchen. You can see the stack of 8" wide plank flooring that is going to be installed in the kitchen-the only room besides the master bath where new flooring needs to be installed. The kitchen cabinets have also been selected and they are going with Ikea's Abstrakt cabinets in high gloss white and the counters will be butcher block. This room will truly marry the colonial look with a modern one, but I think it's going to be very cool in the end. Things are really starting to come together and I expect we'll be seeing some finished rooms in the next month!