Creating a Gallery Wall

Gallery walls are all the rage right now. I've had them a time or two in the past--in fact, I have two tubs full of picture frames-white, black, silver. The thing is, the frame styles are very traditional. Because that used to be my style before I evolved into this rustic-modern-loving-gal. But, as I mentioned in a previous post, I got inspired by Dana from House*Tweaking. This image below is from Dana's "everything room."

I love everything about it--the dark charcoal upper walls, the white lower paneling, the credenza, the Hoyne pendant... Dana, let's be friends and then it won't be weird if I camp out in your everything room and just drool. But I digress. Let's take a peek through the Hoyne pendant and look at what is behind it. A gallery wall!

This one struck me a slightly different than my previous gallery walls--not traditional at all. The frames are flat and skinny--more modern in appearance.  What I truly liked about this gallery wall is the play of the rustic picture frames and the silver frames with burlap mats (at least  it looks burlapy!)  Dana was kind enough to share her sources on her blog--the rustic frames I liked so much were from Target (Threshold Picture Frame), and the silver frames were from West Elm (Gallery Frames-Antique Silver).   We don't have a West Elm here, but we do have Target so I ran to Target and grabbed a few of the rustic frames.

Then I assembled a hodge-podge of items I had around the house to create a gallery wall. Here are the progress shots:

And please, ignore the mess around the frames. As you can see, I just took different items I owned and tried to make it asymmetrically pleasing.  Finally, I got tired of messing around with it on the floor and just started tacking them up on the wall.  And this is where I tell you I made a new best friend:

This, my friends, is the Hang & Level. I picked it up at Target but online it says it is also available at Home Depot. This little bad boy is such a genius. Basically, you use one of the 3 little hooks on the bottom to hang your picture frame on, you hold it at the top to move the picture around and ensure it is level. When you have it where you want it to be, keep holding the tool on the wall and remove the picture from the tool. Then press gently on the the little button of the peg you initially hung your picture on. What it does is makes a small dent in the wall--the perfect spot to start hammering your nail in. Brilliant, really.

I will say however, it gets tricky to use with a gallery wall--especially if you are like me and just eyeballing the arrangement on the wall. The one problem I kept running into was the pictures I already had hung on the upper wall interfered with using the Hang & Level when it came to trying to place the pictures on the lower portion of the wall. The Level is so long that you can't hold the level to the top of the wall to position the lower pictures perfectly because the frames were up there. And I couldn't easily remove the top frames because I needed their placement to determine where the lower frames would look best. The other flaw I noticed is with heavy picture frames, it got  tricky to hold the level at the top knob and support the weight of the picture frame while trying to ensure it is level. But I am scrawny, so this might not be a problem for anyone of normal weight.

After a bit of bonding with my new pal, I reached a temporarily satisfying arrangement. I say temporary because I feel it needs more. For one thing, I don't have any of the West Elm Silver frames that I loved so much, and for another thing, I feel it needs some smaller, square frames or pieces to balance it out. Right now there are very large pictures/frames up that it needs something smaller to balance it perfectly I also am not crazy about the lamp poking up in the middle of the gap. I expect some re-arranging to happen in the near future. I also have plans to change up the console beneath.  That said, without further ado, here is my new gallery wall.

What do you think? 

Unplugging from it All

This past weekend, my parents, Peyton and I took a road trip to Minneapolis. Our targets: the Mega Mall, the Radisson Water Park of America, and Ikea. Warning-this post is long! Back in January, Peyton and I planned to have a weekend trip to the Mega Mall so she could spend her birthday money at the American Girl store. We thought we could make it a little birthday trip for the two of us since both of our birthdays were in January.  My mom then suggested the indoor Water Park of America at the Radisson Hotel. I was hooked, but we were bummed to find that the hotel was booked up to March. So we reserved a room for March and have been waiting patiently ever since.

Our first stop was the American Girl store because Peyton was a little less patient once we arrived at the mall.  So in we went and she bought the new doll of the year, Saige and her little dog. Then we browsed the mall and did a little shopping to kill time until we could go check in at the hotel. We were all anxious to go to the indoor Water Park!

Once we reached check-in at the hotel it was a madhouse. Everyone checks in at 4pm, so there was a very long check-in line... and apparently a stampede to the Water Park because there was another long line once we got to the room and got our suits on. But wait, let me back up a little here. We checked in and hauled our bags to the elevator to go up to our room on the third floor. There were a lot of half-nekkid people in the elevators and waiting area.  Cue discomfort. I say half-nekkid because they were wearing their swim-suits. No cover-ups. It was a real struggle for me not to put my hands over my eyes and screech that we were in a public place, people, put some clothes on!  Fast-forward an hour and I myself was doing the half nekkid dance in an elevator. Cue more discomfort.  Then we got to the line. The very long line.

Here is the thing--the Water Park is open to the public in the evenings, and on a Saturday night it was packed. So packed, in fact, that there weren't any water tubes left to use. Which meant we couldn't do the water slides and we couldn't do the lazy river. It was very frustrating. We were able to swim in the pool and, swim in the Wave pool (though it was jammed full of people who did have the tubes!) and bask in the hot tub. So I basked in the hot tub. Ah, bliss.

It was the next morning that the Water Park redeemed itself to us. The hotel opens the Water Park to guests only from 9-11 a.m.. And yes, there was still a long line to get into the Water Park, but we got TWO water tubes (ah, bliss).  We did the lazy river (repeatedly), basked in the hot tub (ah, more bliss), swam in the Wave Pool, and we did this:

Radisson Hotel Image found here

After a couple of hours at the Water Park, we packed up, checked out and went back to the Mega Mall. I really wanted to purchase a skirt and shirt I had seen in Athleta the prior day at the mall, and Peyton wanted to see the crabs. There was a little kiosk in the mall with Hawaii Crabs and they sell little hermit crabs. When we walked by we stopped to look and Peyton got to hold one. The girl is such an animal lover that she thoroughly got a kick out of it.  

Let me say a little bit here about Athleta. This is a store I had never heard of before. My mom wanted to hunt it down on the first day because she was looking for a pair of board shorts she had seen in their magazine.  I walked in the store and my head started shrieking out warning bells-- "danger, danger-exercise clothes--this store is too healthy!!" I really wanted to do a 360-degree exit right out the store but I stuck with my mom. Apparently, they sell women's yoga clothing, and it wasn't long before I was doing my little touch test on a few clothing items that caught my eye. MAN! Some of their clothes are so soft!!! I saw three things I wanted, but there was a long line to the fitting room and the prices were a little high. Particularly as I wasn't sure if the items were things I would wear anywhere but home. On day two, I decided I really did want to try them on, so back to the store we went and I tried them on. Two of the items I didn't like, but I did end up purchasing the skirt and a soft gray cardigan. 

Skinny Shadow Skirt

Haven Wrap

Then, we went to Ikea. A few  years ago we went to the grand opening of Ikea in Minneapolis, and with long lines we were only able to do a walk-through of the upper showroom level. This time, we were able to go through the Marketplace. You can buy all sorts of really cheap stuff there--and it was pretty easy for me to be a relatively good girl because all of the things I really wanted were furniture pieces that definitely wouldn't make the trip home this time around. (Me thinks there is definitely an opportunity for another trip with a trailer and some muscle in the near future...) 

I wasn't totally a good girl. I did buy a few things at Ikea... 

It's hard to see in the image, so here is the drill-down: 

• Evior Throw (black and white stripe blanket. Black and White. Stripes. Nuff said.)
• Spontan Magnetic board (two white rectangles)
• Bastis hooks (green, blue and pink doggy tail hooks--SO funny.. I may use them in Peyton's room!)
• Knipsa Baskets (I bought 4--some day I'd like to get the Expedit shelf as well)
• Trones shoe storage cabinet (tall vertical white cabinet on the far right)

In any case, after our little shopping expedition at Ikea we headed home. It was definitely a fun time, and maybe a little splurgy (yes, I did, I just made up that word), but I would totally do it again!!!

the High/Low list

I think I will start a new weekly series-the High/Low list. I have expensive taste. I do not necessarily have the budget to match... particularly since I tend to change my mind every so often. So oftentimes, I'll see something I really want, and then do some shopping to find a similar style that will satisfy my decorating whims.

Crate & Barrel Hoyne Pendant Lamp / Young House Love Large Wire Globe Lantern 7 Colors! SHADES / Suzanne Kasler Set of 3 Sunburst | Ballard Designs / Jonathan Adler Capri Short Grey Glass Table Lamp - #J1782 |... / Requisite Gray Ovo Table Lamp - #X1363-X8993-X9869 | LampsPlus.com / Threshold™ Round Mirror - 3 Pieces : Target

First up on the agenda on the High list we have the Jonathan Adler gray table lamp, the Crate and Barrel  Hoyne Pendant and the Ballard Design Sunburst mirrors. on the Low list we have the Lamps Plus Gray Ovo table lamp, the Young House Love Wire Globe Lantern and the Target Threshold Round Mirror set.

I have already acquired the Target mirror set--for $30 it was quite the steal. I used one of the lamps in a small project I tackled today-stay tuned for that post!  I've been looking at the Lamps Plus Ovo lamps for awhile and have been tempted to purchase two of the gray lamps to go with the Pottery Barn lampshades I bought last month.

Pottery Barn Karlie Ikat Embroidered drum lamp shade

Something tells me they would love fabulous on the Gray Ovo lamps. But I am not 100% sure I am committed to keeping the shades. They were pricey - around $150 for the last two in stock. Which really, is quite appalling, and I am pretty sure I will never spend so much on lampshades again in my life.  But they were discontinued, and I didn't want to regret some day not buying them! 

Which brings us to the pendant. One of my favorite blogs is House*Tweaking. I would say Dana's style most closely matches the style I want in my house some day. In fact, I was am 100% in LOVE with Dana's "everything room." (It's the mudroom, dining room and laundry room in her home.)  In any case, it was there I saw the Hoyne Pendant and fell in love. In fact, I love everything about this room and it has me looking at my kitchen and dining room with a whole new set of ideas... but that's another post for another day. 

House*Tweaking.com 

I love how the lamp brings a slightly industrial edge to the room, but also allows the light to go everywhere, which is important in my house.  Since there are no lights in the living room, so the dining room light is often the central light source for both the dining room and living room.  The only problem (aside from its $350 price tag) is its size. It's huge! My dining room is small, and with ceilings that are only 8 feet, I worry the size of the Hoyne pendant would be far too large for over my dining table. In comes another player, the YHL Large Wire Globe lantern from Shades of Light. It is less intricate than the Hoyne pendant, but here is the key: it also comes in a small size-only 15.75" across in diameter! 

YHL Large Wire Globe Lantern

So there you have it, my first installment of the High/Low list and oh yeah, a lot of rambling. 

Color Shot: Yellow and Taupe

This week's mood board is brought to you by the letter "Y." Sesame Street puns aside, since I love to create these little bits of inspiration, I thought I would step outside of my own bliss zone and play around with some designs in color schemes you won't find in my house!

Olin Gold 8x10 Rug / Taraval 3-Seat Sofa / Blake Grey Wash Lounge Chair With Cushion / CB2 Element Coffee Table / Durham Nesting Tables | Ballard Designs / Pier One Bamboo Floor Lamp / Vera Table Lamp / Martini Side Table, / Tate Twin Sleeper with Storage Ottoman | Ballard Designs / Iron Oxide Giclee | Ballard Designs / Iris Silk Pillow Cover | west elm / Ballard 17"Sq Perfect Accent Pillow | European-Inspired Home...

Two designs for a Room

I have been trying to decide what direction I want to take my lower-level media room towards. On the one hand, I like charcoal grays and rustic furniture with a hint of raspberry. On the other hand, I like pops of color, and I have always been drawn to the colors of the ocean. Also, my favorite color combo is teal and green.

So below are two takes on these mood schemes, if you will. The first, the charcoal gray sofa with rustic accents and a little bit of glamour and berry shades thrown in. What I truly like about this first scheme is that should my mind ever change on the color, it would be easy to switch it up and take it in another direction (what? I would never!)

Durham Tall Bookcase | Furniture | Ballard Designs / Lounge 2-Piece Sectional Sofa / Tess Chair / Bluestone Coffee Table / Talara Wall Mirrors | European-Inspired Home Furnishings | Ballard... / Talara Wall Mirrors | European-Inspired Home Furnishings | Ballard... / Robert Abbey Bruno Bronze 2-Arm Pharmacy Floor Lamp - #71503 / Venetian Bamboo Leg Table / Talara Wall Mirrors | European-Inspired Home Furnishings | Ballard... / Chevron Stripe Indoor/Outdoor Rug | European-Inspired Home Furnishings... / Robert Abbey Bone Triple Gourd Ceramic Buffet Lamp - #V4144 |... / X-Bench | Ballard Designs


The second one below has the colors I really gravitate towards, but with the furniture carrying the largest dose of color, it would be more difficult to change it up in the future.



Celine Cheetah Rug | Ballard Designs / Lounge 2-Piece Sectional Sofa / Durham Cocktail Table / Parsons End Table / Pier One Bamboo Floor Lamp / Robert Abbey Triple Gourd Apple Glazed Table Lamp - #U2372 / Venetian Bamboo Leg Table | Side Tables & Pedestals / Graham Chaise | Ballard Designs / Earnest Horse Art | Ballard Designs / chalkboard at Target / X-
Bench | Ballard Designs / Ballard Basic Custom Pillow Cover 18in | Ballard Designs

What do you think? Any fans of one over the other?

Alien invasion

My kryptonite is literature. I love reading-books, magazines, cereal boxes, shampoo bottles, you name it and I'll read it. I also tend to keep everything I read... ok, so maybe I don't keep the empty cereal boxes and shampoo bottles, but I DO keep all my books and magazines. One thing I would really love to get in this house is a library of built-in bookshelves where I can keep all my books and magazines. Right now, they are scattered all over the house, in piles, in random bookshelves in various rooms, on the floor.... They're everywhere... like aliens. 

Ok, not really like aliens. But they are. Everywhere.  And I really, really want to get them organized and off my floors. So I enlisted Peyton's help and we did this. 

Every single magazine I have was sorted into piles. I might have had over 30 piles on my living room floor.  I had six clear magazine files. And I filled them all in 2.3 seconds.  I need more. Like, 36 more. I counted all the magazines and had to do a little math to figure that out, but in order to house my current magazine collection, I need roughly 36 more magazine files. That's going to cost somewhere over $350.  Ouch! So even though I had to remove these magazines back into piles around the house, they are organized now. And they will someday, have a home and look just as pretty as these six: 

Honestly, my heart just goes pity-pat seeing all that nicely contained organization. What do you do to store your magazines? Anything that doesn't cost $350?! 

Hallway Updates

Would you buy it if I told you I took a long walk and I fell off the edge of earth? (Let's presume for a moment here that the earth isn't really round...ok, and that I actually do an activity that can be considered physical exercise....)

So I have been remiss in updating this blog with all that has been going on lately. I took some time off work and just literally unplugged from it all.  Or at least, I unplugged as much as one can with Christmas, New Year's, my daughter's birthday and my birthday. I also made a little dent in my 2013 Top Ten list. Can you guess what it is?

I got the main doors in the hallway painted, and I taped off all the trim for painting when I had to pause the painting because we had family coming to visit for Peyton's 7 year birthday party.  Here is where we are today: 

As you can see, there is still some trim to be painted yet, but the main doors are done with a few spots of touch-up yet to do, and the new doorknobs are on (well, on most of the doors). They are perhaps, the best part.  I went with the Schlage Stainless Steel Dover Levers from Menards. I had one of the 20% off shopping bags and they were $16.99 each for the passage levers and $18.99 for the privacy knobs. With 20% off of my loot, it kept the total for 5 doors well below $100. Score! 

I chose the Dover knobs because they were stainless steel and they had the simple, modern look I wanted to bring into my home. They are a huge upgrade from the rusted gold knobs previously on the doors.  As I said, most of the knobs are on, but a few had to come back off for repair and re-paint.  When my dad attempted to fit these new knobs into the old holes, we discovered a very unpleasant surprise. These "guaranteed fit" door knobs would not fit in the current holes because it appears the builders of this house decided to cut some corners when installing the old knobs. They had used mobile home knobs. Apparently, hole sizes are different for mobile homes. 

After a little research, my dad was able to find a drill template and drilled the old holes into new holes that would accommodate my "guaranteed fit" beauties, but it took a little trial and error. It splintered the wood very badly on one of the doors, so we had to patch the wood around the knob and I had to re-prime and re-paint. And, since he had the patching goods out we patched over a few additional dents the doors had obtained over the year, so thus, there is more re-priming and re-painting to be done. 

There is also something to be said about this recent painting episode. I will never paint baseboards attached to the wall again. It was a horrible experience painting those baseboards.. I had to tape the carpet down using my trusty green Frog tape and then use a paint edger (ok, you got me, I don't know what it's actually called--it's a 12" long flat stainless steel blade of some sort to hold between your baseboard and the carpet so you don't actually paint on the carpet). Most. frustrating. experience. ever. What is most unappealing is that was only the hallway completed.... I have 3/4 of the house left to do. Cue sobbing. 

Hopefully, the end result will be worth it. I can honestly say it was a little disconcerting to have white doors after having dark wood doors for so long. And because no project ever starts without an end result in mind,  here is my vision for my entry hallway: 

Parsons Console / Moravian Star Ceiling Light SHADES / X-Bench | Ballard Designs / Standing Pug / Talara Wall Mirrors | European-Inspired Home Furnishings | Ballard... / Robert Abbey Peacock Triple Gourd Ceramic Buffet Lamp - #V4153 |... / Stainless Steel Passage Dover Lever at Menards


And for those of you who are actually reading this blog, let's play a little "Where's Waldo," shall we? OK  you got me, there's no Waldo, but there are two things in my mood board I have checked off from my "must obtain list." We already know the door levers are one of them (cue spoiler alert-the title of this post, maybe?!)... Bonus points if you know which other item has already made itself at home in my... well... home?