Initial Art:: The Writing on the Wall

A few weeks ago, I made a huge list of to-do projects and blog posts that need to be done around here.  I figured this would help me focus when I came home with some time and just needed a project.  Of course each of the projects take different amounts of time, and this weekend, I needed one that only took a minute.  I went to the list and revisited some inspiration photos here and here.  I ended up having everything around the house!  I purchased 3 frames on clearance just this weekend and had a stash of scrapbook paper in my office.

I love how I was able to customize my initial art!  I spread out about 15 different pieces of paper in my master bedroom floor and chose two grays and a pop of blue for color.  This project was so relaxing to create since I kept thinking about how, if I didn't like the colors, I could just rip them out and reprint!  There is some kind of comfort in knowing that things DON'T have to turn out and CAN be changed (for free, too!)

To ensure that my experimental art wouldn't rip the paint off of my walls, I bought the 3M Command Strips designed for hanging pictures.  They were SO great.  All I did was stick one strip on the back of each frame in the same place and "lock in" the matching strip right on top (see below).  This product is similar to Velcro, but is designed to "lock" together with these heavy-duty teeth and not just "stick" together.

Although the frames looked cute on the nightstand, they took up a lot of room.  Also, I had this blank space above our bed that I thought needed filling. 

 So, up they went.  All I had to do was pull the back of the second Command Strip and press firmly to the wall.  I didn't worry with levels or rulers.  I just eyeballed it!

They turned out to be the perfect FREE art to fill the space above our bed.  Yes, they are also in the correct position.  The left is my side and the right is his side (although he will tell you my side is in the middle, but that placement wouldn't have looked quite as nice above the bed)

(please note that the red shades aren't staying!  I got a great deal on the lamps at Home Goods and am still thinking of what fabric to recover them with)

If you are loving the fonts, you can download them for FREE at http://www.dafont.com./  Here is what I used for my art: 

{H} Constanze, font size 370

{and}Sunshine In My Soul, font size 150

{R} Rough Typewriter, font size 400.

What is hanging over your bed? 

I'm Linking Up:

Funky Junk Interiors

Shabby Nest

My Tchotchke Could Be Your Tchotchke

Not only am I tickled to be in The Circle of Bliss, I am even more tickled to know the creative author of the blog Beauty In The Attempt.  This is the second insanely unique bloghop she has created. 


The purpose of this bloghop?  It's easy:  Put something in your house that you don't feel fits your style anymore into the hands of another blogger who just MUST HAVE IT TO MAKE HER LIFE COMPLETE!!!


Here is what I am offering:

Here is the low down in the item.  It is a basket that Rusty and I bought on a vacation in the market in Charleston, South Carolina.  We were told it is covered in large grape leaves.  It has a knotty vine wrapped around it to serve as handles.  I have stored many things in this basket over the ears.  In fact, it is still my style, probably.  I just happen to have bought two of them, and my house is not large enough for you to see it in one room of the house and forget you saw it later on in another room, lol!


Are you coveting this basket?  It is TOO easy to make it yours:
{1} Become a follower of {twenty}something 
{2}  Leave a comment about how you MUST have it
{3} On Tuesday, March 29th, I will give it to the one commenter or use a random generator to fairly give it away


It is not necessary for you to link up with an item you are giving away, but it sure would be more fun!  You can cater your entry to meet any requirements you want.  Customize it!  


You keel hopping while I start shopping!


Oh yeah, the shipping is on me for my item!

Decorating with Ladders

This weekend, Rusty set me up on the porch with my ladder, his drill and a bit kit.  It wasn't 5 minutes before I was calling him back for help!  50 year old screws and hardware don't come out easily.  He worked and worked on those metal pieces for about 30 minutes.

 After he literally pulled out and broke off some of the metal pieces, I was left with two identical ladders.

Right away, I toted them inside and tried them everywhere.

I think I am about to hit "buy" on Perfectly Imperfect's e-book Creating Your Masterpiece to browse the different painting techniques before I dip my brush in the can! 


I can't wait to put it somewhere all painted up and toss a throw over it or prop a few books up on a rung! 

Linking up:

Curtain Inspiration

Right now, I am loving these curtains for the breakfast nook:

Welcome to Heardmont

The Yellow Cape Cod

A Thoughtful Place

I am also dying to stencil something, and am thinking that these West Elms curtains could be easily knocked off:

  So there they are.  I need help deciding.

Quizzes by Quibblo.com

Evolution of the Breakfast Nook

I've kept a secret.  Rusty and I have been working away on the kitchen and breakfast nook redo.  My perfectionist side is begging me not to post this since it is not "done", but EVERYONE knows that before and during pictures rock almost as much as after pictures.  Let me start at the beginning:

 These are the pictures from the MLS listing when we found our house.

When we moved in, we put the only table we owned in the "breakfast nook" and had an empty dining room.

 Then we added wainscotting (see that post here).

Then our great friend, Rylee, came and painted for us...again (he painted our kitchen, dining room and master bedroom hours after we moved in as well).  He turned our DIY wainscoting job into a piece of art.  The color really opened up the room and brightened it up.  We chose Pearly White by Sherwin Williams.

After moving the table back in and putting the PB Knock-Off light fixture back up, we have our "during" breakfast nook redo!

Here are some other shots of the kitchen.

 Here is a before and during shot to see the difference side by side

What's next?  Curtains, wall decor and color!  I am stuck on the curtains, though.  Any ideas of what I should do? 

Updated Photos:

You can read my tutorial for the stenciled curtains here.

Linking Up:

Using Forsythia Sprigs In Your Decor

I observe Daylight Savings Time like others observe holidays.  It is my Mother's Day.  I love it more than my birthday.  I would rather celebrate it than Valentine's Day.  To commemorate today, I drove around The Promise Land until I found some "wild" Forsythia shrubs.  

I happened to find one in the Transportation Department's entrance, and luckily they were closed!  I helped myself to a few sprigs while Rusty stood guard.  Here they are sprinkled around the house.  They are just the pop of color that I needed on my holiday!

I can't wait until my two bushes in the side yard get large enough to keep me from thieving from the transportation department, lol!

Since we now have so much more natural light, Rusty gifted me with the instillation of two dimmer switches.  He put on in the living room and one in the kitchen.  This allows me to slowly overtake the fading natural light of the evening with the natural light bulbs in our fixtures.

What do you plan on doing with your extra daylight every evening?  Do you try to squeeze as much natural light into your home with open blinds and dimmers?