The collage.
What can I say...I'm ambitious.
Not only do I want to be a professional blogger, master chef, homesteader, farmer, and photographer...but now, apparently, I want to be a interior designer as well.
Great.
It all started when I went to a thrift store this past weekend and ran across a slew of frames for prices ranging from .59-.99 cents. Big money. Being my ridiculous "I-can-fix this" self, I left with an armful of them.
I knew that I wanted to switch out this corner of my living room.
It's not that I don't like the apple-box bookshelf, it's just that...well...I'm still have a handful of furniture from college...and frankly, I'm tired of it.
As the weather grows cooler, my focus is slowly shifting from my garden to my home (whose details have been neglected over these past few summer months) and I am eagerly beginning to tackle these fun decorating projects I've been longing to complete.
Project one: The living room.
Goals: New throw pillows (ours are lumpy and torn), new drapes (I'd love a cool patterned fabric!), completing the corner collage, and replacing some of the old decorations with some fresh, feminine ones.
Note: I don't mean feminine like a pink figurine or anything...I just mean that the antique whiskey bottles and cactus could use a little softening...Oh, and did I mention that the budget for the said project is roughly $10? Perfect.
I feel like it's time for my style to grow up a little bit. I'm floundering somewhere between rustic/ranch/french country/hand-me-downs... and needless to say, it's a work in progress. Yet, even still, I long to have a defined style that oozes femininity, European-ish, country flare.
Feminine-European-Country-esque? Wow...how's that for a style. Let's move on, shall we?
To begin my project, I took my hodge-podge of thrift store frames - $5 in total.
Then, using a $3 can of spray paint...I sprayed them all a deep-plum purple. I chose purple because a) I wanted some color in the room and b) I wanted to soften the overpowering brown/green combination I've got going.
Insert purple paint, baby. I love how spraying all the frames brings a unified and cohesive look to an otherwise motley crew.
After the paint dried, Stuart helped me remove the old shelf and arrange our frames. Voila!
I know...I know, it's anti-climatic when the prints aren't in the frames - but I wanted to make sure we had them where we wanted them! And after some friendly-arguing about which frames should go where, I forced myself to trudge into our God-forsaken-spider-infested cellar to dig up some old postcards I had saved from my travels in Europe a few years ago.
Postcards of the Eifel tower. And of the Cinque Terre. And of a Botticelli masterpiece.
Mmm...take me to Florence!
None of the postcards are too matchy-matchy, which is perfect, because that just ain't my style (I say that like I know what "my style" even is!). I've also convinced my husband to do a pen & ink print of a beautiful church steeple to put into the big frame - but that will take a few days.
And even though I am sad to report that this project is not yet complete, I can assure you that once I purchase a few sheets of paper to mat the photos on, it will be! Because I can't bare the thought of spending $5 on a single mat, I'm having Stuart cut me some out using a thick card stock. All the prints will be framed by a light cream mat - I think it will look fabulous! And I promise to post a photo when it's completed!
I can't wait to see it finished! I love the style and class that these prints will bring to the room!
Yeah, that's right, I said class.
What? You didn't know I was a classy lady?
Well then...aren't you in for a surprise.