Colorful Photo Gallery Wall

May 8, 2013 venicepup

Is it May already!? This year is flying by and it is my mission to get some projects done around the house! I’m still in the process of recovering our entire sofa – hopefully I can post some photos next week… or let’s be real, the week after =)

In the meantime, while pulling my hair out on the sewing machine, I was able to get these pictures up. When there was only one kid in the mix, I had black frames put up of all his fun photo sessions. Now that there are 3 munchkins, I had to either get rid of the sweetest pics ever or just add more ahhh’s to this side of the house. Proud mama side won that debate over pretty quickly! Since we’ve got twins that are identical I knew I wanted to have each boy have their own color theme. I first rounded up a bunch of frames in varying sizes from wherever I could get ’em cheap. I had several at home already so that was good, got a few at Ikea (of course) and the rest at Homegoods or places like that.

Then I grabbed some spray paint – charcoal and med. gray. Half of the frames came out ok, but most had some bubbles, even after I sandpapered them a bit. Grrr!! Not only did I waste time, but now half my frames looked yucky! That’s when I got the idea to use washi tape to wrap them. It covered the bubbles/yucky parts well, is super colorful and not too expensive. I got all the tapes from vendors on etsy.com.

You can see I have lots of tape! I got a ton of patterns, but kept the color the same for each boy. It wasn’t hard to wrap the frames, just time consuming especially if you want to try and line up the patterns.

Here’s what I ended up with!

Just the side wall…

I know the pictures are dark and poorly taken (I’m no photographer!) but I think it’s super cute! I love the color in this breakfast nook that only our family uses. And the best thing, is that I hung them using Command strips so if there is ever a new addition, I can either mix all the colors up or add to it, or get rid of it altogether!! Happy Times!

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Here she is!

May 2, 2013 venicepup

Just couldn’t resist the hand carved lily pad. Isn’t she just stunning?! A little tricky getting her back together, and now that I’m studying the photo I think I may still have some work getting the leaves and buds balanced. I’m not sure if she’s going to stay by the window since I’m working on some drapery, but without a doubt, I’ll find a nice home for her. Love, sigh.

Yes, this is a small glimpse into my living room which is always evolving. I’ll get some more photos soon. Ciao Amigos!

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Fun at the Flea Market

April 27, 2013 venicepup

Hello Friends!

I wanted to share a few of my favorite finds from the Rose Bowl flea market. I absolutely love going to this! It’s so much fun to see the crazy things that vendors have and the awesome steals that people are walking away with. I go with the whole family, two strollers and all, so we get there at about 9am for the cheap seats. Even though it’s later than my husband, Ed and I would like to get there, we still manage to score something fab almost every time. Plus, isn’t shopping just too much fun?! I have a girlfriend that says shopping is her hobby – You go girl!

So, I saw this amazing desk with gold drawers and rivets! I love the thick piece of glass and round wood feet. The combo makes this truly special. Isn’t it TDF?!

We chatted with the sellers and they were asking $1,100 which may sound obscene by I really think that it was a pretty fair price. We agreed that it was from a top designer and between me and you, I’m sure it’s worth way more than that.

The other reason I loved it is because it’s an easy look to steal and super versatile; you could use the bottom drawers as two nightstands or side tables, you could get a third set of drawers and put it in the middle for storage or tv console or whatever!

Here are some of my favorite substitute options…

24" Mayfair Steamer Cube with Drawers Brushed Steel — Restoration Hardware – $1095

Overstock - $501.99 — Overstock – $501.99

Home Decorators - $289 — Home Decorators – $289

Anyhoo, you get the idea. Now the price doesn’t seems so bad, eh? Just that honking’ glass piece is probably a few hundy.

Then I saw this super cool lantern chandelier. I had Ed take the picture for me… and well, you see what happened…

He’s so funny! He took a picture of this lamp instead of the lantern. But you can see it in the back, to the left. Imagine it in red or chartreuse or shiny gold…$150

You really have to look closely here. It’s a small iron bird that attaches to a table to hold needles on it’s back (there’s a cork inset) while sewing. The mouth even opens when you squeeze the tail feathers to keep track of your thread!! $65

This table and set of chairs fold up! You can keep it tucked in a closet, which is so practical. Or, if I were to go for it, I’d put it in a kids room. I love the bamboo details and the fact that it’s actually made of plastic – easy to clean, easy to move around! $80

The lines of this chest are rad. I’m imagining a bar with swanky glasses and a decanter on top. $250

Last but not least, this hand carved lotus plant! This thing is about 10 feet tall, probably why it’s even still available at 10:30 am!! It’s definitely a show stopper, but you’re gotta have the space for a beast like this.

Darn, didn’t get a shot of the bottom, which is killer! Nuts. I’ll get better at this – promise.

So… which one did I end up with??

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