Sunday, January 30, 2011

TV WALLS : : from blah to voila!

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 Does anyone else have a big ol' wall like this just waiting for something?  Trying to figure out a game plan for what that "something" is can be quite daunting.  So I just thought I'd throw out one idea, out of so many out there for you to think about and try.  Here are the steps I took to tackle this project.


1.  Figure out all my options and visual and research to help narrow down to one.  In this case, I thought I could go with either a picture grouping on either side of the tv or one big gallery wall.  I looked at pics of both and decided with the gallery wall to best unite the whole wall.  My research also helped provide inspiration from other blogger/decorators: Emily A. Clark, Isabella and Max Rooms.

2.  Next, I started gathering frames.  I hit a sale at Salvation Army and got quite a few of these there for only $1 each.  I just touched them all up with a bit of black spray paint and they were good to go.  A couple I had just sitting around and the big one I got on the clearance rack at Ikea for $3.  I also got a few packs of these Command 17204 Medium Picture Hanging Strips, 6-Sets if you haven't tried them....now is the time!!  No holes in the wall for if and when you decide to redecorate! (We have paneling in our living room so these are a life saver!)

3.  You know how some gallery walls just look ummmm....off?  Well, since that wasn't the look I was exactly going for, I took the extra step and made cutouts for each piece I had to put up. I just taped up the pieces with masking tape. This way I didn't have to do all the visualizing in my head and I could make sure it all was going to look straight.
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 4.  Last, I put in my pics and hung with a level.  The only nail hole I made was for the large picture.  I had a hard time deciding what to put in my pics...and whether to do color or black & white.  I decided to take pics from our vacations and put them in....that allowed for some landscape shots and some with the family, but all tied together with a theme.  I may change them to black & white but for now I am loving the colors and how they brighten up the room.  (And no, I didn't paint in between shots...it's just the difference between flash shots and night and natural light shots!)

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Sooo....for under $20 I have a wall that has some personality!  I'd love to hear what you think about this mini transformation!

Friday, January 28, 2011

Home is where my heart is...


I spend a lot of time trying to make my home fit all the needs of our family...functional for all of us, aesthetically pleasing enough for me, durable enough for my little man, childproof enough for my baby girl, fun enough for my husband, etc. How do I combine all these things in 1 house on my budget? Lots of trial and error. I used to think that once I placed an picture on the wall or a floral arrangement somewhere that it was there for good. Now, there is not a week that goes by that my house stays the same...and I love it. No committment, no worries! So my first design tip...don't stress about decorating, try it out and if you don't love it....there's always next week to change it up.

So, what may or may not be staying in my house for next week??? My daughter's kindergarten artwork on my mantle. I decided this morning that I hate my old artwork's size in that location so while we were spring cleaning this morning, I found her piece with my living colors...so I'm trying it out.

What are you going trying out this week? What do you think about my new "artwork"?


Penny Lane Designs