"Big as Texas" Artwork

I am so excited about my recent art purchase.  On a Thursday afternoon in December, I wandered into Dreamweavers in Downtown Little Rock during lunch.  I took a co-worker along to see the selection that Dreamweavers offers.  When we walked in, I hadn't noticed the artwork at the entrance of the building.  When we got ready to leave, something made me turn around and it was instance love!  But, I didn't immediately purchase the painting.  I fell into the trap that most people do, "I already have artwork on that wall and I don't know what to do with what I already have."  I thought about that painting for the remainder of the day.  The next day, I decided that I had to have it.  So, when my boss released us for the day, I went straight to Dreamweavers and was hoping that no one else had purchased the painting.  It was my lucky day. The painting was still hanging at the entrance of the store.  I told the man at the counter, "I've come to purchase the painting!"  It took two attempts to get it home.

The best part of my purchase is that the painting was priced at $179!!!  I think it is either an acrylic or oil-based painting.  It measures 57 inches wide by 70 inches long.  You can't buy a frame this size for $179.

My rule about purchasing artwork is that you should always purchase artwork that you love, if it's within your budget.  

Christmas 2012

I haven't been keeping up with my posts lately.  I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas holiday.  Since it is Christmas season for 2012, I wanted to share this year's tree.  As always, my 18 year old great-nephew, Ka'Run, decorated my tree.  I told him I wanted it in red and gold and to use the netting this year.  I told him I didn't think this was his prettiest tree he had decorated for me, but I still appreciate his efforts!  

This year I added sweater pillows I purchased at Target for a fall/winter look for my sofa.  I paired the pillows with the red reindeer pillows from Pier 1 purchased last year.  

I found the cutest candle jewelry at Pier 1.  I've seen candle jewelry at Kirkland's, but this was the first Christmas-themed candle jewelry I had seen.

Good Example of Mixing Patterns

I wanted to share this picture of a sofa with accessory pillows.  I love mixing patterns.  I think it makes a space look more interesting than just using a solid and a pattern.  You have to be careful when mixing patterns.  A rule of thumb to follow is to make sure your patterns have a common color.  In this example, blue is the common color.  Pair a smaller pattern with a bold pattern that have common colors.  All of the patterns in this picture are different, but it works.  If this is too much pattern for you, then feel free to use a solid color.  You could place a sold blue pillow on each end of this sofa and add the patterned pillows in front. 

Fall is Here!!!

It's my favorite season of the year!  I get so excited when fall finally arrives.  I love the hues of fall--the reds, oranges, yellows, browns.  As with clothing, I prepare my house for fall.  The front door and porch have been decorated for fall, pillows on the sofas and chairs in the living room have been changed to fall colors, and I have changed the comforter in my bedroom to darker hues.

I need a new look for my front door for fall.  I've had this same look at my house for 7 years.  Next year will be time to change it up.  But for now, this will have to do for the fall of 2012.

Now this is what I would like for my front door to look like at fall.  This is the front door of Chris Olsen's house.  For those who don't know Chris Olsen, he is the owner of Botanica Gardens in Little Rock.  Chris has the most fabulous house and grounds.

I found sweater pillows at Target to place on my living room sofa.  Nothing says fall like a sweater.  The bolster pillow was in the chair in my bedroom.  The shaggy gold pillows are from Dreamweavers.  I purchased them for $5 a pillow, so I couldn't resist.

The Proper Scale for Accessories

This has to be my top decorating pet peeve--accessories that are too small for the space they are in.  Everybody is guilty of this--even me.  To quote Maya Angelou, "When we know better we do better".  

When selecting accessories for your space, you need to consider the type and size/scale of your furniture.  Tiny artwork and lamps that are too small are typical mistakes that a lot of people make when decorating a space.  For example, notice the lamps I used to have on my nightstand.  The lamps were clearly too small to be paired with my night tables and bed.  The size of the furniture suggested that I needed lamps with a more substantial base. (Notice that I purchased a new bed since the one shown in this photo.  That's another story and blog post!). 

I searched for lamps and came across these at a local furniture store in Little Rock.  I was hesitant to purchase the lamps at first because I thought they were too modern for my traditional bedroom.  On the advice of a friend who is a decorator, I decided to purchase the lamps and I am glad I did.  Here is how my beside tables look with lamps that are better scaled for the room:

The lamps have a larger, more substantial base.  Also, the lampshades are larger.  The other lamps had a more delicate base and also were done in a shiny brass finish.  It was definitely time for more updated lamps.

My Next Project--for Me!

I have never liked the color of my cabinets.  After almost 7 years, the paint is starting to chip, despite the fact that they are painted in an oil-based paint.  Also, they get dirty and I am constantly wiping them down.  I thought about taking on refinishing the cabinets myself, but I know that it would be a lot of work and I want to ensure that the finished product looks professional.  I called this company by the name of "Angelfish".  Angelfish does nothing but faux finishes.  The company does awesome work.  Angelfish has done residential and commercial work all over the U.S.  Check out the website at:


http://www.angelfishstudios.net


I want you to see cabinets that Angelfish did in a house in Chenal Valley.  The owner (Tracy Rivers) came by my house this morning and I pulled up her website.  She directed me to this photo.  I thought that Angelfish just added the gold/bronze on the decorative parts.  No, Angelfish made cabinets that were white like mine look like this:  

Isn't this awesome!!  Tracy is going to do sample finishes for me so I can tell her how I want them to proceed.  Tracy said that Angelfish can add small knicks in the cabinets to give them an aged looked.  They will paint the cabinets a brown color using oil-based paint and then go over the brown with a glaze.  I am very excited about this look for my kitchen.  I can't wait for Angelfish to transform my kitchen cabinets.  I am also going to have Angelfish change/transform the vanity in my master bath.  I am also thinking about having them to do a Venetian plaster in my dining room.  Wouldn't that look fabulous with my chocolate walls?  So many ideas--so little money!!

The Foyer

Jeremy's condo has a small foyer.  His foyer actually has more wall space than mine.  Since I had just finished painting the stripes in the living room, I suggested that the foyer should be painted red.  The foyer sets the tone for the condo.  It lets those who enter know that this space has personality.  I didn't like the idea of walking into a taupe foyer and then having the color from the stripes smack you in the face.  So, I used the same paint that was used for the stripes and painted the foyer a solid red.  Jeremy loved it and I actually think that Brittany likes it, too!  Jeremy and Brittany have not selected artwork for the foyer yet.  I am including these photos for now, but I will update the photos once the artwork has been hung.