Around the House

Amazingly, even though I'm totally sleep deprived, I've managed (with the help of my amazing hubby) to get some little finishing touches done around the house.

click to enlarge

Firstly, the hallway leading to the bedrooms has been in want of some loving since we moved in. It's a small space but the blank walls have always bothered me. I found these pictures in my parent's basement and I'm so glad I did. They hold so much meaning, not only because they're the wedding photographs of my grandparents & great grandparents, but because they're a special reminder of where our family started - in England. Since both my nanny and grandpa have passed away, walking by these photographs throughout the day helps me feel close to them again. I also love having little pieces of my English heritage scattered around the house; those British roots run deep in my soul. Anyways, I repurposed some unused frames I had lying around (I have a bit of a hoarding issue when it comes to picture frames - you'll see what I mean by the end of this post) and they worked out perfectly in giving the photos new life without detracting from their vintage, aged appearance (the quality of the photos is pristine - I just had to increase the exposure on them for this post).

Second on the list was to clear the kitchen counters of unwanted clutter - something I was inspired to do by this post. I don't have a before shot, but trust me - it was cluttered. More and more I'm appreciating the simplicity of a clear space or surface - there's something so freeing about looking into a room and not being overwhelmed by the amount of stuff in it. 

Another little finishing touch we added to the kitchen was to hang some more pictures; we've lived here almost two years now and haven't done much in the way of wall decor. I finally just bit the bullet the other day and put some stuff up there even if it is exactly what I had in mind. The funny thing is, I love the way it looks and can't understand why it took me so long to make use of all my leftover frames. The frame above my stove has been collecting dust for years and was only $4.99 (down from $44 - so I bought two). I hung its "twin" on the blank wall in our front room which was in want of some attention. I formerly had committed to painting something for the space but let's be honest - that's not going to happen for a long time. The kids won't allow it.

Part of the reason it took me so long to hang stuff is that I'm really picky when it comes to choosing images to frame. Tim made it easy this time by requesting I only use pictures I've taken myself. The frame in the front room has pictures of downtown London from when I lived in England; we have a framed map of the city hanging on another wall so it made sense to stick with that theme. The picture above the stove is some close-ups of a gorgeous bouquet of ranunculus blooms I bought from Trader Joe's last year. And the two images on the corner wall in the kitchen are some favorite shots of Tim eating a corn dog and another eating ice cream as well as a picture of Jack from vacation last year.

This run on filling empty spaces means I have less than five unused frames in the closet and no more boring, blank walls. Win win.