A New Painting for Our Kitchen Nook

I'm crazy about this oil painting painting I recently found for our kitchen nook.  It's by a German artist named Decker and was done in 1886.  You know when something just calls to you?  ("Buy me!!" ;)  I didn't know where I'd put it (I rarely do with art...  If I love it, I know I'll find a spot) but for $60, I was thrilled. It's full of my colors and I just love its moodiness. 

I've been meaning to  get something up on the left side of my kitchen nook for a while now...   Here's a photo of the right side with the chalkboard:

The green in my cabinets (Behr's Witch Hazel in Semigloss) works perfectly with the Decker painting:

I'm leaving it unframed and I love seeing the tattered sides of the canvas.  The painting is so beautifully aged.  

And here it is up in "the nook." 

I'm never one for permanence in my home, but it'll be staying in the nook for a good long time!  While I do appreciate museum-quality art (who doesn't?)  I'm always on the lookout for beautiful inexpensive original paintings.  (And by inexpensive I mean under a $100 and preferably in the $30 - $50 range...  I know that's cheap, but I feel no guilt at checkout! ;)   

xoxo,

lauren

ps- The white floor vent register seen in the pics has finally been replaced!!  wahooo 

Hanging a Gallery Wall

A client of mine had a huge stash of artwork that her brother had given her years ago... always planning on doing something with some of it but never getting around to it. He made some of the pieces from tissue paper & paint so they're raised & really unique:

Each piece symbolizes something special to them. She has a huge wall going up her stairway so I thought it would be the perfect space to display almost the whole collection. I had them mounted on a dark green velvet (which was one of the few colors that worked with all of the pieces) and framed in shadow box frame sans-glass. We used a laser level, a tape measure, and of course my accommodating contactor & his ladder to hang the gallery wall and it came out perfectly. (love it when that happens!)

We switched out her builder's grade brass fixture for this Arteriors Home antique brass pendant which works with the contemporary artwork but also pays homage to the rest of the house which is actually fairly traditional:

Gallery walls can be perfect for thar forgotton hallway or stairway & often we have the artwork or photos just waiting around our house to be framed. (And prints are so cheap & easy to come by!) They have a huge impact on a space & can be really sentimental. My client loves seeing her brother's artwork first thing when she comes home every day. Do you have any artwork just waiting around to be hung??

xoxo,

lauren

Blowing Up Images on Canvas: Your Thoughts??

Ok, so I wanna have a little fun in my dining room... When I saw the gnarled tree print (below) that Nina Griscom had blown-up onto a canvas, I was in love & wanted to try it out for myself.

I also LOVE the massive size of the hawk print in Victoria Pearson's home (House Beautiful) below.

With these 2 houses in mind, I started searching for images. I've always loved The Little Owl by Albretch Durer (below). (And of course, the Hawk got me thinking birds... And I would actually go nutty for an exact copy of Nina Griscom's tree in a larger size to be honest.)

But then, checking out morel of his work, there were so many others I loved!! A lot of them were of really dark subject matter and they were so beautiful, but my husband & I both love the one below.... Blown up to say 6 or 7 feet tall, it would be sort of like a modern tapestry.

I found a bunch of companies that do giclee canvas transfers on custom size super-large canvases but they're really expensive. I'll give Kinko's a shot. Does anyone have any other ideas?? We're still loving the idea & considering the splurge but here's my next worry: Obviously when you enlarge something so big, it loses quality. It gets pretty pixelly. Below is an image of a preview of what it would look like 6 feet tall:

Kind of reminds me of comic books... So what are your thoughts?? Still doable??? Or are we crazy??? I think it would be fine at a distance and most likely still really interesting up close--- but will it look too poppy???

Here's the (hopefully!!) dining room table:

And below is the the massive canvas would in. (The shelf will be gone of course--- it's needed in the storage room.) And also, I'm moving (ok, my husband's moving) the chandelier to the entryway. I want some sparkle in the dining room & have a huge tall entryway that needs some spicing up.

For furniture in the adjoining living room, I've got the green velvet sofa and the two matching reverse- toile green/white chairs. I'm planning on doing parsons chairs with white slipcovers & some type of green fabric for the top part of the chairs.

ok, I need some honesty on this blown up canvas... I can't gaurantee I'll listen but I think the truth will help. thanks.

xoxo,

lauren

***UPDATE**** Thank you SO MUCH for your ideas & thoughts!!!! Quality was my biggest worry about this project too. We tested the blowup out on paper & loved it (even though it is pixelly- it reminds us of the fibers in a tapestry & it looks really cool... If you're considering doing this, have a portion of the image blown-up to the size it will be (on regular paper) and see if you're ok with the quality.)

****** new update: Kinkos doesn't do enlargements this big... I went here: http://www.wizardprints.com/pricing.php I'm having it printed onto fabric with an adhesive backing that sticks right to the wall. It will have to be done in 2 pieces because of the size but I think I can make that work!

Inexpensive Artwork for Childrens' Rooms

Some of the most beautiful art can be found in children's books. And what an inexpensive way to decorate?

Remember the curtains I bought at Ikea this weekend for my little guy's bedroom?? (below) Well, the first thing I thought of when I saw them was My Father's Dragon by Ruth Stiles Gannett (above)-- one of my favorite books as a kid. How fun would it be to use the book for art?

And also, how about The Saggy Baggy Elephant by K.B. Jackson with illustrations by Tenggren? (below)I think it would work perfectly.

The colors are vibrant and the story takes place in the jungle, which is exactly what the curtains remind me of.

Christian loves the book and loves naming all the different animals & making animal sounds. I think it would be so fun for them to be blown up & framed as a set of prints on the walls.

The crocodile (below) is one of my favorites. It's the illustration that made me want to start framing this book because it's just so vibrant & pretty.

How cute is Sookie the elephant's belly below??!!

Ok, I know I've shown an insane amount of this book by now, but just one more. (I can't help myself they're too cute!!! :) At this part Christian always points to the elephant in the center and says "baby" and then points to 2 big elephants and says "mommy - daddy."

And another of my favorite books is Murice Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are. The fabric below comes in a green & aqua colorway and when I saw it I immediately thought of Where the Wild Things Are. (I wish I had an image of the fabric in the right color but hopefully you see the connection anyway.)

I LOVE LOVE LOVE this book. The images are beautiful and the story's great.

When I was little, the library we went to had a big Max doll (wolf suit and everything) that came with the book when you checked it out. He was probably as big as me and it was awesome. Christian has an old furry snow suit that looks like Max's wolf suit and he sometimes puts it on and runs around growling.

The illustrations are softer & I think they almost deserve a room of their own. My original idea was to have Christian's new room be "where the wild things are" with letters spelling "WILD THING" above the bed, but then I found the really cheap Ikea curtains. Maybe Baby 2 will get to be the WILD THING??? (The Napping House is also a contender.)

We'll see... That fabric is much more expensive so... Anyway, there are so many beautiful children's books out there!! It's a really inexpensive way to decorate and kids will love it. (and you will too!!) Can't wait to show you finished pictures. Christian is getting his "big boy bed" soon so it'll be shortly!!! What are some of your favorite illustrated children's books?? Do you have any book artwork on your walls?

xoxo,

lauren

Doggone Days of Summer

Well, summer is officially here for us (my husband, a teacher, is DONE FOR THE SUMMER!!!!) Which means we'll be spending lots of time outside & more time with our dog, Ashby.

(above pic from Country Living) A lot of us have dogs & they're like another member of the family. Unfortunately for our pup, when we had our son (about 2 years ago) she got less & less attention. We try, but those kids can be demanding!!! She was THE BABY before he came. She came on every vacation with us and was always in my lap (at 45 pounds!!). Now, she still sleeps with us, but she stays home when we vacation (with a 2 year old we have to stop and eat at restaurants on road trips & we can't leave her in the car) and she's much harder for me to carry because she's gained probably 10 pounds thanks to our son feeding her from his high chair!!! I also just don't have as much time to baby her in general. (Which I actually think she might be pleased about, because as I've said before I'm like that weird little girl Elmyra from Looney Toones with poor Ashby... loving & hugging & squeeeezing her) Anyway, she's such a sweetie & puts up with so much from our 2 year old, so I thought she'd enjoy this post. Here she is (below on the right) with her very best friend, Boudreaux, (an American Bulldog) who also recently became second fiddle to a baby. (oh it hurts to put into words!!!)


One summer in college during my PR internship in Washington, DC (my major in college!) there wasn't enough work for me. So what does a lowly college intern do with no work? She surfs the internet! (i hadn't even heard of blogs at this point in my life or we would've met sooner!! ;) Anyway, I desperately wanted a dog when I graduated, so I began researching all the different breeds, picking my favorites and lusting after ones that were so cute but would shed too much for me. Needless to say, I know a lot about dogs, thanks to that wonderful internship.




One thing I always love to see in people's homes is dsog art, sculpture & accessories, so I thought I'd share a few I found with you. How cute is the poster below?! (from Country Living) It's graphic & fun, and adds a colorful & quirky punch to the space.




The Egyptian dog statue (from Livingetc) below is a big presence in this sparse room. It adds interest. (and, obviously, the homeowners like dogs!!)


Surprisingly, a lot of rooms you see with dog paintings or prints, have a more serious, formal feel. (Or a more serious blue blood feel: Think of Ralph Lauren-type rooms with hunting pics.) In the image below (from houseandhome.ie) I think the dog painting works really well with the scheme of the room but its placement is a bit off for its small size.


Below, from Country Living, I love how this springer spaniel painting is just casually leaning against the wall on the ottoman. It makes the space!



In another Country Living pic (they must love dogs!! :) there are adorable dog embroidered pillows. (I think Lindsay from Everything LEB did a post that included these adorable pillows once.) Love their stately attire!! I found one really similar to these that looks exactly like our dog. (sans hat)



And, in general, I love it when prints are layered casually as in the image below. (Country Living!) This person really loefvs dogs, as she has a pillow, little figurines all over and a door stop under the table.



Below is one of my favorite images (via Simply Natural by Rob Lowe) as much for the room iteself as for the fact that it has a picture of my favorite dog, a German Short-Haired Pointer.



My dad always has a pointer and the one above & below (encoreeditions.com-- awesome prices!!) looks just like Hershey, the one I grew up with. Hershey was the best dog ever and a German Short-haired Pointer is the epitome of "dog" to me.



Below, I also love this tight grouping of breed prints. It's graphic and beautiful and the room has an elegant feel. (via House Beautiful)



So, the great theing about dog art is that generally, it's really affordable! (I'm not talking antique oils though!) Google it online & you'll see. Check out the painting below. They're too cute!!




This hunting painting reproduction (below) is of foxhounds, which are so commonly found in old paintings & prints. (reminding me of those Ralph Lauren hunting rooms)



And Ballard Designs has these great hand-colored prints ($119, below) of almost every dog you can think of!!! (I'm not so keen on the price though, and I think you could find a cheaper print of your dog (like one from encoreeditions.com) & write in pretty cursive around it! ha) But, I do love them. Below is of course, a white & liver spotted German Short-haired pointer who looks like my dad's dog (She was my 17th birthday present, but he couldn't part with her!!) Quaisley. (She's such a crazy cutie!) The painting below by SJ Merwin is of a Welsh Terrier, and looks just like my dad's dog, Bailey. (We got him when I was 12... )(I have included him later, after posting without poor Bails, because my dad left the first comment under 'Anonymous' and brought up Bailey, who I unintentionally left out! :)

This giclee (below) from Ballard Designs has been on my wishlist since before Christian was born. My original plan was to do a dog theme nursery for him with black and white photos of all the dogs my husband & I have had over our lives and then use this adorable canvas. I planned to use a glavanized steel tub like the one in the pic painted turquoise for his stuffed animals. The funny thing is, today, Christian reminds me a lot of the baby in the picture. This may be a theme for Baby 2, so let me know what you think! (again, I wasn't too happy with the price!!)


And finally, if you're anything like me, you love it when you find pictures or paintings that look like your dog. Ashby is a mutt (part Jack Russel, lab and Aussie Cattle Dog) so it's not as easy to find mutt pics as it is to find full breeds. But here are just a few I've found over the years. Here's Miss Ashby:

And here is a painting I found (of her, I'm convinced!!) at Lucketts:




And this drawing looks more like her now that she's put on some weight (wrong sex though! she wouldn't be happy with me if I bought this one.)
A
nd finally, I found an image of this antique oil painting with a pup who looks just like Ashby when we're eating and she's watching. hee heehee


So, go google prints & paintings of your dog. Lots of them really are affordable and with the right frame and location, they could be adorable in your house! Below, is one last pic of Ashby with her boy toy:

(This was when they were still our #1 babies, see the lifevests??!!! hahah)
xoxo,
lauren