I've been Pinspired #2: Pictures

I have to admit, I can be a little weird about photos. Don't get me wrong I love photographs, and I think it is great to look back at them and remember the moments they have captured. But still, I'm weird about displaying them in my house. It bothers me if the person in the photo is wearing, let's say, a hot pink dress. Because nothing in my house is hot pink, and therefore the photgraph clashes with my decor. I also don't particularly like the look of picture frames.  The frames themselves are pretty enough, but they look like dust catchers to me, just another "not particularly stylish" knick knack that you find in pretty much every home in the world. Until recently I've managed to get by with just a few picture frames in my home. However, now that we have about 1,000 gorgeous, professional photos from our wedding day, it just seemed like a shame to not display some of my favorites. But how to display them in a way that didn't look cheesy? For the answer, I turned to Pinterest of course! Here is what I found that inspired me:

Displaying all the photographs in one place creates a focal point, and gives the pictures more visual substance. Rather than having individual frames set sporadically throughout the house, I felt like this created a single area of interest and just all around had a better design asthetic. And since I had purchased my own shutter at a garage sale last fall (for $1, woo!!) this was the perfect solution for me. So I headed out to my favorite store, Goodwill, (seriously, I think Goodwill is my favorite store.. so many bargains!) to buy some picture frames. Here is what I found:

Four sturdy frames for $1 each that weren't particularly beautiful. But that's not anything a coat of spray paint can't fix (Remember, I'm a firm believer that spray paint can fix everything)! I also had one more frame tucked away in a closet that I found so I whipped that bad boy out and sprayed it too! Here is my finished product:

The oval shaped frame was one of the splurges that I made two weekends ago when I went on a spree. I think it was $14 which was probably a ridiculous amount of money to spend on a picture frame, but I have a love of all things oval. Ever since my amazing hubby proposed to me with a gorgeous oval shaped diamond engagement ring, I have been in love the shape. So when I saw this frame, I couldn't resist. I hope you guys like my little "Pinspiration Project"!

What about you? Do you have any little quirky opinions that can make designing your home a little more difficult? Have you found any creative solutions to make it all work?

As always, thank you!

-Jesse

I've missed shopping!

Hi everybody! I know it's been a while, sorry about that. We've been busy! This past weekend my hubby and I drove to College Station to visit our friend Melissa, and she talked me into doing something that I hadn't done in a while.. shop! In an effort to save money, I'd convinced myself that our house was full and that there was nothing left to buy. I told myself that now I needed to save my money for bigger projects (like new blinds in the master bedroom, new light fixtures, a new walk in shower, etc.) The thing about Melissa though, is that she has a way of making you believe you can ALWAYS use more stuff. Her apartment is BEAUTIFUL and full of the most adorable decor imaginable. So, I took a leaf out of her book, and went on a spree! Here's what I bought:

I bought some new candles, and they smell wonderful! Tyler candles are a little pricey, so they were a splurge for me, but it was worth it! They make my home smells like freshly baked cookies (without the actually cookies being there to tempt me!)

This little guy was a $6 find at Kirklands, and he is absolutely perfect for our guest bedroom! I still haven't shown you guys our guest bedroom because it's not 100% complete, but the color scheme in that room is bright and sunny. I think he makes the night stand a lot more fun!

Melissa works in this completely adorable boutique called Heartworks, and when I walked in I wanted to buy everything! I settled for this "too cute to pass up" dish towel. I love the colors and the vintage feel and I think it is a nice little upgrade to our kitchen.

To me, this dish towel looks a lot nicer and much "higher end" than a regular old dish towel. Mixing in small splurges like this with other budget friendly items can really give your home a more expensive feel at a fraction of the cost.

This white owl is by far my favorite purchase from last weekend. I ADORE him. You should know that I am a huge Harry Potter fan, so when I saw this whimsical owl perched on top of these crooked books, I automatically thought of Hedwig in the Hogwarts library. Purchasing him was a no brainer! He is from Tuesday Morning (if they have one of these in your area, check it out! It is the best store ever!) and his white vintage feel really helps complete this light and airy vingette I've created on the table top that separates my living room from the dining room.

Last but not least, we also bought a wrought iron decorative scroll, and hung it above our front door. I've always loved these scrolls, but they tend to be pricey. When I saw this one at Kirkland's for only $14, it didn't take Melissa long to convince me I needed it. I'm glad she did because I think it makes our front entry way feel a little more special.

What about you guys? Have you gone a little "shopping crazy" lately? Have any little splurges found their way onto your shelves, walls or tables?

Thanks for stopping by!

Jesse