NURSERY ART PRINTS

The nursery collection launched on in March and I couldn't be happier to have it almost complete. Over the course of about 2 weeks we found out that 8 close friends were pregnant, and then a few more joined the club a month later. I wanted to create gifts for the parents-to-be, and art is really the marriage of my two loves, interior and graphic design, so creating a collection of prints was a task close to my heart. I was inspired by stars, the moon, and dreaming. You can view the entire collection in our shop here. 

SEPTEMBER ECO FRIENDLY FINDS

The changing of the seasons not only signals a change in wardrobe, but adjustments to your home as well. Think about it in the same way you would your wardrobe. Adding lush fabrics, texture and warmth can be easy if you start of small. A knit toss pillow, a wool throw, and some wooden accessories can cozy up a space, just like that. This month's favorites are a collection of small things you could add to your home to warm it up for fall. I just ordered #2 and I can't wait to snug it right onto the guest bed.

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FRAMED AGATE COLLECTION

I have been searching for some interesting art ideas for the wall that is weirdly angled between our foyer and living room. We've had a movie poster hanging there since the day we moved in, 48" of Rita Hayworth as Gilda, in all her glory. I've had this poster since high school. (Yes, I was a super interior design geek even then- I felt like N'sync posters and the like cluttered the look of a room, but a framed movie poster was much more sophisticated.) So when we moved to our post-college home I wanted something a little less "teenage dream," and a little more "Hey, I'm a real interior designer, I promise."  But it takes me forever to make design choices in my own home, so this is a huge step for us.

We tend to gravitate toward collections in this home because we have 12' ceilings, which makes for a lot of ground wall to cover- and because collections inspire us. We've always loved going to museums and spending hours in the natural history wings, wandering through the dioramas and gazing at the fossils. When I saw what was hanging over the tub in this showhouse in Utah I knew exactly what we needed for our space. 

Even though John loves agates and geodes, and I love pyrite- we selected agate slices to frame, because they were thin, yet colorful and would add dimension to space. I ordered my agates from Sonya Masur on Etsy.  Check out her shop, she has so many great stones, and her agate coasters were perfect for this project. I tested out one agate in a frame prior to purchasing, because I did not want a shadow box frame.  and they were thin enough to rest against the glass, and still get the back of the frame on, I did have to pop the rubber feet off the back of the coasters, but they came off without a snag.

To complete the look I taped a piece of biscuit colored card stock to the back of my mat, and because I ran out of double stick tape I used a fancy tape loop on the back of the agate. Simple place the agate in the center of the mat and put the frame back together. I used frames from Michael's Craft Store, I also used the same frames for this project. And I stuck with my favorite brand of metallic spray paint, Rustoleum universal metallic - but this time I got the hammered metal, in the rosemary finish, it has a great greenish silver color. It's from Home Depot.

FERN COLLECTION FREE PRINTABLES

I have received quite a few emails about where I got the fern botanical prints in my bedroom, from this post. So, I thought I'd address the question with a new post and some free printables! I didn't purchase them anywhere, because I couldn't find ones that fit the frames I already had. Prints that did fit the frames, had a lot of other plants going on, and I just wanted a basic fern, no extra jib jab. So I ended up photoshopping my own prints from old scans I found at an online library archive. Library and museum archives are a great way to get a collection of prints if you are trying to achieve the look of a gallery wall for less, many of them have online scans. You can get my fern collection by clicking here. 

I simply printed them out with a basic color printer and placed them in my frames. I got these frames originally at Michael's craft store about 5 years ago, but they still sell the exact frame in a few sizes. (I have another fun tutorial coming up with these same frames) I believe they were 9.99 -- and they were all 50% off, so wait until they have a sale. I should also mention I spray painted them with my most favorite gold spray paint of all time- nothing compares- really. You can get it here. It looks like this:

AFFORDABLE ART

Cultivating an art collection can be expensive and take years to perfect. When you are selecting pieces for your home you should consider your decor, and choose pieces that you love that will last the test of time. You don't want to rush it. One day when I was in the craft store buying spray glue for a school project I overheard a young married couple selection posters and art prints. The wife would say things like, "Okay, now we need a three foot poster for above the couch." Then the husband would walk around an pick out some things and add it to their pile. They were literally checking off the pieces as they went. There was no rhyme or reason to what they were choosing, just pieces that they thought looked okay, and fit their empty wall spaces. A rule of thumb that I like to apply when selecting art is, don't purchase art from the same place that sells posters of babies dressed up like flowers.

I love simple landscapes, vintage ad prints, and colorful abstractions. I find that I can only afford to purchase pieces for my home about 2 or 3 times a year depending on their price and size. To get around the hefty price tag that comes with art investment, I have framed all sorts of things from art show postcards to vintage playing cards. Here are a few ideas to get you going on a great collection of your own. I generally start with a simple wooden frame and most pieces look great framed in black, white, or gold with simple white mats. The piece above is a large sheet of marble paper, framed in an ikea frame. Wallpaper scraps, wrapping paper, or even the front page of a news paper could make a great statement.

I love this idea from the blog, Young House Love. They took paint chips and arranged them creating an ombre effect. This is such a versatile idea, it can be done in any color scheme, or on any scale- large or small.

One of my friend's made this piece for her husband as a Valentine's gift. Finding inspirational quotes can be a great way to celebrate your family, or like this example keep you motivated. I bet he thinks of her every time he reads it.

Look no further than your garden for art ideas. Censational Girl took some fern leaves, pressed them between some wax paper, and in a matter of days had these great pieces. and they are so on trend for pennies. Almost anything that inspires you can be turned into art for your space.

ART COLLECTIONS

I adore art collections. And while I was at the antique show last week I couldn't help but notice all of the great vintage art collections on display. My favorites came from a local shop called Kearsarge Lodge. One of the shops owners, Martha Andrea, is a fabulous artist and was an art history professor for many years- she really has an incredible eye for good collections and framing. My favorite was this hunting dog collection.

Art collections are coming back in a big way. You can't open a home decor magazine these days without spotting a great collage of frames. And whether your personal taste is traditional or modern, there is something for everyone. The two spaces below showcase a great option for those of you who love a traditional look. They are matted in creme with simple gold frames.To get this look at home you can visit one of my favorite vintage art sites, Vintage Printable. They have everything from botanicals, to kid's prints.

If you love a more modern look, you could have photos printed in black and white. The monochrome look will simplify the collection, giving it a unified feel. Black frames also help streamline these 2 collections.

If you are digging the more modern collections check out this museum-esque collection of butterfly prints. You can go here for free printables. There are only eight in this collection so you will have to do a 2x4 block of prints.