Today...

Today I will be on Laura's blog...Do people ever come into your life and you wonder why you are so lucky? That is how I feel about Laura. Besides being an inspiring artist she also has a heart of gold. I have a Blue Crab that proves it...
For more of her work visit Etsy. I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

In The Jungle...

I was looking for a watercolor on Etsy for a client when I came across this...
You probably know by now my love for lions, well this is no exception. I wanted to press purchase immediately. Well I was able to exert some self control and went on to see what other lions needed to come live with me....
Love the regal feel of the one above and simplicity of the print below....
Yep, want this one A LOT...
For some reason this one reminds me of Harry...
Note to Patrick...when we have children it will be in our best interest, financially speaking, to keep me off Etsy. Love, Love, Love...

Now That's A Before & After

Before...
After....
Amazing. Room by Roderick N. Shade as seen in Architectural Digest

The Giving Tree

Did you read The Giving Tree when you were little? I did, cried every time. Anyhoo, I digress. This print made me think of the book, how cute is it?Print Silhouette Blue

Another I LOVE

Speaking of artists I love...I was first introduced to Laura Trevey when a client of mine showed me these watercolors she bought on Etsy...(horrible picture, I snapped this to remember the colors, not thinking one day I would post it)It was love at first site. I LOVE watercolors and the fact that they are very affordable makes me love even more. On top of that I was pleased to find out that Laura is just as sweet as the paintings she makes. When I saw her new hydrangea series I knew I had to share them...
Love this guy...
A few more I love...
One of these will be mine...
For more of her work be sure to check out Laura's Etsy shop and also check out her beautiful Blog

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