It's Wednesday morning, I'm not even to work yet, and already it's been a DAY. Ahh! I spilled sugar all over the kitchen floor this morning, and got a piece of mail back to me I realized I didn't put a stamp on. FAIL! Hot mess Wednesday in full effect today already! I'm needing a Zack Morris Time Out moment right about now... yea I just referenced SBTB... deal with it!
Onto happier things, like the progress on my gallery wall. It all started with inspiration pictures via Pinterest, blogs, and magazines. Then last weekend I found a brass reading lamp at the Ballard Outlet... be still my heart. I also found 3 gallery frames from Target that were on clearance... now we are talkin'.
I love the light I found.. and for $40 after all the President Day sales and already marked down outlet prices, how could I beat that?
I had all of the frames except for 3, and those 3 I paid roughly $30 total on clearance at Target. Don't spend an arm and a leg on frames. Check the clearance section, brave the Ikea world, and go to Goodwill!
I had our Stagger Lee print my friend Melissa made for me, and I had the canvas of my doggy Blakely as a puppy... I just needed to decide what other pictures would grace this wall. I have a husband who despises stock art and demands everything mean something in our house- that isn't always easy and it takes a while to find something he really likes rather than running out and buying up all the botanicals I can (and I wish I could just do that- oh living with a picky man, ha!).
Here we have a map of the US, an old drawing of The Citadel during the war (hubs alma mater), and a map of SC where we are from.
Stagger Lee print (our wedding song), and little Blakers beansie pup. I love that doggy.
A print of the original sheet music to "Take Me Out to the Ball Game".. my hubs is a baseball junkie.
A black & white picture of the old Citadel location on Meeting St., the state seal of SC, and the Governor's Mansion where we got married finish out the gallery.
I was initially planning to paint the big silver gallery frame gold, but now that everything's up on the wall, I kind of like the mix the way it is. Plus, when I can be lazy, I will be. Just being honest :)
And now my cozy reading nook and gallery wall is finally complete! I'm so happy.. time to curl up with a glass of wine. I would like to find a little foot stool and a small round end table... but no rush.
For now, I'll enjoy the hunt and my reading nook as it is. Maybe I'll even let my hubs use it some. It's in his office, after all.
Speaking of good reads, I'm loving some local Atlanta blogs. Go check these out!
Melanie Snare is a friend of mine and she is absolutely fabulous. Check out her blog where she dishes about everything from being a working mom, balancing career and family life, interviews celebrities in Atlanta, and so much more. You will love getting to know her and hearing the latest entertainment news around ATL.
Lori May is a local interior designer who you may recognize from HGTV Design Wars. Her designs are awesome and you will enjoy her sweet personality.
You should also visit Design Indulgence, another local designer. Sherry Hart is hilarious and I love that her blog is real life.. plus she's incredibly talented.
Dayka Robinson is a designer I stumbled across when I went to the Atlanta Inspiration House earlier this month. She shares her projects and gives tips and recommendations along the way. Her styles are vintage and modern and always refreshing.
And finally, Parties for Pennies with Heidi Rew! You probably know her from The Fish Atlanta where she did the traffic reports. She got me through so many traffic jams on my way home from work over the past few years, I cannot even tell you. Now she's filling you in on how to celebrate in style with cash left in your pocket.
Go check these blogs out and read up in your own little reading nooks. I plan to do the same. Do you have any blog or book suggestions for me? I would love to hear them!