Favorite scenes from my house

Right now I feel like we are living in near squalor. Maybe not squalor just disarray. There are paintings everywhere as I prepare for a show (details to come) and painter's tape on a portion of an upstairs hall. All of the artwork is crammed in my son's bedroom while we paint...which we haven't started yet. Good thing he won't be home for Spring break! In addition to all of our projects, school has been cancelled for the past five days. Let that sink in for a minute. Five...days!

 I thought I would remind myself that it is not always like this by looking at some of the nicer vignettes from my house. I'll share them with you too in no particular order.

Family room

My bedroom

Living room

Son's room

Son's room

Bar in dining room

Daughter's room

Daughter's room

Front door

Doors to my studio

My studio doors and almost all of the doors in our house are now painted black so there has been some progress toward selling this place.

Of course, I could tidy up (for gillionth time) but looking at pretty pictures is so much more fun, don't you think?

Wednesday vignette

Iantha Carley D.C. Design house 2013

Why am I showing you this vignette? Because I have sideboard styling on the brain. Two weeks ago I found a vintage Thomasville faux-bamboo dresser on Craigslist. I never find anything good on CL so I knew I had to have it and paint it a glossy black. It will take up the wall in my kitchen that I never show. The wall was where my easel was and a rustic style armoire used as a china cabinet. I was a little sentimental about that rustic piece but its not my style and it was starting to fall apart.

Well I got off to a great start... and then my husband, who never gets sick, got sick and went down in a heap. He works about 60 hours a week and then helps at home and it got him good.

At this point the dresser and paint was taking up my half of the garage and the contents of the china cabinet that I was tossing were in piles in the kitchen and dining room.

Chaos ensued.

Now that I am sort of back to normal, I am debating lamps or no lamps. Symmetry or asymetrical styling.

I have a giant white oval platter that won't fit anywhere else so that has to live in this plan.

I also bought this darling planter from The Pink Pagoda accessories shop.

Several cookbooks will be out too.

I hope I can make it quirky and traditional but fun.

You'll be the first to know if I succeed.

Styling for sales

My husband has been bugging me for months to offer frames and mats for my art. I came up with a million reasons why not to do it.

I finally caved.

I just bought one style for the moment and one size, 11 x 14 for my 9 x 12 paintings on paper.

I may keep this one

Yesterday I spent quite a bit of time styling vignettes to include in my Etsy listings. The first run through I ended up with a bunch of stupid looking pictures because I chose the wrong table and the lighting was rotten.

There were several spots that worked but the best was the table in my entry hall.

The entire time I was undoing and redoing my normal set up and scouting out accessories from several rooms.

In some of the photos I managed to choose items that picked up a color in the painting. In others I made an attempt to highlight the fact that there were two that coordinated with each other.

I found this styling so that the artwork was not too obscured but that the vignette was not disjointed, difficult.  I am not over the moon about any of them but I think they effectively show how these little paintings look framed.

They are a huge bargain at $50 framed and matted with free shipping or $15 for the painting alone with $8 shipping. HERE

Blowing up a classic

Bombe chests are the ultimate in girly, French classic looks. I love them as an alternative to a bar.

my own Bombe that has been moved and restyled

I love them styled with modern art on the wall to balance out the sweetness. My own Bombe chest has just that, a vignette with modern art.

There have always been less ornate versions available and in the last few years I have seen even more pared down, modern versions.

Trendy takes on the style are everywhere too.

Would you go for an original, replete with ormulu trim or a more modern, perhaps trendy version of these?

A vignette to love

I ran across this vignette yesterday on Pinterest and pinned it beccause I loved the Lucite chair. It struck me that the lamp and statue are so large but it still works. The mirrored desk and clear chair make them "design neutral", coupled with the simplicity of the artwork they allow for the overscale pieces. I really like the combination and I am totally craving some Lucite.

I am off to the Torpedo Factory today and lunch with the hubs later.

Mantel revisited

Fall 2011

I have spent the last several days playing with my stupid mantel.

If you read this post you know about the hole and the challenges the mantel presents

September 2011

The comments left were helpful and my husband and I agree that the hole has to go, but not just yet.

It will have to wait until we paint and with 18 foot ceilings, I am in no hurry.

So please be kind while laughing looking at my trial vignettes.

I was inspired by a post of Michelle's on My Notting Hill

This overloaded mantel was love at first sight. I couldn't do exactly this because of the painting and the hole but I tried a mini version.

No, I don't think so

It was too dark and moody for the room which is a mix of modern and rustic pieces. As it is, I think there is too much wood and too much brown, so Ye Olde Curiosity Shop had to go.
 I tried colorful books but the result was laughable and cluttered in appearance.
Next came a few that did not even warrant photos.

Yesterday I found the swirly wood sculpture thingy and this morning remembered a few things that were packed away. So I tried the above arrangement. At some point there was a green beaker vase but I must have forgotten to snap a photo of that abomination.

Next came the sparse look.

This was better but really too sparse.

Adding another circular element helped by repeating the circular shapes in the painting and the adjacent lamp.

This is where it stands 13 January, 2012

**In the hour since I posted this I added one small tweak. Moss covered balls for an extra layer and texture.**

I really would have preferred more color but it was not to be had in my shopping trip yesterday, which was a four hour shopping trip with a two year old.

My other thoughts were to frame the painting and possibly paint or gold leaf the swirly sculpture thingy.

Fire away with your comments!

A most infuriating mantel

Fall 2011

 I spent this early morning scouring Pinterest for ideas for my mantel. It is a most infuriating spot.

It is only 6 1/2 inches deep but more annoying is the hole.

Painting covers "THE HOLE"

I have a large painting in front of this abomination. It was for the purpose of housing a TV. Yuk!

I can't just drywall over it because it houses the wireless internet connection for the house and several electrical outlets.

The whole mess makes it difficult to "dress".

So here is a taste of what I found on Pinterest.

I prefer symmetry in formal settings but my mantel is in a casual space.

I am drawn towards feminine collections and pretty things but that just wouldn't suit my space.

A collection of oddities seems more appropriate.

I had to include this

No guts, no glory. The mantel above gets my vote for most creative and I really love it.

Here are a few more.

I am open to suggestions.

I should also add that the ceiling above my goofy mantel is angled, 9 feet high on the left and 18 feet to the right.

Ugh.