Picture Gallery Wall

Our master bedroom has this huge blank wall that I’ve been trying to figure out what to do with.  A few weeks ago I finally decided to do a collage of pictures  to cover the blank space. I’ve been collecting the frames we had already as well as other wall hangings around the house.  I also bought a couple of cheap-o frames at the thrift store and spray painted them the colors I wanted them to be! (All of the gray & white frames you see were spray painted). This was my first attempt at spray painting picture frames & it really worked well! Overall,  I really like how it turned out. It’s a mixture of all of our favorite pictures. And by golly,  it sure is a LOT of pictures!

Here we go…

Below are frame ideas from Pinterest..

 Click here to see the burlap frame with the verse written in sharpie marker.
The marker is easy to remove & change the writing with finger-nail polish remover.

Click here to see the heart map picture frame idea. 
These hearts represent four significant places:
1.Where we met (Waco, Texas)
2. Where we got engaged (Chicago, Illinois)
3. Where we go married (Abilene, Texas)
4. Where we live now (Dallas, Texas)


Many of the pictures are from our years of dating.  If you look closely, you can see a few photos from various Baylor functions, the day of our first kiss in downtown Chicago in the snow, and even when Kyle was the coach of my sorority’s intramural soccer team my sophomore year of college.  This was before we were even dating & before we really knew each other! But, someone captured the picture of us standing next to each other in the huddle during the prayer before the game. We had no idea what was coming our way!!! 

And, of course, many of the photos are from our wedding day!


I also found one of the most helpful tips {from Pinterest} to hang these frames.  One of the most FRUSTRATING things in the entire world is making sure the nail is in the right spot when you are attempting to hang frames or art.  You know what I mean? You could end up with 42 holes in your wall after trying to hang just a few frames! Next time you decide to drill a nail into your wall, check this trick out: Using toothpaste to hang picture frames.

The lady from this blog used toothpaste, but I found that lotion worked better for me.  It wasn’t as messy and I could just wipe off the dot of lotion on the wall onto my hand instead of cleaning it off with a towel.

All you have to do is put a dot of lotion on the back of your picture frame that you want to hang. Place the lotion on the picture hook on the back of the frame, hold the frame on the wall exactly where you want it to go, & then remove the frame.
You should have a small dot of lotion on the wall that will tell you where to place the nail!


This method worked GREAT for me. I didn’t have to re-nail any of my frames!

And now I have a wall full of lovely memories to look at each morning when I wake up.

Our House {In Progress}

 

About 4 months ago, we were beyond blessed to move into our first house. I've shared bits & pieces of what the house looks like in pictures, but I figured I should probably take you on a little tour of our humble abode.  Now, keep in mind, mostly EVERYTHING is still in progress and is no where finished! (Actually, knowing me, I don't know if I'll ever be totally finished decorating/painting/re-arranging, etc., but don't tell my husband that! Ha!)

Oh, and one more thing to note: We moved from a 600 square foot apartment.  It was just what we needed & it fit our needs.  However, we decided to make the big JUMP and buy this house in December 2011.   We moved from a 600 square foot home to 1800 square feet of pure freedom {that’s what it feels like compared to what we’re used to!}.  In fact, since moving, I’ve realized that Kyle can’t hear everything I’m saying if he’s on the opposite side of the house. Used to, our entire apartment was within one big space, and we could communicate back & forth easily when we were both there.  Now, if I want to talk to him, I have to follow him around everywhere he goes…Haha. I’m sure he loves that.  Okay, just kidding…I don’t actually do that ALL the time.


All of that to say, though, is that we don’t have much furniture or stuff to fill this house up! Thankfully, we have some wonderfully generous people in our families who have given us pieces of furniture that aren’t being used or that aren’t  in good condition & I’ve been able to re-finish the pieces for us to use! It’s been a lot of fun putting our little home together & being able to talk about all the stories behind each piece of furniture in each room.


Here we go:


WELCOME!





ENTRY WAY & FORMAL LIVING AREA:





DINING AREA: {TABLE COMING SOON!}





FAMILY ROOM:





*One of our favorite things about the house is the open floor plan. Can you see how the front living space flows into the family room & kitchen? We painted the family room & the fireplace.

Before & After:




BREAKFAST NOOK & KITCHEN:



*See how the kitchen opens up into the front green room & family room?
Don’t you feel like you’re HERE in person?!

*I’m REALLY wanting to paint the kitchen a more neutral color.  Right now it’s textured with a stain over the tan paint making it look burnt orange. Kind of a Tuscany feel? It’s okay for now, but I’d like to put a neutral tan color on the walls to make it match the rest of our house better.



LAUNDRY ROOM:





HALLWAY:

*I absolutely LOVE the built in bookshelves in the hallway, but I can’t seem to get the knick knacks to look just like I want…anyone else have the same problem?!



On the left side of the hallway is the HALL/GUEST BATHROOM:




Also on the left side of the hall is the GUEST BEDROOM. Click here to see the Guest Bedroom Re-do:





Across the hall is the MASTER BEDROOM:





MASTER BATHROOM:




OFFICE:

This room opens up to the Master Bathroom, too. It’s considered a “Jack ‘n’ Jill bath”
This room is REALLY in progress & no where close to be done! It echo’s in here because there isn’t any furniture in here yet!

We also painted in here. See the before picture! Woa!

Before & After:




That’s about all for now! Thanks for stopping by to check out our new place. Hope you liked it!
 Now, COME VISIT, please!