I’ve been meaning to show this off for ages and ages, but, well, you know.
My hopes for the adoption sent my nesting instinct off, but I was trying so hard to be careful with how I channeled it. No nursery planning, no quilt making, I had to nest over something that would work for us no matter what the outcome was. I’m glad I did because I’m left with no regrets and a house full of artwork that I really treasure.
My biggest challenge was the long wall in our family room above the television. If this were our permanent house than I would have no choice but to do an elaborate built in shelving arrangement. But as a rental I’m not even going to go to the trouble to mount the TV to the wall. Which made decorating tricky since I’m stuck with a really low television and a whole lot of wall.
I attempted to put a few family photos here, but it just felt off. Too prominent, too intimate, it felt somehow like a shrine. Instead I thought about images that would symbolize our family, our goals, the things that are most important to us, and searched through etsy to find artwork that reflected that.
Etsy is just a miracle for this kind of thing. I find it hard to keep up with a lot of the time because it’s just an embarrassment of riches, but if you know what you’re looking for there is just no better place on this earth.
There’s a lot to get through, so I’m going to break this into two posts. For today we’ll start on the right side and make our way towards the middle.
A vintage reproduction poster of Joan of Arc from seller Alpine Graphics. This piece was such a score. It is not only a nod to my love of art nouveau graphics, but in honor of a feminist hero. One of my favorites.
Cat watercolor by seller Linda Butterfly. This was a last minute addition when I decided I needed a couple more pieces to fill the wall. You all know how we feel about cats around here, but I try not to let my house reflect that too much. I thought this one was subtle enough and artsy enough to stay on this side of the crazy cat lady line while still including the fuzzy members of our family.
Cuddles by seller Gumball Grenade. Atti is such a daddy’s boy, I wanted a little something to reflect their special relationship. Tell me, how perfect is this?
A Sunday Afternoon by seller DelanyLaFae. My decorating style doesn’t really lend itself to teacups, but this picture is a nice way to bring in an image that brings me a lot of peace and happiness. I might go have a cup of tea as soon as I finish this.
I Think I’m In Love by seller Rosie Music. There is so much fantastic illustration available on etsy. I wanted to have a few pieces of mushy love art that didn’t go overboard. This one is exactly mushy enough for me. Plus, there are books involved in the relationship, and that makes me happy.
We Are Intellectuals by seller Laura George I’m just wild about everything in this lady’s shop. Seriously, I could have done some damage there. I settled on this piece because it so fit with portraying the values I wanted. I want my family to pursue academic excellence and intellectual endeavors, but with a big fat sense of humor.
OK, that’s enough for one day. We’ll get to the other side tomorrow.