Fit for a pansy or two

A few weeks ago, I was busy tinkering with my dining room centerpiece, which meant that my old one was left just hanging out.   It's easy to get inspired from other bloggers who re-purpose old, unwanted items in creative ways.  I had wanting to spruce up my patio a bit for an upcoming party and thought a new little planter would help the cause.  I picked up a natural liner from Big Lots, some violas and pansies from Home Depot (I really can't resist blooms in spring) and had some leftover dirt from another project.  After a quick assembly, here's the end result!

More pictures to come of the patio update!

Feeling Arty

Before the baby arrived, I took nesting to another level.  It is one thing to clean out the closets and freeze casseroles, but my need for projects to occupy my pregnant time really took over.  You'll remember the topiary project, new drop cloth curtains, and dining room mini makeover to name a few.  Well believe it or not, there were a few more that I didn't get a chance to write up before the little diva arrived.  One such project was the art wall in my living room.

Gallery/Art walls are the latest must do project in the blog world. To be honest, I really thought this project was just too much work and was on the way back burner. Since the little miss decided to wait a few extra days, I was left with no choice, but tackle the wall or face pregnancy frustration.  The picture above is what our living room looked like when we first saw the house. You'll notice the mirror on the left wall, which is covering a high electrical outlet.

Since I already had a mirror above the fireplace, I rematted and framed a Charleston print to cover up the offending outlet.  Over the next few months, I could never shake the feeling that the wall wasn't complete.  Enter the art inspiration.

I gathered a bevy of random photos, memorabilia and wall accessories to try out.  As with any wall placement, I tinkered around with the placement a good bit and above is where I landed.

I used newspaper templates to space out on the wall and then set to hammering.  I futzed a little more with frame options and placement before I was really happy with the end result.

Gallery Wall Art