I hope you guys all had a wonderful Thanksgiving Day. I had an amazing time with my parents, brother, sis-in-law, nephew, cousin and her two kids, and my father-in-law. I really do treasure the times when both sides of the family get together.
Before the guests arrived, I was doing that whole multi-tasking thing of cooking and cleaning. One thing that really bothered me was having this huge bare wall where my piano, Ms. Everette sits (or stands? but that sounds really uncomfortable). See - doesn't see look kinda lonesome?
So, last week, I got 4 different sized frames from Pottery Barn on sale (20% off). Although they were on sale, the purchase was a splurge for me as I usually get frames from IKEA. But I really wanted to get some nice wood frames to warm up the white wall where Ms. Everette sits. I had some other frames around the house that I put to work as well. Below is the wall gallery design I came up with.
I took a picture of the design but nothing went up on the wall until the late morning of Thanksgiving Day. At first, Randy and I were very hesitant with the design we had in mind. I also had to scramble to find something to put in these new frames! Thank goodness I saved a couple of cute cards and a tattered page from an old music book. Below is a picture of Randy wiping the dust off the piano after we put up the frames.
Once we put up the frames, we were super happy with how the whole thing turned out. I did however feel that there was something missing, but I didn't want to put up more frames for the fear of cluttering up the wall too much... Then while we were eating our various pies (apple, pumpkin and shoe fly pie!)and due to lack of space on our dining table, I removed the apothecary jars from the table to the top of the piano. And the rest is history.
I love how the apothecary jars fill up the space between the piano and the frames! And the faux lemons match the Rothko on the wall!
So, there it is - our once empty white wall filled with cute little photos, cards, and an old music sheet (Chopin of course!). All done last minute in our most decisive (or desperate?!) moments in our history of decorating.
I'll post closer up pics of the frames later :)
Have you ever had such serendipitous and decisive moments in decorating your home?
I have today off from work. But I will be working my tush off for tomorrow's big Thanksgiving dinner, which I'm cooking. I will be cooking turkey for the first time! Wish me luck!!
I don't know about you but I don't do the black Friday shopping thing. It's just too hectic out there. But I may be looking out for online sales~ Look what I got in the mail yesterday from Bloomies. These little booklets with gift ideas. Forget the gifts - aren't these booklets so cute? I don't want to throw them away!
I've got a super busy day - first up, the puppies to the groomer. They need to look good for our guests!
Good Monday! Can you believe we are only 3 days away from Thanksgiving?! I'm so excited, especially because I'm taking Wednesday off.
Today's Monday Wake-Up Call bedroom design is a bit bucolic and traditional. I was inspired to come up with the design when I saw the bed. Isn't it beautiful? Doesn't it look like something that gets handed down generation after generation? The mirror and chest also share the same kind of quality. And how about the chemist vases? With delicate flowers, they will really add a nice softening touch to the room, along with the lovely bench and the rug.
Hope you like it~ Happy Monday!
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mirror; b. Bed; c. Sconce; d. Chemist Vase; e. Chest; f. Rug; g. Bench
My husband and I've been looking for ways to motivate ourselves to workout and stay healthy. Thus, awhile ago, we signed up to run the Philadelphia Half Marathon, which took place today, November 18, 2012. To my disappointment, I did not train at all and worse, I was running less than my usual workout routine. Unfortunately, My husband injured his calf while running a couple of weeks ago, so he really had a legitimate excuse not to run. I had no excuse other than my sorry self who didn't train :(
So I woke up super early, ate half of a gooey thingie in my runner's packet, and ran. Official chip time: 2:00:22. I wish I had pushed myself a bit more and come under 2 hours like I used to when I was a young'un but I know that I should be proud of myself for finishing the race. It was a beautiful day and unlike my other Sundays, I actually ran outside, and that I did for 13.1 miles for 2 hours. Here's a picture of me taken after the race once I got home (it didn't occur to me to take it in Philly while we we there). YAY - me!!
TGIF!! The cold weather has really kicked in this week, confirming that the winter holidays are indeed getting closer and closer. It feels like yesterday when I was in my little summer skirts and flip flops though...
Remember last Friday I mentioned we have another surprise in addition to our new sofa? Here it is - Meet Ms. Everette!
Where she sits is where we used to have our bookshelves. This piano is named Ms. Everette after its maker. Isn't she a beauty?
I found her via Craigslist for $100 and found a mover for $150, which is a lot better than the going rate of $250 or more. All keys play but I can tell Ms. Everette needs a lot of tuning and a bit of some repair as some keys are a bit loose.
So I now have 2 new projects: 1) finding a piano tuner + repairer; 2) decorating the bare wall above Ms. Everette. I can put up framed photos/paintings/prints or I can put up shelves and accessorize. The dilemma... It's fun to decorate but I always get nervous as to what the outcome may look like. I welcome any and all suggestions!!
Have a great weekend, friends~
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