Tag: Art

The Library’s Column Gallery Wall
This post is sponsored by Artfully Walls.

I’ve had this little strip of wall between the windows and bookshelves in our library that I kept meaning to add art to. There was already a tall skinny frame with a little canvas resting on top, but they were kind of lonely and not taking up enough visual space.

The little canvas original I already had is by Tali Yalonetzki, and I remembered that there are other prints by the same artist on Artfully Walls! I started my new art search there, adding the canvas Moth print, then finding a few more pieces to create a column gallery wall.
Cute! I often go for BIG statement art, so I’m happy to layer in some smaller finds. The pieces I used and more of my favorites are below.

My daughter was in the room when my order arrived, and I called her in.

I love it.

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February 26, 2019
The Grid of Framed Tarot Card Art

I wrote about wanting to add a mirror above the fireplace and a grid of frames above the red console back in (checks notes)… January!? Does it take that long to make a little change? Well, yep. I’m not rushing to fill a space, I’m refining. Taking my time to get things just right.

I loved the peacock mirror that used to hang above the red table. (I’m holding on to it, even though I have no idea where else it might work.) Once I added a larger Louis-Philippe style mirror above the fireplace though, the art above the table had to change.

The square Wyeth print that I hung temporarily in its place is great, but not the right size and scale for that spot. I knew I wanted something else, but I didn’t want to hurry the process for the sake of filling the wall — I needed to find the right art.

Behold, the “Eros: The Garden of Love” Oversize Limited Edition Major Arcana Suite, by Uusi. I found the right art!

I’m not a believer in the metaphysics of Tarot (or astrology, or anything supernatural), but like all good Goths, I learned how to read Tarot cards in high school. I still find them fascinating, but I think this particular deck is simply beautiful. Uusi has other styles too, but these are oversized and nicely suited to framing.

I typically hang art 56” high on center. I arranged the frames in a Photoshop mocku to be sure I liked the placement, and also to check that it worked well with the height of the fireplace and mirror.

Yay, good! Measure, level, and go.

I ordered black lacquer picture frames from Williams-Sonoma Home. They had mats sized for 5×7 photos but the cards are each 4×7, so I had custom mats cut by a local frame shop. The frames were on sale, so even with new mats (about $10 each), it was less expensive than going fully custom.

I like that you need to get close to really see what’s framed in there. From farther back, it’s just a pleasing grid with colors that kind of go with the rest of the room. Secret saucy sorcery!

October 16, 2018
Adding a Mirror Above the Fireplace

We’ve lived here long enough and made what we have work for long enough that it’s time to reevaluate and really hone in on some details. The corner fireplace in our living room is tricky (why the corner, old house old chum?), but it’s obviously a natural focal point and I haven’t fully given it the attention it deserves. ‘What do we have that’s large enough to hold its own up there? Big botanical print? Cool. Done.’

And really, not bad. But it could be better! The time has come to put a big gold mirror above the fireplace. It was inevitable. I have no choice in the matter guys, it has to be done.

Like so.

Image: Where I’d Stay

Image: Jenna Lyons’ Home in T Mag, photographed by Simon Watson

Oh, there were other options. The The Evolution Store’s ‘Dog Rose’ botanical poster could have continued to grace the living room but honestly I’m just ready for something different. Namely, the huge Louis-Philippe style gold mirror I’m going to pick up tomorrow from South Loop Loft! The other strong contenders though were ‘Essence’ from Ballard Designs and a reproduction vintage portrait, ‘Mary Countess,’ from A New Wall.

The sizes are scaled relative to each other. The mirror is 60″ tall!

And if you give ~~a mouse a cookie~~ a room a new mirror, you’ll probably need to move the other one you have on the adjacent wall. It’s a problem I ran into when styling the fireplace for a shoot a few years back. Too many mirrors! That black one was too small, so it went and the peacock mirror stayed.

I’ve been wanting to do a wall of frames for a while now, and I think it’s the right solution for the wall above the red console. I’m thinking grid, not gallery. Ben Pentreath has the greatest example of all time.

This wall from Room & Board’s Chicago showroom is inspiring me too. The prints are pages from Michaël Bohhremans’ book, As sweet as it gets.

Here’s where we are now, with the botanical poster above the fireplace and the peacock mirror above the red console. These mockups are to scale and I even stuck the dining room in there to represent the view through the doorway.

I could do a large piece of art above the console (and if you follow me on Instagram, you might have seen this in my Stories), but it feels like it’s trying to compete in scale with the mirror.

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So here’s where the grid wall comes in. Getting the scale right is my biggest concern, so I’ve mocked up a few variations to test things out before I decide upon and order my frames. Here they are: small, medium, and large.

I’m leaning toward the first two because I think the large is too large, but I’d love to hear what you think.

And tell me too, do you enjoy this kind of ‘here’s what I’m thinking’ post? Or would you rather I hold it all back until I have the pretty after photos? I’m picking up the mirror tomorrow (yay!), but I haven’t ordered the frames or decided on what’s going in them, so it won’t be too long before I change things but it won’t be immediately either. I love to see this kind of stuff from others and for sure love to talk about it, but I also want to be sure I’m bringing you guys what you’re looking for. Let me know!

January 23, 2018
Awesome Framed Art Under $25

IKEA’s $18 RIBBA frames are approximately 24″x36″ with a perfectly sized mat for Cavallini’s 20″x28″ wrapping paper sheets. And once you’ve got the frame, each new sheet of paper is just $4, so you can swap things out seasonally (there are some that would be great for Halloween), or just whenever you’re ready for a change.

Below are some of my favorites, and there are a bunch more over at Paper Source.

September 12, 2016
Color it! IDGAF Garden Style

I’m spending entire days in the garden lately and I look ridiculous out there. I’m not all that worried about it, but I’m filthy by the end of the day, so I’m not wearing my cute clothes but rather an odd assortment of my workout clothes. There’s my running wardrobe: sports bras, sweat-wicking shirts in bright colors, and compression pants with secret little zipped pockets for your keys. Then there’s my old roller derby gear: tank tops, booty shorts, fishnets, and knee high socks. I’m pulling a little from both, skipping the fishnets and adding a work apron and garden clogs, plus a terribly unflattering but practical pair of sweatshorts. Maybe a hat to top it all off on a sunny day? And for the first time since I was five, I wish I had some overalls to wear.

So anyway, I made something for you. For all of us.

Break out those markers or colored pencils! Like so.

(I cleaned up the type and moved things around when I scanned it, before I colored everything in.)

I’ll be outside in the garden if you need me, looking awesome. ;)

August 2, 2016
DIY Huge Insect Illustration Art (Free Download)
I had a very large blank wall to fill in my den for the One Room Challenge. Naturally, I made some giant bugs for it. And if you want to do the same, read on!

You may not be into insects, but the idea remains the same and you can substitute whatever images you like. I found antique illustrations of insects from the 1700s by Rösel Von Rosenhof, scanned and digitized by Universitätsbibliothek Heidelberg with a Creative Commons 3.0 license. I looked through each volume of illustrations, choosing my favorites and downloading those pages as a pdf.

I opened the files in Photoshop and loosely lassoed the insects that I wanted, arranging them on a page and scaling them up to an enormous size. Be aware that if you do this, you will lose sharpness and image quality. The images I was working with were large and clear enough to start with that there wasn’t too much of a loss, and I upped the contrast and sharpened them to compensate.

I called around to find a local printer that offered large-scale prints and made my templates 42″ wide to match their specs. My print-ready PDF files can be downloaded below.
- Leaf Insect (170 MB, 42″x72″)
- Horned Beetle (107 MB, 42″x60″)
You pay based on the size of the print, so I cut the long beetle in half to make better use of the space and included several smaller bugs for the same reason. I only used one of the little guys on my wall, but my kids each wanted some bugs once they saw what I was making, so it worked out nicely that I had extras for them!

I cut out each illustration with an X-Acto knife, mounted them to foam board with spray adhesive, and then cut them out again with a heavy-duty X-Acto blade. Here’s a list of materials for the project.
- Your printed images (obviously). I opted for matte paper.
- Black Core Foam Board (check your local art, photography, or office supply store for their largest size)
- X-Acto #1 Knife with a #11 blade
- X-Acto #5 Heavy-Duty Knife with a #19 blade
- 3M Spray Mount Artist’s Adhesive (Super 77 is great too, but this one is repositionable)
- Picture Hangers
Put some cardboard beneath your board as you cut and be careful. Cutting the paper is easy, but cutting through the foam board can be difficult. Be mindful of keeping your other hand well out of the way! Plan on going through a few blades too. A sharper blade means less drag and resistance, making for an easier, cleaner cut, and a safer experience.

You can push picture hangers right into the foam on the back, and hang your art. If you want to create a little more dimension (as I did), cut out extra blocks of foam board, stack and glue them together, and attach those to the back. You’ll need two blocks (and two hangers) if your images are large. I also painted a cloudy pink backdrop on a 4’x5′ canvas for my insects. It could have been anything, any color, I just wanted to lighten up that wall a bit.

If you do your own take on this, I would love to see it!
May 19, 2016