I Love Our Artist Painted Bedroom Mural Wall

Since reading the magnificent book by Magnolia Pearl, I have been wanting a mural in my home. After a couple years of agonizing over the decision, I sold some things to pay to have one of my favorite local artists, Sandra Dee Nicholson, go for it. I think we were both a little hesitant starting out. I am known for not easily conceding control and I was so enamored of the peacock in the book. I hesitated asking an artist to so closing recreate another's work.

We started with a bedroom that was painted a glossy harvest gold, like an 80's appliance, when we moved in and we'd been living with for 3 years as we've worked on other projects and rooms in the house. BA painted 3 bedroom walls in Pencil Point and the low ceiling in Apricot Ice (Valspar paint from Lowes). 

Sandra and I met a few times and discussed some sketches for the concept. She came and went while we weren't home and I really wish I had taken some pictures along the way. She included some this I had asked for, like this sweet blue bird.



And she came up with some things on her own, this is a replica of the concrete planter by our front door.

I wanted lots of roses, which she gave me. She even ran them up onto the ceiling. At the sides of the wall she painted sheer drapes and more roses.






I'm not a great photographer and after several tries and deleting them all, decided 
I'd share these. I took them with and without the flash, and haven't been able to truly capture the color, depth of painting, and magnificence of it. If you'd like to see more, the pictures are here.

Have I said how much I love it. Now to get things hung and the rest finished.

Garden in the Window

I'm rained out this morning from going to yard sales or working in the yard. So going to try and get some things listed on etsy and ebay today. This is the view of my living room window, as I'm on the computer.

I showed you some pictures of this tropical plant that had produced blooms at Christmas time. There aren't as many this time, but they are stunning, a beautiful coral that I could not capture in my photos.

Bohemian Romance in my living room- Susan Brown

I have been lusting after a painting by Susan Brown for many years. About a month ago after selling some things, and between monetary crisis's I decided to buy a painting of hers for over the living room fireplace.

The room came with deep red, painted over wallpaper, walls (which I haven't had the energy to change and deal with) and since much of my furniture was blue, the room felt too traditional for me. To lighten it up I added touches of chartreuse. I have a green crackle finish mirror over the fireplace and just felt like the painting would suit me so much more.

After a harrowing wait time in which it appeared the post office had perhaps lost the painting, it arrived and I was thrilled. Only one problem, it's about a foot longer than the space intended for. Although I can pack a full car like nobody's business, I am known my having no concept of size in my own space.

So yesterday, after having it lean next to the firelace for a couple of weeks I finally hung it elsewhere in the room and am still looking to switch out the mirror one of these days.

Our Lock Your Love Project

Always loving the Paris bridge covered in locks symbolizing the idea of eternal love

I decided to start a similar project in my city, Fayetteville N.C., after we brought the new Votivo fragrance line into our store. We had an old salvage window grate on the side of our building I could never bear to scrap. We backed it with some metal mesh panels and commissioned David McCune to make a sign I designed and mounted it to our building at 223 Franklin St and are inviting people to Lock Your Love.  While originally a tradition for lovers, I'm hoping people will also lock their love for a child, parent, sibling, or lost loved one.

 

Triplets

Love these three girls, hard to pare down to keeping just one.

I don't love my kitchen

The kitchen in our home is probably my least favorite room. Someone before us "upgraded" it by removing wonderful old white wood cabinets and replacing them with these unlevel, cheap birch ones. Since budget doesn't allow me to replace them right now, I have to get my happy from accessories. Even though these two big vintage, metal containers close the space in some, walking in and seeing them makes me smile every time.