I've Been Framed.

This weekend a plumber came over to work on our kitchen, and we were pretty much chained to the house all day. That didn't stop me from yardsaling with my friends at 6:45am, since I was able to get back home before he arrived! I have been looking for a frame for my living room mirror for months. I can never find one big enough, but I thought I might get lucky this morning. I found a $8 picture that looked to be huge enough to fit on the mirror. I had high hopes. Really high, since I didn't have a tape measurer on me. I figured $8 was cheap enough that I could find something else to do with it if it didn't work out.

It didn't work out. It was PERFECT from top to bottom, but it was just 4 INCHES too short width wise. I was crushed. So I had to find SOMETHING to do with it. I never want a finished room, I love the thrill of changing things up by finding new treasures, or reworking my current posessions into a new room or area. Things take on a whole new life in a new space, and it's those little things that make me happy. That blank recessed wall where the fireplace is makes me the opposite of happy. I've been trying to figure out how to make it look more full since we bought the dang fireplace. Should I flank it with shelves? Should I put the corner piece on the back of it to make it a corner fireplace and put a chair on the other corner? Should I keep it in the middle and put a chair on each side? That could be overwhelming. I don't like a lot of furniture, I like room to breathe. However, this nook was basically suffocating in all the air I gave it.

I decided I wanted to use the frame over the fireplace, but I needed to figure out what to do. Something that I can easily change out, or at least match everything I change on the mantle. I need change! Then I remembered this collage idea from Life In The Fun lane:

GENIUS! It satisfies my need to consantly change things around, but still have the overall look stay the same. The best part? I could destroy this huge posterboard of pictures we had at the wedding reception and use the pictures on something more attractive.

I'm finally happy with this nook taking a little more shape. I'd still like a heavier piece on each side, like a vase with tall limbs coming out of it. But with 4 broken vases in a week, I think bare is pretty ok for this house.

I'll need to be a little more random with my pictures, and want to find more special things to put up there, but you get the idea :)