Revisionary Life

Tuesday, October 1, 2013

Thank You, Thrift Store! Mirror Gallery Wall

Last year, I created a gallery wall behind my sofa.

It slowly expanded as I found more small mirrors and other items to add-to the arrangement. Remember the before sofa? I like it much better after my $1.50 update!

Though I really liked some of the elements in my gallery wall, I had recently decided it needed some tweaking.

My fall updates have led me to remove some of the white elements from my living room and keep the gray and mixed metal ones.

At first, I tried just replacing key pieces in the previous arrangement, but before long I took it all down except the antlers and M.

Then I filled all the holes and touched up the paint, which gave me a clean slate. Clean slates are great. :)

I filled in from the center, moving outward, visually balancing the odd assortment of mirrors as I moved from side to side. I tried to balance the gray, silver and gold frames as well as the various shapes and sizes.

It was almost like working a puzzle. Since I didn't have enough small mirrors, I created more faux antique mirrors using small, painted-wood picture frames and Krylon Looking Glass paint.

All but three of the mirrors are from thrift stores. Most mirrors cost less than $1, others were less than $2. Frames were $1 or less - usually .57c or .87c.

I'll continue to add to this arrangement, because I would really like it to flow up and over the doorway in an organic fashion.

Since there is only one window in this room, the mirrors are a great way to reflect the light.

Here's a peek at the before, taken last December:

Here it is today:

The new view from the front door:

It is a change most people might not notice, but to my eye, it is more cohesive.

I have switched up three other areas on the other side of the room. I'll show you those next time!

Word for the Day:

James 1:23-24

For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. 24 For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like.

Possibly Linking With:
Sunday
http://www.twiggstudios.com/	Sunday Show-off Link Party
http://www.findingsilverpennies.com	Silver Pennies Sundays
Monday
http://boogieboardcottage.blogspot.com/	Masterpiece Monday
http://thededicatedhouse.blogspot.com/	Make it Pretty Monday
http://modvintagelife.blogspot.com/	Mod Mix Monday
http://www.maisondepax.com/	Give Me the Goods Monday
Tuesday
http://www.knickoftimeinteriors.blogspot.com/	Vintage Inspiration Tuesday
http://linda-coastalcharm.blogspot.com/	Nifty Thrifty Tuesday
http://cedarhill-ranch.com/	The Scoop
http://www.whitelacecottage.com/	The Scoop
http://farmhouseporch.blogspot.com/	The Scoop
http://www.astrollthrulife.net/	Inspire Me Tuesday
http://cityfarmhouse.com/	Inspiration Exchange Linky Party
Wednesday
http://savvysouthernstyle.net/	Wow Us Wednesday
http://www.timewashed.com/	Blissfully White Wednesday
http://ivyandelephants.blogspot.com/	What’s it Wednesday
http://lavendergardencottage.blogspot.com	Cottage Style Party
http://www.greenwillowpond.com/	What We Accomplished Wednesday
Thursday
http://nominimalisthere.blogspot.com/	Thursday Open House Party
http://thebrambleberrycottage.blogspot.com/	Time Travel Thursday
http://frommyfrontporchtoyours.blogspot.com/	Treasure Hunt Thursday
http://www.jannolson.blogspot.com/	Share Your Cup Thursday
http://petitemichellelouise.blogspot.com/	Grey Dey Thursdey
http://www.commonground-do.com/	Be Inspired
Friday
http://frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com/	Feathered Nest Friday
http://shabbynest.blogspot.com/	Frugal Friday
http://www.jenniferrizzo.com/	Fabulously Creative Friday
http://diy-vintage-chic.blogspot.com/	Friday’s Five Features
http://vintageinteriorblogs.com/	Weekend
Saturday
http://www.funkyjunkinteriors.net/	Party Junk
http://too-much-time.com/	Get Schooled Saturday

Saturday, September 28, 2013

Elegant, Eclectic, Industrial Living Room Transitioning to Fall...

Thursday evening after work, I just had to play around in the living room! Too many seemingly fruitless days spent in the middle bedroom have left me craving some instant gratification.

I had already unpacked some rusty things, tarnished metals, and "fallish" things.

The fall mantel started the whole ball rolling. Even though there's at least ONE tweak coming, it changed the feel of the room. I craved more...

I had intended to use the vintage chalk ware owl I found last year and spray painted, so he and a pheasant came out of hibernation.

Keeping with my plan to go with more grays and aged whites, they're just a pop of something clean and stark tossed into the salad of industrial, elegant, French, primitive and vintage things that make up my living room.

I enjoyed the mod-vintage theme I had for summer, but packed most of the vases away. I kept some modern art, just for that eclectic vibe.

Aside from three contemporary paintings and a glass egg vase, the rest of the mix is pretty much vintage. I did bring back out some vintage industrial elements I had rested during summer.

This vintage French box was a gift from my sweet friend Stacey. It weighs a TON.

I love it, and it is a special reminder of her and our friendship now that she lives far away. It is so ornate, with the cherubim on it. It reminds me a little bit of the Ark of the Covenant...

It's keeping company with three different bronze candlesticks on the steamer trunk coffee table. They were all found at thrift stores for a couple of dollars each.

I have never grouped them together until just this week.

You can see the right shelf on in the background. Here are some shots of the nicer vignettes on the shelf:

Top Shelf: Vintage chalk owl, two paintings by me, deconstructed books and a thrift store terra cotta pot with some deconstructed faux greenery from Hobby Lobby.

2nd Shelf: Black & white photos of my cute kiddos, a vintage gold framed mirror, a thrifted pot with more of the greenery on a plaster-painted, thrifted candlestick, a stone orb on a thrifted iron stand, a "T" from Hobby Lobby, a vintage croquet ball from Julie's shop from years ago, another thrift store stand and more deconstructed books.

3rd Shelf: A thrifted candlestick painted with ASCP Old White, still more of the deconstructed garland from Hobby Lobby inside a vintage metal sugar bowl, a retail-purchased framed photo of my kiddos, more deconstructed garage sale books, a vintage glove mold hand from a trendy shop near me, sitting on a thrifted box I covered in Bible pages, and two very cool thrifted feet - one is a shoe stretcher and the other is a last for making children's shoes.

We are his hands and feet right?

The shelf on the left side has more vignettes.

Top Shelf - all the items were purchased at garage sales or thrift stores. I painted the vintage frame, and painted over the boat print on wood inside it. The brass stand supporting the frame is also from a thrift store.The faux greenery is from Dollar Tree, I think. It's years old! I didn't get a good shot of the elegant vase holding it. The mod glass egg was a buck at a garage sale last summer. The moss ball was from Hobby Lobby.

2nd Shelf: A moss ball from HL, a metal orb from a garage sale on a thrift store iron stand, and a child's croquet ball painted white by me. (It was found in the shed behind my home, and had been painted black.) More family photos - one frame from Dollar Tree, the others were from thrift stores. I painted the center one with an ASCP French Linen watery wash. The silver plate tray was found at a thrift store.

3rd Shelf: deconstructed book bundle, another thrift store box covered in Bible pages, with a vintage white croquet ball on top, a vintage family photograph in a vintage frame, a thrifted quail, spray-painted white and perched on more garage sale books that were deconstructed, a wire container with terra cotta pots and more faux greenery from Hobby Lobby.