A work in progress

We've slowly been adding to the walls. It's been the last phase of the house we've been working on. And amazingly, once I got into it, I have to say, it's been a lot of fun!  Usually I'm all about the 'big projects,' really getting in there and making BIG changes. But what we've been doing has been little.
The old mirror from the dining room got moved in the hall.

I hung a smaller mirror from Target (a super find by the way! slightly damaged, only $7!).

And these tables, that I promise one day I will get around to blogging about. (hint, we built the tops and the bases were part of a dining room table!) And, of course, there's our entertainment center.

And the lamps, that Brad painted a while back and I also never got around to blogging about. Mostly because the shades are still hideous. 

Changes that have taken the living room from this: (photo taken last year, a month after we moved in)

To this:

And I really like the changes. It feels more balanced and just, happy. (and yes, those are both TERRIBLE photos, I know)

I put together this grouping and Brad was all, "Is that your thing now, 'groupings?'"

(shelf top left: Bombay $20, bought 4 years ago. Picture frame on shelf: Dillards $8, bought 5 years ago. Mirror top right: flea market find, $3. Picture lower left: Kirklands, $12 bought several years ago. Larger oval frame: Flea market find, $4. Key: Flea market find, $2. Other 3 small frames: Flea market, 30 cents each - not kidding.)

And I said, "Well, maybe. I don't know. Shut up." Because, um, yeah, it's definitely my thing now. We have several large spaces that are too big to be filled with one large item, or, the large items are just too expensive.  So groupings help cover a large area, plus, there's something fun about pulling it all together and making things match.
I love hunting down pieces. Like this picture.

We found it at a flea market and it was on $4. The frame is a light tin. I picked it up, then put it back down. Then turned around and grabbed it. Brad said, ''I don't like that."
And I said, "Tough."
I thought about replacing the photo, but when I took it apart, there is a small copyright on it that says 1898. Whether it's really that old or just a reproduction, I don't care. I really love it. I put the picture back in and am keeping it just the way I found it.
I found another oval frame, a bit larger and almost bought it, but decided Brad might have problems with me bringing home more pictures of strangers.