I FINALLY have a completed living room!

And, voila!

I seriously can't believe it. I have had the image of blue-ish/green-ish/gray-ish walls with colorful curtains and artsy black and white photos arranged carefully on the wall for SO long that I can't even believe that I am sitting in that exact room right now!!

It came out so perfectly, and exactly how I imagined it would. It worked out so well because of my mom and Aunt Judy's awesome support, and because I was finally ready to spend the money and the effort on all of the details that were necessary.

I feel so grown up right now! :)


I love how all of the colors came together. The brown in the couch matches the brown in the carpet, rug and fire place (which we painted!). There is also the same brown in the curtains.

I am the most proud of this wall. I LOVE LOVE LOVE how the frames came together to look symmetrical, but not too perfect. My goal for this wall was that it be candid, black and white pictures, some of family, some that are just art. Some of the frames are still empty, but I am still gathering family pictures. (Tammy: I am FINALLY ready to print all of those old pictures of yours I found! I was just waiting to figure out what frames I would be using. Now I know I need them in 5X7. I will get that done the next time I come up.)

I love that I had pictures of my grandpa (the picture on the right, in the frame on the left) and John's papa Charlie (picture on the left) when they were about the same age. The frame on the right is one of my favorite "Life" photos.

The poster size picture is my granny when she was a sheriff. I am not sure of the story, but I have heard that she was heading to a crime scene. Her pants are rolled up and she is wearing saddle oxfords. Her frown is as fierce as her personality was! The telephone picture below is an original Kate Thomas screen print.

This poster is of my grandpa on a horse, back in Oklahoma. I love the picture on the left, of Tammy's mom and all of her brothers and sisters. I have a similar picture of my mom's family that I want to put in the frame right below it. And below that, I had to include us somewhere! This was one of our engagement pictures taken at Corona Del Mar.

Changing the lightswitch cover was a simple change that made a big difference. I also got a kit from target of wall clings, so these litle birds are hidden all over the house!

I didn't want to paint this wall mostly because I didn't want to take the books off the bookshelves! I just hung some pictures and little mirrors to cute it up a little.

The little bird and dandelion combo was an impulse buy from Walmart today when my mom and I went there to buy nails to hang everything up! It ended up being just the touch that the wall by the fireplace needed.

One of the coolest parts in the room is our original stereo from 1963! My Aunt Sue thought of us when she was wanting to get rid of it, becuase she knew I love vintage stuff. It still works, and it also the perfect little console table for a lamp and some candles.

Oh yeah, we also finally did something with the wall that you see as soon as you come in the front door. Kate and my mom made the "Bryson" picture by taking pictures in nature that look like the letters. It is so beautifil that they could go into business! The picture is our favorite from our engagement session, and the keys are real old skeleton keys. We got them at this super cool place called Architectural Salvage in San Diego on our anniversary last year. My favorite part is the vinyl cling (again, made by my sister Kate: it REALLY pays to have such creative people around you!) that is a line from "Here, There and Everywhere" by the Beatles, which is the song that played while I walked down the aisle. It says To lead a better life I need my love to be here.

Overall, getting this done has totally made this house ours, has made me feel like a grown up, and has made my summer the most productive I have ever had.

Everyone is welcome to come see it!