It's all coming together- New pics of our apt

My parents came to visit this week. It was a "working vacation" according to my mother.  "We" got a lot done in the 3.5 days they were here. When I say "we" I mean I laid on the couch tired and pregnant while my Mom and husband did most of the work- including making a headboard for our new bed. (will post a headboard blog entry soon!)

The above picture is the mantel in our living room. There's my Dad playing sudoku. My mom had the great idea to hang all the plates above the mantel- 7 majolica plates that were my grandmother's and in the center a John Derian plate. She also was a great help with storage solutions. IE: see the vintage suitcases- that I have been using to store stationary, dvds, photos- she tucked some in the fireplace (since it is none functioning) and then used the remaining suitcases as an end table for drinks between the two chairs- freeing up a wall for another dresser, since we will have three dressers very soon for our baby come Nov.

Here is the dresser that now sits where the suitcases used to be. The dresser was moved from our bedroom out into the living room to allow for more room for the baby- ie baby's dresser and sleeping nook. It's also nice to have a lighter color wood in the room to balance out the doors, mantel and woodwork. The door to the left is our front door and the white chest is still in flux as I wait for a larger piece of artwork to make the journey from Delaware to Maine in June.

The other view of the living room.

Like most of our furniture and other odds and ends- we have acquired our artwork through family and other fun means- giving each object it's own story. And as an artist I am addicted to collecting art- thus a collage wall was something I wanted to try and since we had the space and a selection of art to choose from I figured let's do this! I waited to hang most of the artwork until my mother's visit and this collage project was the main reason. I wanted another opinion on which work should and should not be included.  PLUS she brought me those very cool antlers which were the perfect addition to the collection! After consulting my sister and flipping through Lonny mag for inspiration- I concluded that my collage wall should be an eclectic mix of old and modern pieces and sprinkled throughout a few objects- like a plate, antlers, a metal tin, and an old drawer face.  And yet it all works well together- each piece relates to another in color or repetitive shapes. (click on the image to see it larger. The white french pumpkin piece is a painting of mine, as is the silkscreen of the woman standing in a doorway wearing a floral-wallpaper dress)

And our yellow kitchen is visible in the background through the doorway.

Our overall arrangement and set up of this apartment feels more adult in some ways, yet cozy and relaxed. I love to sit in the living room and look at all the art and fun objects and reflect on where they came from and appreciate how cool it is to see your little world come together over years of collecting and acquiring!

I will post pictures of our bedroom- with the new head board and pics of my studio which is also the guest room/ future baby room.  Stay tuned!