I believe everything should be made beautiful and given a chance to shine, especially the things often overlooked. Last year I made a huge move from the East Coast to Minnesota, and on those days I greatly longed for my friends and family back home, there was one thing that always made me feel better: decorating. This passion of mine has been with me for as long as I remember. Growing up I spent much of my time flipping through interior design catalogues my mother received in the mail, watching HGTV incessantly instead of cartoons, and always giving my parents a weekly ‘room tour’ showing them how I rearranged my furniture (I appreciate their enthusiasm each time I revealed my makeover).
Though moving was the first time in my 27 years that I was away from the East Coast, it was also the first time I had full reign and complete freedom to do what I wanted in a space. As I began to unpack, I surveyed every area and imagined what could be. This apartment was my canvas and I was ready to paint. Though ideas flooded my mind on where my sofa would go or what console would look best in my family room, inspiration was not limited to the ‘larger’ items. Actually, one of the first items I purchased for this new apartment was two burl wood frames I picked up at Goodwill for only $7.99!
Having purchased such inexpensive frames I didn’t want to spend a lot of money on the prints, and really there’s no need to. I was searching the web but couldn’t find anything I loved or that I thought would match my space, but then I remembered my post-grad trip to Italy and all the pictures I took. With that, I selected two of my favorites and went to my local Walgreens and printed these out – a much more inexpensive option, and I thought it would add a level of uniqueness when guests came over and I mentioned I took the pictures myself!
After purchasing a battery-operated picture light on Amazon, I was excited to see the final result. I am so please with how it turned out, especially given that the entire project was under $100 (would have been even cheaper if I didn’t purchase the light fixture!).
