all-the-way Tuesday! — my apartment

I started posting the all-the-way Tuesday pictures awhile back (a year ago?? My how the time flies!) in the hopes that it would serve as regular dose of inspiration for my clients. Digital files are great and I love when clients purchase them because I know how much value they hold. The possibilities are endless when you own the digital files! Buuuuuut … I also know that sometimes people purchase the files with good intentions, but then never get around to actually using them!

Anyway, as the year has gone by, I’ve been inspired, too! I, too, was sitting on files that were never printed! I recently moved, and sloooowly but surely, I’ve been enjoying decorating my new apartment with my pictures. So for this week’s ATWT, I thought it would be fun to share what I’ve done so far. My place is a work in progress (don’t get me started on my kitchen!), but I’m pleased with how things are coming along : )

I downsized from a three-bedroom townhouse in DE to a one-bedroom apartment in the Hudson Valley region of NY. I have much less space here … which meant I had to get rid of a lot of stuff. I carefully selected which items I would bring with me. In the end, I sold pretty much all the big stuff in my house, including all my dining room and living room furniture. I kept my desk, my piano, and my bed. Because I’m obsessed with my bed. Truly. (Sidenote: If you need a new mattress, DEFINITELY check out Saatva. Me and my back are HUGE fans!) I reeeeeeeeeeally wanted a sunny, bright, happy living space — and I got it!

My living room is bright and happy. I love the wood floors and I even love the color on the walls. It’s not exactly a living room meant for a baby grand, lol, but I love my piano, so I was determined to squeeze it in here. As you can see on the floor, there’s a chandelier just waiting to go above the piano. I stole it from my parents’ basement. There may or may not be two big holes above the piano now where I failed to finally get it hung, lol. I’ll post another picture once I can find someone to help me get it up there!

One of the things I love the most is the mantel, which is just perfect for pictures!

The big gold frame was $10 at Goodwill and used to house a terribly ugly painting. I bought it without any glass, but glass is suuuuuper cheap. Most hardware stores will cut glass to accommodate any frame. That’s a large picture (24×36) and a large frame from somewhere like Michael’s or AC Moore would be well over $100. So this was a huge savings. I have about five more frames just like it in my attic here and a bunch more in my parents’ basement. When I see one I like, at a good price, I grab it! These big frames are easy to come by and look particularly amazing when spray-painted a fun bright color.

I also added a 16X16 canvas wrap of my Grammie and my little Bella along with some other framed prints. This was a canvas wrap that I got from Cafepress. I got it on sale for around $35 including shipping. That’s a real steal! It was my first time ordering from them and I wasn’t sure if the quality would be good … but I was pleasantly surprised. Mpix.com is the printer I recommend to clients and they, too offer up sales from time to time. So definitely get on their mailing list!

Another thing I love in my living room is the built-ins! Hooray! I’ve always wanted built-in shelves! I bought some left-over fabric scraps at Goodwill to line the back of the shelves. I used a hot glue gun to hang it, so it will be easy to remove. The picture frames stand out a bit more now that your eye is drawn to the pattern in the background.

I don’t have a dining room in this apartment. I have a huuuuuge kitchen with a dining area, but I’m using the dining area as an office. So I found a drop-leaf table at a garage sale and it sits cozily against the wall in my living room. I wasn’t quite sure what to put above the table, but then I happened upon a big pile of clip boards at Goodwill for $.99 each. I bought eight and painted the bottoms of them a metallic gold and clipped on some pictures. I used removable mini 3M Command hooks to hang the clipboards so that I didn’t end up putting eight holes in the wall. My landlords are very nice, but I don’t want to push it!

I love this idea because I can easily change my pictures around. These are 8×10 prints and they fit just right on a regular-sized clip board.

Oh, and just as a side note: You can’t see it too well in the pictures, but the sun-burst mirror on my wall? I am so excited about it! I knew I wanted one but they are so expensive!! Even at Marshalls and TJ Maxx they’re a lot. I happened across some blog posts that all raved about Martha Stewart’s mirror at Home Depot. Just $35! I checked online and it appeared to be sold out everywhere. The Home Depot site claimed it was unavailable anywhere in NY or DE. But this morning, I decided to just double check at my local Home Depot as I drive past it everyday anyway. And what do you know? There it was!!!!! : ) If you’re looking for something like that, I LOVE this mirror! And I LOVE the price : )

On the left below is a mounted 8×10 print on the mantel in my bedroom. You can order these from most printers and they’re great as you can just rest them up against the wall, no frame needed. And on the right is a fun little frame I stole from my Mom’s house! At least, I think that’s where I got it. If not, it was Goodwill! And, lol, I’m just realizing that I forgot to remove the piece of tissue I tucked behind the frame. It’s saturated with lavender to keep things smelling nice. Clearly I’m not destined for staging photography : ) …

This was an ugly gold frame that I found at a thrift store and painted with a fun aqua color. It made all the difference. I hung it on the door to my bedroom with a little picture of my Mom and Grandmother hanging within …

I almost left this picture of Bella back in DE when I moved. It was hanging behind my desk in my office and it always made me happy. Because she always made me happy. But I knew that she wouldn’t be with me much longer as she was slowly but surely fading. I thought it would be just too hard to have the picture – and not her. She was with me for about a week in this apartment before I had to say “goodbye” to her. And for the next week, it was too hard to look at the picture. But now I’m glad it’s there. It makes me happy to think of her. This is a large canvas wrap and I’m a huge, huge fan of large canvas wraps! They make such an impact in a room.

And as you can probably tell by now, I’m a huge fan of thrifted frames. All of the frames below, except the pink one on the right, were thrifted. The pink one is from Marshalls …

So there you have it : ) A glimpse into my sunny little apartment! It’s a happy and peaceful place. Thanks for taking a little tour with me!

Happy Tuesday!
Kate

P.S. Want more all-the-way Tuesday ideas? You’ve got it!