Tuesday, July 29, 2014

DIY Gold Corner Frames

Happy Tuesday!  If you missed our post last week on the DIY Picasso animal art, be sure to check it out!  It's the perfect easy art project to use in a grouping of frames - or even just one on its own.  Okay, on to the frames now!


Here's what you'll need:
You'll want to start by measuring a few inches from the corner of your frame.  I measured in two inches and really just eyeballed how I wanted it to look.  So if your frames are smaller, you might want to decrease the measurement and increase if your frames are a bit bigger.  I marked in two inches from each corner on each corner of the frame.



I then taped off the corners exactly at the two-inch mark, making sure to press down a bit on the tape to seal the edges (don't want that paint to seep through!).


You'll be left with a frame that resembles this...


Before you start using your Rub 'N Buff, you'll want to work it around a bit inside the tube so the paint is a bit more mixed together. Then, using a paint brush or your finger (you can use gloves to make it less messy, but I just dove right in) rub on the paint until it covers the surface.



Continue doing so until all of the corners are covered.  You may need to go over a few spots twice depending on the coverage.  Let it dry overnight and you're done.  Step back and admire your work!


The frames have a new home above our fireplace mantel, but by the time I realized I needed to take a photo it was dark out and the pictures just weren't up to par - so I'll update another day this week! #bloggerprobs

Monday, July 28, 2014

Master Bedroom Bedding Makeover

Ever since R.B. and I have gotten married (a month ago today!), I've wanted to update the master bedroom. It is definitely a bachelor's bedroom. 





Sooo...while R.B. is out of town, I decided to start on the bedding. Surprise, R.B.!

I started looking online for bedding last week and couldn't really find anything I loved. So, this weekend while I was in Birmingham, I decided to run by Pottery Barn and check out what they had in the store. And bonus, they were having a bedding sale!

So last night, I stripped the boring gray bedding off the bed and replaced it with the beautiful linen Pottery Barn bedding!



The duvet, matching pillow shams, and three euro shams are from Pottery Barn. I need to get bigger pillows to fill out the blue shams, but they'll have to do for now. The two white/gold pillows are from Pier One, and the gold bow pillow is an old one I've had for awhile (I think it's from Kirkland's). I'm thinking I'll need to add some pillows or add a blanket/throw to the foot of the bed, but I'm much happier with it now. 

Now that I've gotten the bedding figured out, I'm ready to jump right in to a complete overhaul of the room! I'm going to get Kelley to come over and help me figure out what else needs to be done, and we'll document the makeover on Z+M!

What do you think? How could I enhance the bedding even more? 

Friday, July 25, 2014

DIY Picasso Animal Art

We moved into our new rental house in November, but it all happened so quickly that it's been hard to get organized and decorate and all that jazz.  I've had six of these Ikea Nyttja frames for quite some time now, but couldn't figure out what or where I wanted to hang in them until I realized (duh) that I should try and recreate my favorite living room look!

So, I started with the art and picked up some mixed media paper, printed out a few of my favorite Picasso animal images (you may need to adjust the size of the images when printing) and got to work.


I started by taking my images and centering them on top of my art paper.  I traced over the lines with a thick ball point pen.  Doing so, left an imprint of the traced item on my art paper...


Since I didn't want the background of my art paper to be stark white, I used a small foam paint brush and some light gray watercolor to age the paper a bit and make it stand out against the white mat.

Side note: Those aren't really mats!  After finding out that the most basic of mats for these six frames would be more than $130, I decided to use thick cardstock and an exacto knife to create the illusion of mats.  Bada-bing. Bada-BOOM.

I used a thin black sharpie to go over the imprint leaving me with this...


I finished up the remaining animals and placed them in the frames (DIY on the frames soon!)...


I'm already loving how they look!  We'll be posting the DIY on the frames next week and showing you where their new spot in the house is.

Have a great weekend!

Thursday, July 24, 2014

Alabama Artists You Should Know

Alabama is home to tons of great musicians - Hank Williams (Montgomery), Lionel Richie (Tuskegee), the band Alabama (Ft. Payne), Chuck Leavell (Birmingham), and Jimmy Buffett (Mobile), just to name a few. 

But, here are three lesser known names that you should get to know...

St. Paul and the Broken Bones

This band has skyrocketed in the last few months. Paul, the lead singer, hails from Birmingham, and two of the band members are graduates of my alma mater, Samford University (go Bulldogs!).

You'll love just listening to their music, but you REALLY need to see them live in concert. They put on a great show. I've already bought my tickets for their Alabama Theater concert in November!






Lee Bains III & The Glory Fires

Also from Birmingham, Lee Bains was a part of another great Alabama band, The Dexateens. After breaking off and forming his own band, Lee has been on the rise ever since. 





Fire Mountain

Fire Mountain hails from right down the road in Troy, Ala. They've been playing together since 2009, but they've really been on the rise since the release of their first full-length album, All Dies Down.


Will you check out any of these Alabama artists? Who is your favorite musician from Alabama? 

Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Nordstrom Anniversary Sale Favorites

Last week, we had one odd day here in Montgomery that gave us a glimpse into some wonderful fall weather.  Of course it's back up in the 90s now, but that little glimpse got us totally ready for the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale!  It's the moooost wonderful tiiiiiime....sorry.  But this is probably my favorite sale of the year.  So, here are a few of my favorite picks from the sale...











I'm definitely going to pick up a few items - just need to narrow down which ones!  Maeci already got her order in, so I guess I need to catch up :)  Do y'all shop the anniversary sale every year like we do?  Let us know what you picked up or what you have your eye on!

Monday, July 21, 2014

Cathedrals and Basilicas of Europe

Europe has some of the most beautiful cathedrals and basilicas you'll ever see. It's amazing the amount of time and effort spent on the buildings; and, there are gorgeous churches in almost every European city. 

Here are a few of the ones we saw while on our honeymoon...

Barcelona

La Sagrada Familia: Designed by famed architect Antoni Gaudi, construction of the cathedral began in 1882 and is still ongoing.














Aix-en-Provence

Cathedral of the Holy Savior:  The site of this cathedral was originally a Roman temple to Apollo; the Christian church that stands now began with construction of a baptistry in the 4th or 5th century that is still standing. 




















Marseille

Notre Dame de la Garde: This basilica sits on the highest point in Marseille and is considered by many of the locals to be the protector of the city.










These paintings represent accidents and disasters (plane crashes, boating accidents, sickness, etc.) where people have survived. They present the paintings to the church in gratitude to "the good mother," who they believe saved them from death.



The view from the basilica.

Monaco-Ville

Cathedral of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception (Saint Nicholas Cathedral): Many of the Grimaldis are buried here, including Grace Kelly.







Florence

Basilica of Santa Croce: This basilica is the burial place of many famous Italians including Michelangelo, Galileo, and Machiavelli. It was completed in 1385.















Basilica of Saint Mary of the Flower (Duomo): The Duomo, as it is ordinarily called, is the main church of Florence. It was started in 1296 and completed in 1436.






The Gates of Paradise lead to the Baptistry of Saint John.
Carthage

Cathedral of Saint Louis: Completed in 1890, the cathedral is no longer used for worship. We didn't actually go inside this cathedral. 



Palermo

Church of San Domenico: The church was completed in 1480 and is the 2nd most important cathedral in Palermo. 









Oratory of San Domenico: The small chapels were used by wealthy Palermo citizens as prayer rooms. 









Oratory of the Rosary of St. Cita




These are all carved out of stucco.




Rome

The Pantheon (Basilica of St. Mary and the Martyrs): Built around 126 AD, The Pantheon is one of the best preserved Roman buildings in Rome. It is also the burial site of Raphael, the famous painter. 











St. Peter's Basilica: The burial site of St. Peter, the basilica is the largest church in the world.










I hope you enjoyed a little tour of only a handful of the cathedrals and basilicas in Europe. Have you visited any of these? Which is your favorite?