For months now, I've been trying to make our apartment feel like a home. One of my biggest struggles has been with what to do with our large expanse of empty walls. I don't want to just buy something to "fill" them up, but to fill them with things that mean something to us. I've had slow success with other parts of our house, but the huge wall in our kitchen has continually eluded me, which is why I even added it to my year's to-do list (#8).
The other day, I was picking up around the house, moving and sifting papers, collecting things that belonged in different rooms, and was walking through the kitchen with a stack of Easter and birthday cards we'd received over the past week or two. I saw the bare wall and realized, even if only temporarily, we can use it as a makeshift fridge door--a place to display notes and pictures. (Our fridge door is where we post much more exciting things like bills and recipes and RSVP cards.)
I dug through our tool box (actually a cardboard box) and my craft drawer for the supplies: a level (wedding gift!), some ribbon (leftover from decorations for the wedding, I think), nails, hammer, and alligator clips. In minutes, I had the ribbon strung and clipped our latest cards in place. Then I taped up two pictures that Michael's brother and cousin had drawn of us. (On the left you have Michael playing the guitar and me sitting down beside him, courtesy of his little brother, Sam. On the right is a drawing of us standing outside, looking at each other, which we received at Christmas from his cousin Molly.)
And in about 10 minutes or less, our kitchen already feels more homey. (And feel free to send us more mail, knowing now that it could end up on display in our makeshift gallery!)
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that is so cute! and I love your hanging baskets. Where did you get it?
ReplyDeleteThanks! I think I actually bought the hanging baskets at a thrift store (Valley Thrift in Evendale, most likely) when I was still in high school. I had grand dreams about hanging it in my dorm room. I think this is the first time I've actually been able to use it! I've also seen them at World Market though.
ReplyDeleteYour blog is beautiful! Making the place you live feel homey is so important. Nice job! I hope you'll link up at my party next week too.
ReplyDeleteBecca
Thanks, Becca. I appreciate it!!
ReplyDeletevery cute! i love this kind of thing, i was just thinking of clipping some of my favorite photos together along the wall over out tv in the bedroom - which is blank right now! (and, i love the wooden counter tops, how neat!)
ReplyDeleteThanks! I can take no credit for the wooden countertops (we rent our apt.) but I do think the light wood helps brighten up the place more than your typical granite and makes it feel a little more homey, which I like!
ReplyDeleteI love it!!! I actually thought you had written SAD BLANK WALL on your wall for a moment! LOL
ReplyDeleteHahaha! You were seriously going to question my decorating sensibilities weren't you? I hope so! I wondered if it might accidentally read that way...oopsies!
ReplyDelete"Courgettes" and "sad blank walls," oh my! :)
I love this idea. I've been trying to figure out what to do with all that kid art!
ReplyDeleteI love these :) Very cute!
ReplyDeleteThanks for linking at Lucky Star Lane!