Call of the Wild

I've been dying to incorporate animal print into our home somehow - we're not talking a huge cheetah print sofa in the living room, but more like a cool accent pillow, animal print cushions on the dining room chairs, or an upholstered bench.

Of course, getting Kris on board with a little animal print is a process, so I pulled some inspiration to show him what I'm thinking...

Like this cool zebra ottoman that doubles as a coffee table...

Traditional Living Room design by San Francisco Interior Designer Benjamin Dhong Interiors

Or these twin cheetah stools flanking the coffee tables below - they provide extra seating, but I love that they can easily be pushed up against a wall

Mediterranean Living Room design by Los Angeles Interior Designer Dayna Katlin Interiors

This accent chair is fierce (literally) but also very neutral... LOVE

Traditional Living Room design by San Francisco Interior Designer Kathleen Burke Design

Or THIS accent chair... see the animal print actually blends in with a neutral palette

Traditional Family Room design by San Diego Interior Designer Decorating Den Interiors - Susan Sutherlin

This zebra print is thicker, and a bit more modern, and I love the chocolate brown and creme on this Louis style arm chair

Traditional Family Room design by Chicago Architect Culligan Abraham Architecture

And finally a pretty animal print bench (with nailhead trim) - does it get more fabulous?!

Traditional Living Room design by Los Angeles Interior Designer DTM INTERIORS

So after taking a look at what I am thinking for animal print accents, what are your thoughts?  Hate it or love it?

Gallery Wall of White Ornate Frames

It's done!!  Remember a week or so ago I  had posted about creating a gallery wall made up entirely of frames??  Well... for the first time, I jumped right on this project, and it's finished!!

Remember this inspiration photo?

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Well here is our hallway as of this morning!!

And just to refresh your memory... here are a few photos of what it looked like before:

And again after...

Even with all these frames and the ornate details, it doesn't look busy, or overwhelming for the space.  Quite the opposite - all the white makes it really clean and simple.  I am thinking of selling this console table because I'm still not convinced it's right for this space.  Moving it out would open things up even more, don't you think?

Anyway - back to the project.  This could not have been more simple!!  I went to Aaron Brothers and hit up the one-cent sale (buy one, get one for a penny).  Of course, it was impossible to find white ornate frames, so I just picked up whatever ornate frames they had (many ended up being gold), and swung by the hardware store to grab a few cans of Rustoleum high gloss white spray paint.  I sprayed all the frames with a few coats, and it could not have been more simple!!

Once the paint was dry, I brought the frames inside, and then started laying out which frame would go where on the dining room table.  Even having them layed out on the table, it was still hard for me to envision how it wold look on the wall.  I am definitely a visual person, so I traced each frame onto a piece of paper, and started taping it all up on the wall.

Unfortunately, I forgot to take any photos of this process, but you can imagine how easy it was.  I found it was better to just play with the arrangement right on the wall until I was happy with the placement of each frame.  In that process I discovered that I still needed a few extra frames, and so I grabbed a few smaller frames we had around here - they aren't anything special, but a few simple frames in the mix actually makes the ornate ones pop even more!  Once I was happy with the arrangement with the pieces of paper, I started hanging everything up, and ta-da!

Ultimately, I'd like to have mirrors cut to fit to each frame, but for now they are all just empty - it doesn't bother me, but that's the eventual plan...

And this guy is my favorite - it's a hand carved wooden frame that has so much character!

What do you think??  I absolutely love it - it turned out just how I had hoped!!

On a Personal Note...

I just wanted to post a quick note on here, to apologize for being a bit MIA this week.  This week marked the end of a huge chapter of my life - I've been working at the same Ad Agency for the past five years, and next week, I begin a new chapter of my life at a new company, doing a completely new job.

For the last year, I've been thinking of a new challenge, and after much back and forth, finally settled on which of many paths to take.  

Deciding to make a change is bittersweet, and a little scary... but it's also exciting, and I know I am going to absolutely love going to work again.

I decided to dedicate a short post to this, because aside from documenting the changes in our home, the trends that I am loving, and the dreams for our future, this blog also documents the different stages of our life together... I make an effort to post every day, sometimes twice a day, but as I adjust to everything over the next several months, it may become harder to keep up with Cup Half Full as much as I have been.  Of course I will still be on here - this blog has saved my sanity more times than I can count - but the posts may be a bit more sporadic... just a heads up.

Wish me luck!!

xo

Wildfox + Clueless = Love

Have you heard of WildFox?  If you haven't you'll sure start noticing them more!  Large retailers like Nordstroms, Bloomingdales, and ShopBop all cary Wildfox clothing, but what I am obsessed with is their new Clueless inspired Collection.

Any of you ladies who grew up in the Clueless era know EXACTLY what I am talking about.

Sixth grade was pretty much a blur of saying what-evverrrrrr with my fingers in the "W" sign, and everyday, I made sure to show up to school wearing a short mini skirt, cropped baby t-shirts, and knee-highs.  My mom was at her wits end with the two little strands of hair I'd pull down next to my face in an effort to look JUST LIKE Cher.

OMG, I wanted a white jeep like that SO BAD!

          

Do these ads bring you back or what???

I can literally hear myself saying As If with as much attitude as my 12 year old self could muster.

OMG amazing... Can you tell, I'm still a little bit obsessed??

Outside of my clueless obsession, these clothes are a fabulous modern take on what has already been popular.  Don't get me wrong, you aren't going to find me trotting around town in knee highs again (some things are better left in the past), but that yellow blazer?? Those cute striped shorts??  That itty bitty sexy red dress??

All amazing!!

Check out their Facebook page here or their site with the rest of their collections here!!

Deal Alert: Picture Frames ANY size!

I just had to share!!

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Aaron Brothers is having their annual 1 cent sale (buy one picture frame, get one for a penny).  It is seriously one of the best sales of the year - if you've ever bought frames, you'll know how quickly the bill ads up!  Large frames like a 24"x36" are $60 at the lowest price.  That's $120 for two!!

Knowing that I've got plans for my gallery wall in the hallway of ornate frames, you can bet your buttons that I'll be hitting up Aaron Brothers this weekend!  You can shop their site, or go in store.

Happy shopping :-)