Answering the call...

We have officially lived in our house for 3 years. For some (read: most) families, 3 years is not that long. For our little family, 3 years is a lifetime. A.J. and I moved 4 times in the first 4 years of our marriage for various job and life opportunities. I wouldn't change a single decision, but my good friend Ann's father used to say "Don't move near Meghan, her stuff's on wheels"! 

When we moved in to our townhouse I was thrilled when we got to the point where the house felt fully decorated. Curtains hung - check. Pictures on the wall - check. Walls painted - check. But now that we've been here awhile, I hear the house whispering for a refresh. So as life is giving us a little pocket of downtime, I'm answering the decorating call by starting in the kitchen.

These pictures have hung in every house we've lived in, and they were my first big decorative purchase for our first house. I have a vivid memory of painting the gold frames black in the bumpy driveway of our sweet house on Skipwith Rd. If you look around you'll see these prints everywhere, but I love them  for all the good sentimental reasons. They're getting packed away for now, but will hopefully make a return to the walls in the future.

The need for more photo space and the desire to display some of the art we've collected over the past few years led me to this final product...

Sorry for the weird pic - I had a hard time getting everything in the shot!

Notes:

I'm obsessed with these picture ledges from Ikea - they're streamlined, affordable and provide some creative space to lean frames or put small items on display. 

My girlfriend Jessie gave me the awesome birthday gift of a class at Wine and Design in Richmond. We spent a lovely afternoon in March sipping Prosecco and painting stress-free Cow faces. Sounds weird, but trust me, it was so fun. I named my cow Boyer after the very best Richmond ice cream shop in all the land. 

The Fork is a personal favorite. Whenever we go back to Nashville, my husband's hometown, we try to eat at one of the Nashville Originals restaurant. The city is onto something - local restauranteurs have joined together to increase the visibility of local restaurants as more and more chain restaurants pop up. We were at Tin Angel and I saw this cool poster hanging on the wall. Once we were back in MD, I looked on the website to see if I could purchase a print. No luck. I took a stab in the dark and called the restaurant. I spoke to the owner and he told me that they weren't for sale, but that he had a few extras in his office and he'd be happy to give me one. Score! I love generous people. My mother-in-law was still living in TN at the time, so she picked it up and now it hangs on our walls as a fun reminder of A.J.'s southern roots, good food and the importance of supporting local business.

The clipboard is there to display all of the future artwork that Drew creates. I'm basically counting the days until he's old enough to wield a crayon. Coloring was such a great part of my childhood, and I can't wait to share that creative time with Drew. For the record, I was an in-the-lines colorer. 

I couldn't find a cork board that I liked, so I bought a frame, removed the glass and bought cork to fit. 

Drew's big-headed silhouette makes me smile every time I see it. It also reminds me of the silhouette wall in my grandparents' house - my mom is the oldest of 5, and I have a strong memory of seeing the collection of 5 sweet girl profiles on their walls.

Between this new display, the removal of Drew's exersaucer (hallelujah!) and the addition of an easel (future project) and new rug, the kitchen is feeling fresh and new. Maybe this new eye candy will inspire me to cook a little more - I'm doubtful, but hopeful!