A New 'Smitten' Print in My Family Room!

I am super excited to show you an amazing new print that graces my family room mantel! I was recently contacted by a representative from Pretty Smitten, an on line stationary, home and gift shop to preview one of their gorgeous prints from their new art print line. I jumped at the chance, since I have already loved and admired their chic patterns, personalized notepads and monogrammed gifts. It was a tough decision, since they are all so fun, but this is the print I chose...

shop here

And here it is, all styled up in my family room...

The orange, coral, pink and brown from this print works so well with the room's color scheme. I chose a driftwood style frame to balance against the chic look in the print. This room has a bit of a rustic touch, so I thought it created a nice balance. The frame has an 8x10 opening, which is a perfect size for this print. Overall, I am totally smitten with my new art piece! I already have my eye on some other great prints from her shop! If you haven't checked out the site yet, stop over to see all of the gorgeous options at an amazing price point. Owner and creator, Elizabeth Johnson founded her shop as a creative outlet after the birth of her son. Her business quickly grew to include more gift items and after the birth of her two girls, Pretty Smitten continues to expand. This new print line is a beautiful addition to her creative, chic style! Her shop also includes trays, phone cases, personalized placemats and trays, just to name a few! 

Start your shopping HERE and have fun!

Our Fall Mantel

As promised, here are the pictures of our fall mantel. I kept some of the things as is... the wall clock, the windsor chair and 'B' candle. The new changes include branches from our front yard birch tree, a leaf plate and a mossy stone bird. Here is our nature inspired, fall mantel...

I also switched around some art and moved the graphic art piece from our wall to the mantel. I think it adds a modern touch to the natural, traditional elements. You may also notice the little plastic sticky pieces that are on the top of the mantel. A while back, I had a huge mirror on this mantel, and those sticky pieces were there to prevent the mirror from sliding. I should take them down, since I don't need them anymore. Should have done that before the pictures...  :)

I love it when I can decorate using free things from around the house. The branches were easy to clip down from the tree, were free and instantly add a nature inspired accessory to the mantel.

Do you change out your mantel with the seasons?

Changes to My Mantle

After a few years of looking at the same set up on my mantle, I was ready for a change! I love the layered look and I know I wanted to layer some prints for added depth. I cannot believe I forgot- but I didn't take before pictures! What kind of a blogger am I? Here is what I came up with:

Most of the pieces are sentimental and carry meaning, while a couple are just for fun and were inexpensive art solutions! Starting from the left, the mini windsor bench was a flea market find when we lived in Germany that I bought for 15 euros! I always smile when I see it and remember our fond memories living in Europe. The sketch drawing next to that was also a purchase in Germany and shows one of the fun cities we lived near. The two clocks were gifts from the hubby! I always love and cherish the gifts that were bought as a complete surprise, with no help from me. He's got great taste! (Well helllloooo- he chose me, right! ha just kidding!) Ok, back to it- the sketch drawing on the right shows a colliseum in Italy's beautiful city of Verona. It still stands today, and we were able to walk around inside. The framed "art" pieces behind that are actually just decorative scrapbook paper that I bought and framed as art! Scrapbook paper can be an inexpensive art solution and look pretty good when matted and framed. And the frames with matting are from wal mart for only $10 each!  (As a side note- the little rubber stoppers can be seen in these images, but not when looking at them from the floor. They are just there to hold the pictures in place!)

This is the to do list for this room:

- paint the walls Alaskan Husky by benjamin moore. It's a very light, gray/blue color. It can almost appear white at certain times of the day. I am so excited for this project!

- add two wide horizontal stripes to this one wall and use one shade lighter on the color swatch for the stripes. I will wait a couple months after painting to add stripes, because the paint needs time to cure. If I do it right away, the painter's tape will likely take off the new paint on the walls. (And I have no problem waiting a couple months- it takes forever for me to complete a project, anyway!)

What fall projects will you tackle???