WIP: Gallery Wall

The photos I ordered through Kodak Gallery to be picked up at Best Buy a couple weeks ago were ready for pick-up Wednesday and it's then that I realized I had ordered some of them in the wrong size. Why I didn't just read the measurements on the frame I don't know. It was a stupid mistake that I thought would cost me another 10 days but turned out to be no biggie because I was able to have them printed again by Costco, with a turn-around time of less than 24 hours!! Talk about efficient!

I had another pleasant surprise in finding Off the Wall, which I've walked by countless times on Queen West without really noticing, to get a mat cut for a c. 1905 print of the Northern and Southern Constellations I'd picked up at the South Bank Book Market in London last Spring. I had gone to De Serres first where I had previous mats cut but the framer happened to be off yesterday so I walked away disappointed towards Urban Barn where I wanted to pick up the this birdseye wallhook (yes, more birds!) Anyway, I looked into the window and noticed the mat samples on the counter and inquired and found that their pricing was far more competitive. And the bonus? My order would be ready for next-day pick-up! I did a happy dance in my head when I heard that! :)

So here's the before, with the newsprint I'd taped on the wall for a potential layout:

As you can see from the WIP After, I didn't follow it:


I'm really happy with how the mix of photos and art is turning out. I need to go back to Ikea to get the 5-print Ribba frame once the black one's in stock...it appears to be sold out at the Etobicoke and North York locations and I'm not willing to trek all the way up to their Vaughn location just for a frame.

I've been browsing etsy for more prints and am contemplating the following, not necessarily for this gallery wall:

Sweet Berry Bird by Cafe Baudelaire

Moon Rocks by Bon a Tirer Fine Art Editions

Fantail Birds by Sugarloop

Winsor Yellow II by Laura Su

Papillons Bleus by The Nebulous Kingdom

I'm going to let things stew for a bit before making any decisions.

Words to live by...

via Keep Calm Gallery

Twinkle Twinkle

I love this new print over at Keep Calm Gallery:


Piglet is visiting this week and I was singing this very nursery rhyme to her Saturday night. :)

Gorgeous

I stumbled upon Jessica Hische's blog via Hey Susy and hello, gorgeous!


This letterpress print is available for sale here and I want one.

Gallery Plan

I've been staring at the empty frames over my sofa for too long now so I've decided it's time to deal with them once and for all. So guess what I did tonight? I used some scrap craft paper I had lying around (see! I knew my pack rat tendencies would come in handy!) and traced out the shapes of the frames and then taped them to my wall:

I'm not convinced that this is the configuration I want but the next to-do on my list tonight is photo-editing...and perhaps browsing etsy for a print or two...?

Keep Calm & Eat Cake in the kitchen

I was browsing through my etsy favourites last night and bought a couple of prints from BluLima's shop. I'd had my eye on these two prints for a little while now - Keep Calm is produced by several other sellers but I like Sharon's colours and the dimensions of her prints.

I think Eat Cake is perfect for a bright pop of colour in my kitchen...but looking at the photo above, I wonder if the wall by the microwave is wide enough...hmm...maybe framed atop the counter?


Sharon is super-nice and is throwing a Buy One Get One sale on through to the end of the week, so pop on over for a look.

For Piglet

I came across this print thanks to Wanderluster and am thinking of getting one customized for my neice, who I will be seeing sooner rather than later since I'm redeeming my points to fly my sister and Piglet into town just after my move.

I'm so excited to see the little piggy again! We Skype a few times a week and she's so smiley and butterball-y now it kills me. She'll be 7 mos tomorrow and at her last weigh-in she was 21 lbs and 27 inches long!

Print mad am I

I was wondering about what to get S&W for a wedding gift...and stumbled upon this print by Douglas Wilson over at Keep Calm Gallery: I like that this series is printed on vintage maps of the United Kingdom - appropriate since both S&W are anglophiles at heart - W having lived and worked their for 4 years before S joined him there for his 5th before returning to Toronto. Besides, I think they'd appreciate the irony.

Oh, and I'm thinking of this one for me, printed on a map of Toronto, if it's available:

I've been corresponding with Hayley over at Keep Calm for the last week in trying to find the appropriate background map for the 2 prints and she's been super-helpful and patient. I also like this and this but I must pace myself...for a limited time only there's a surprise bonus print with every purchase of a Douglas Wilson print so I wonder what they will be...?

Word Choice

Clearly I'm procrastinating going to bed even though I'm really tired. Why else would I be browsing Etsy at this late hour?

I found this letter press print by bluevalentinepress and I want it. I think it'd look stunning with a crimson matte and a black frame. You?

City Prints Pink

I stumbled upon this pretty print while browsing at A Cup of Jo who in turn found it through another blog...ah...the power of word of blog!

I liked the primary colours of the first print I saw, but upon seeing that it's available in shades of purple and pink - well, duh! - how could I resist?! Actually, I tried. I added the seller to my etsy favourites, went up to shower and wash my hair, and decided that it was futile...besides. I needed some retail therapy...plus, I've been to every city in the print...so it's a done deal. :)

Yay for pretty prints!

"Colour"

Here's the print I purchased from gorjuss' Etsy shop for Little Miss Fire Piglet, all matted and framed up:

Prints at vol25

I've been procrastinating on and off the business case I've been working on in preparation for a meeting this Tuesday and while reading decor8, I stumbled back onto Etsy seller vol25 who I had saved as a favourite some time ago and have decided that I must get this set to hang, perhaps over my bed:

I love the pretty, graphic quality of the prints and think they will totally pop framed with a thick white matte against the dark blue that I imagine for my walls.

I also really like this set, which I think would be cute for the kitchen....but I'm not quite convinced yet:

Finally, this would be charming for the wall by my door...but is this too much of a good thing?

More for me...

These are my favourite prints over at Fleet Street Scandal:

Spring Cleaning in Paris

Afternoon Tea on Threadneedle Street

Waiting on Platform 3

More Prints

A quiet Saturday night at home and I've been browsing Etsy with Season 3 of The West Wing in the background as I search for possible gifts for the little VIP.

Here's what I found in potential candidates:

1. Dandielions Dream creates art prints for children which may be customized and I like the idea of these two prints together, with the blue owls swapped out for pink owls. My first instinct was to have the text read "Sweet Dreams - E. M." but now I don't know...Perhaps "Dream Big - E. M."? Or no name at all but some other touchy-feely text?

2. Gorjuss features this pretty girl with her long, flow-y black hair in many of her prints. I love the purple scheme and how carefree and sweet she looks in this one:

3. I like this collection of 4 seasonal prints at Belle & Boo called My Favourite Spot in... they're at once carefree but bittersweet, too:

4. Yumi Yumi's Sitting Pretty is sweet and there's a Buy 3 Prints Get 1 Free sale going on, so I'm almost tempted to get the 3 other 5x5 owl prints just to take advantage. I love Sitting Still too, particularly in Brown.

5. Finally, meArtDesign's Swirly Bird in Pink because it's pink and it's pretty:

Birds, you may have noticed, are very-well represented in my sampling of prints and it's not that I favour birds particularly, but that the artists who sell their work on Etsy do. Anyway, they're pretty and I think they'd be pretty in a little girl's room.

What do you think?

Colourful Prints

Thanks to Jane at Ill Seen, Ill Said, I can't get AMP's Focus out of my head:

I love how the colourful flourishes seem to fall into the simply scripted text and I've been imagining how I could use this in my space...and I'm thinking that it'll be perfect hung above the desk in my den...

I also came across this print by Gina Triplett called Born which is beautiful and familiar in theme, non? Perhaps in the den as well, although they're not the same dimensions so I'll have to figure something out. Good thing they're open editions so there's no rush for me to decide.

Meanwhile, I've been thinking about what to give my little niece, who, according to my sister, is a poop and fart machine. How charming. T's decorated EMC's room in girly pinks and purples so I was thinking that perhaps Sarajo Frieden's Twenty Birds would be a perfect addition: