leaf and letter handmade: first project of 2011!

i'm trying not to get myself all worked up about "resolutions" this year, seeing as how i am definitely the type of person that makes them but does not keep them. so instead, i'm simply trying to take one project at a time & instead just be resolute about finishing and enjoying them! a lot of my ideas and inspiration revolve around the house... the tricky thing about a rental is that you move into a completely builder-beige blank slate [which, if you're like me, is just dying to be "done over!"] but you're only allowed to do so much because the space is not really yours. thankfully, some of the changes M & i have in mind are considered upgrades to the house & we're allowed to do them.

first thing first, we're still working on getting the master bedroom just right. so new year's day, M started off with a bang by installing a beautiful new ceiling fan! i absolutely LOVE how it looks in the tray ceiling!

and speaking of builder-beige-blank-slate, this main wall in our living room has always seemed to me like the perfect spot for something statement making- a big piece of artwork, a huge framed mirror, a big shelf... something big. it's the first thing you see when you come in the front door, & we just haven't had the space in the past to really go big.

we did build a little shelf, and i added every unclaimed picture frame in the house i could find, including some empty ones, onto it for some collage action:

but the more i think about this wide expanse of wall, and the more i think about the tons more family photos i'd like to be able to put up there, the more i'm loving the idea of a wall-long chair rail two thirds of the way up [rather than halfway up like a usual chair rail]. it is so easy to move the frames around when they're leaning up there rather than nailed into the wall. and of course, a board and batten treatment underneath would be just lovely, and not to difficult based on some of the tutorials i've seen! here are my inspiration photos: