Pop of Color Project

One of my personal resolutions (inspired by Ben Franklin's 13 virtues) is to do One Project at a Time around our house. Right now I am working on our main living area. Not only is this the living room but also the kitchen, dining area, and entryway/home office. It's a busy little space! 

Last fall we upgraded our living room with a big beautiful sectional in a neutral fabric. My thinking then was that there were so many colorful toys we didn't need (couldn't handle??) any more pattern or color. 

But now it is February. I have spring fever! And a little pop of color is exactly what we need. 

I decided to make over the corner of our living room nearest the kitchen. There was nothing on the walls, and at its highest point the ceiling soars to the roofline. Since I love the look of gallery walls, I planned to do something symmetrical with six total framed prints.  The bottom of the top row would be inline with the top of the doorway in order to maximize the high ceilings.

With that design in mind and a sale paper advertising up to 50% off frames plus a coupon for an additional 25% off, I skipped off to Michael's. I ended up finding a set of frames & mats in the clearance section. The kit contained two 8x8, two 8x10, and one 11x14 frames. All for $20! I bought two sets (couldn't use my 25% off coupon. grrr!) and re-imagined my project with the 8x10s both above and below the 11x14s. I set aside the 8x8s for another project.

Filling the frames
I wanted a different look for inside the frames than what I have done in the past (either family photos or kids' drawings). Using images I have come across via Pinterest I selected a few favorites, and made this collage to see how they looked together. 

Using Target's online photo center, I ordered the four images as 5x7 prints. Since it was Saturday night and I wanted to do some shopping anyway, I selected in-store pickup. *I'll be honest, the resolution on some of the prints was not great. This didn't bother me since I just used those to go higher up on the wall.

For the two 11x14 frames, I used pages from a book that Bela no longer wanted but that I just adore Madeline and the Cats of Rome. There was lots of blue, yellow, and green in the pictures, which was just the spot of color I wanted.

Rounding out the space is a purple polka-dotted phalaenopsis I bought during the orchid show at our university over the weekend. It's sitting on top of some coffee table books in that corner, and its height closes the distance between what's on the floor and the pictures on the wall. 

Overall, the corner has been transformed into a bright, happy spot!
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Phalaenopsis: $25
Frames (two sets): $40
Prints (approx.): $6
Madeline book: already had
Total cost of project: $71. 

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