"Finished" Art Wall

Wooo! I FINALLY finished the art wall over my desk in my bedroom. I use the term "finished" a bit loosely, since it's still not 100% where I want it to be, but for a good while at least, any changes I make will be minor ones. Here are the photos and sources of it all.

This is the view from my doorway. I'm not sure putting that frame below my light switch was the greatest idea I've ever had, so it might be one of the things to get moved around if I do any tweaking.

Clockwise from top left: 1) This is a collection of 4 sunset photos I've taken over the past year. The first was taken in Prescott, AZ, the second was taken from the top floor of one of the parking on my college campus, and the bottom two were taken last fall on my way back to Sacramento from my parents' place. 2) I purchased this print from Mae Chevrette and the frame came from Target. 3) I purchased this "&" print from Milk Box Prints and this frame also came from Target. 4) This photo of my and my siblings was taken about 5 years ago. 5) This is a simple little hand-me-down frame and I cut a piece of scrapbook paper to fit. 6) A small whiteboard that I purchased from Target. Currently it has some lyrics from Mumford & Sons written on it. 7) This is a frame I picked up at Goodwill and then spray painted a while ago. I stuck in some miscellaneous photos that'll be pretty easy to change out if the mood strikes me.

 Clockwise from top left: 1) This collage frame was a hand-me-down from my older sister. I put some older photos of my four younger siblings in it. 2) Another hand-me-down frame, this time with some photos taken during my 2009 Grand Canyon backpacking trip. 3) This "&" print came from Cursive Art. Frame from Target. 4) This is an engagement photo I took for my sister and her husband 4 years ago. Frame is, you guessed it, from Target. 5) Small corkboard from target. 6) Photo of the cross at InterVarsity's Campus by the Sea on Catalina Island. I'm fairly sure it's a law that if you go there, you have to take a photo of the cross. 7) Silver-toned tray I picked up at Goodwill for about $2 that I've been using as a magnet board. I love it! 8) Photo of my mom and dad at my sister's wedding and two notecards from Target's dollar section. 9) Another frame from Target with a photo of my family at a time trial we all rode in about 6 years ago.

And here's the whole thing, including my desk. The left edge needs some work. I'm not thrilled with how even things are compared to the right side, so that'll most likely get changed within the next couple months, if not sooner.

Overall, I'm really happy with how this turned out and I can't wait to keep adding to it and improving it! If my roommate agrees, there's another spot in my apartment that I think would be great for a gallery wall. Now to find some inspiration for it...

"Keep Calm" Posters

I've never been a fan of the "Keep Calm and Carry On" poster trend, but ever since I saw one of my best friend's versions of the poster that reads "Lose Hope and Despair," I've been a huge fan of the parody versions! There are a lot of them for sale on Etsy, like this "Freak Out and Throw Stuff" one, for instance.

Anyways, this past weekend has been a rather lazy one for me since I've been recovering from a cold and this afternoon, while I was messing around on my computer, I came across this site that lets you create your own version of the poster. I had so much fun playing around with different versions! Here are a few of the ones I made (feel free to download and print for your personal use):

This translates to "Deeds not words," and is the motto of the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy.

This is, of course, a paraphrase of Lizzy's acceptance of Mr. Darcy's second proposal in the 1995 BBC version of Pride and Prejudice.

"Love Conquers All" 

"God and Glory"

A key phrase from Captain Wentworth's letter to Anne in Persuasion.

This is a paraphrase of the motto of the Air Force ROTC's Arnold Air Society motto: "The warrior who cultivates his mind, polishes his arms."

This is for my brothers Nano and Jon who are headed to cycling nationals this week. I hope they do well but most importantly, stay safe!

An epic line from the epic movie, Ben-Hur.

I thought it could be cute for someone to use this poster trend to propose.

In Persuasion, there are a couple quotes that talk about Anne having to choose between duty & prudence and romance & risk in breaking off her engagement with Captain Wentworth and in refusing the proposal of Mr. Elliot. I think this is a dichotomy that many people can relate to.

North and South is easily one of my favorite British novels and BBC adaptations. This is a line from Mr. Thornton's ill-fated proposal.

An Ampersand & Another Ampersand...& More Ampersands!

Sorry for the poor quality. My phone has a terrible camera.

If the above photo has you thinking that I'm addicted to ampersands...you're probably right! I love them. I cannot get enough of them. And while I'm not sure exactly what it is that draws me to them, I suspect that it's a combination of their graphic beauty, straight lines, and gorgeous curves. Here's where all my ampersands came from:

1. The & pillow was made for me by my sister and co-blogger, Ashton. Etsy has a variety of ampersand pillows, in case you'd like to purchase one.

2. The poster print of ampersands in various fonts was purchased on Etsy from here. The frame is from Target.

3. The large, rusty metal ampersand was a birthday gift from my three younger brothers. They found it at an antique store in Oroville, CA during the California State Open Fiddle and Picking Championship Contest.

4. The smaller, thicker ampersand was purchased at Kohl's a while back. Judging from their website, they no longer have them.

5. The black & white ampersand print was purchased from this Etsy seller. The frame is from Target.

Words for Your Wall

Ever since joining Pinterest, I've been finding some perfectly lovely word art, so I thought I'd share some of my favorite discoveries here.

It took me forever to find the original source for this one! Aren't the pins that link to tumblr the absolute worst?!

Original source.

Cicero hit the nail on the head with this one! Original source.

I actually bought this one. It's lovely! For sale here.

Good motivation to stop procrastinating! For sale here.