b4 & after: above & beyond

while i was cleaning up & packing up all of
our christmas decorations
i started to get that feeling...
that feeling where i was pretty much
done with the cleaning up,
ready to create something...
& so i went for a wall & shelf

i used to do displays for a gift store
(hirons, for you locals :)
& it was my most favorite job
so i loved bringing stuff in
trying it out, moving things around...
it's just so fun!

we have a shelf above our cabinets in the kitchen
an endless shelf
a shelf that i always had ideas about
but never really got to...
a shelf that we just stuck some stuff on:


lovely picture, eh?
i forgot to take a b4 picture
& had to search through old pics
to find one...
thankfully my kiddos like to use the camera
so i got an 'elves eye view' of the shelf :)

i love old stuff
vintage stuff
stuff i got at estate & garage sales when i was younger...
we don't have a lot of storage
so only my favorite stuff survives...


i have always loved old cameras &
brian's dad worked for kodak
so we have some cool ones...
that orange thing is some sort of book rack
that i got at the coburg antique fair before
Q was born, to put in his room
(never made it, because we moved)
Q picked up the eiffel tower at a garage sale
(he's always been enamored with the eiffel :)
the painting is from goodwill
i got it to paint over & do my own arty stuff with
but i never could...
the colors are just too perfect...
& finally the letters
i found a giant bag of them at a garage sale.
they are pretty big so they aren't super useful
but i love them, yellow & perfect :)

the wall space between some of our windows
used to have our favorite picasso painting
& some canvases that Q drew on when he was a little guy...
but it needed a change
a little spruce...


we went to victoria, canada in 2000 to celebrate
one of our anniversaries
& we picked up a cute little painting
that then became available in
every bed, bath & beyond (& beyond) for years...
ah well,
we liked it first! :)
& it brings us good memories...


one year i got brian one of the little accent paintings
& a few months ago at goodwill i found two more that
aren't by the same artist
but look similar
(because i repeat: that style was everywhere for years!)
they were $1.99 each & so perfect...
i'm hoping to find more
& fill in the whole wall.
i do love that acrylic style...

i always forget how good it feels to change things up...
makes walking into the kitchen much more fun :)
i might just do it more often...

watch out space above the couch & upstairs hallway.
i'm coming for you next!

:)