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Welcome to Amerige Avenue...

For attractive lips, speak words of kindness.

For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people.

For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry.

For beautiful hair, let a child run his/her fingers through it once a day.

For poise, walk with the knowledge that you never walk alone.

People, even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed, and redeemed; never throw out anyone.

Remember, if you ever need a helping hand, you will find one at the end of each of your arms.

As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands; one for helping yourself, and the other for helping others.


~Audrey Hepburn~



Saturday, June 26, 2010

Family and Friends Photo Project

For several months I have been wanting to do a photo collage above the couch in our living room.  I have a lot of wonderful photos of my family and friends I wanted to enjoy looking at daily (it makes me so happy to see the people I love every day!)  Thanks to my friend Allyson, who kindly donated black frames in various sizes, I was able to complete the project fairly quickly.  In case anyone wants to duplicate this in their own home, I will give step-by-step details of what I did, and what I think could be done better a second time around.

Here is the photo wall, but be sure to scroll down to the very bottom of the post to see the finished product:



So, the first step is to start with frames you love.  They can be uniform or various colors and shapes, but either way you will need to have different sizes.  I am of the personal opinion that if you have a very symmetrical design style in your home then this project would be perfect to mix it up a bit with different color frames and styles.  I went for a more symmetrical look because a) it looks good, b) the frames were free, and c) my design style (specifically my living room) is not very symmetrical.

Here are some not-so-symmetrical ideas from How to arrange frames on wall and Apartment Therapy.


If the frames have a stand on the back, tear it off.


Take inventory of what photos you want to use and what sizes you may want to use.  The majority of my photos were not digital, so I scanned them in at a high-detail ratio.  I was able to use Paint and Microsoft Office Picture Manager to touch up old photos that were blurry, faded, or creased.  Using Paint, you can zoom in on the photo up to 500% so touching up is easy to do.  I think the results turned out great!

                    Before touch up:                       After touch up:

 Then I cropped printed the photos in the sizes I wanted and put them into the frames.  I numbered each picture frame and cut out a piece of newspaper the same exact size as the paper and wrote on it the same number as the picture frame it matched.  I turned the frame so the hanger was facing up and put a hole in the newspaper where the nail should go (since not all frames are alike).  I arranged the photos on my dining table so I could play with the arrangement. 



I placed the newspaper cutouts of the frames on the wall in the same order as the arrangement on the table.  I measured the distance between the frames to be sure everything would be spaced evenly since my arrangement is symmetrical.  Since the nailhole was already marked in the newspaper I just nailed the wall through the paper, took off the newspaper, and hung up the matching photo.  I stuck some museum wax on the corners and leveled out the frames (a necessity in earthquake country!)





And, voila, a beautiful living room with a personalized touch!  Hope you enjoy the project!

Friday, June 25, 2010

My Teapot Collection in Mom's Vintage Curio Cabinet

There is something about the funky shapes and fun colors that are found on teapots.  They scream "I'm awesome" to me from across the store, and so far I have yet to disagree with them.  Check out my collection below in the vintage yellow Curio Cabinet kindly donated by my Mom that fits perfectly with my Amerige Avenue Bungalow.





Check out the detailing on the cabinet.


So sweet...

I LOVE BIRD/BRANCH/BUTTERFLY SILHOUETTES!
My favorite are the Monogrammed Mugs from Anthropologie:


I own two "H" Mugs and am drinking Ceylon Tea from one as I post this entry.  Hope to get more sometime before they run out.  Here is the full alphabet (D is my favorite!)



Check out the bird and branch collage below (link is found below the picture).  Many props to "Tubes" who created this on Flickr!

Friday, April 16, 2010

The One and Only Sir Paul McCartney!!!

 
WOW. WOW. WOW!



One of the most amazing things I will be able to say to my kids someday is "I saw Paul McCartney perform live."  What an honor to see a Beatle perform LIVE.  A living legend weaving behind-the-scenes stories with incredible music he actually wrote- what more could a girl ask for? 




I owe the hugest THANKS ever to my mother-in-law.  Thanks so much, Mom!!!

Here is a picture of "flare" we got from the concert.  Below that is a Rolling Stones Review and the Setlist.


SETLIST: Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles, Tuesday 30th March 2010
1.Venus And Mars / Rock Show
2.Jet
3.All My Loving
4.Letting Go
5.Got To Get You Into My Life
6.Highway
7.Let Me Roll It / Foxey Lady
8.The Long And Winding Road
9.Nineteen Hundred And Eighty Five
10.(I Want To) Come Home
11.My Love
12.I’m Looking Through You
13.Two Of Us
14.Blackbird
15.Here Today
16.Dance Tonight
17.Mrs Vandebilt
18.Eleanor Rigby
19.Something
20.Sing The Changes
21.Band On The Run
22.Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da
23.Back In The USSR
24.I’ve Got A Feeling
25.Paperback Writer
26.A Day In The Life / Give Peace A Chance
27.Let It Be
28.Live And Let Die
29.Hey Jude

Encore:
30.Day Tripper
31.Lady Madonna
32.Get Back

Second Encore:
33.Yesterday
34.Helter Skelter
35.Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band / The End

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

What a difference some paint makes...

When we bought our small bungalow/California Cottage, the inside was so dark it felt so small and a little depressing.  (See below.)  The smile on the person's face below is fake.  That's how sad it was.


So we lived with it for a month and then, like Smalls in The Sandlot, I just couldn't take it anymore!  See below for a breath of fresh air (ahhhhh...)


Yes, it's hard to believe, but those are the same rooms.  The photo above is from over 2 1/2 years ago, and not much has changed, so I am going to need some help coming up with the decor scheme for the dining room.  More posts to come regarding that...


Below is the living room that was the same green.(You will know you are really looking at the photo when you notice Lucy with a bow on her head.)


 And below is a newer version of the living room.  See how much more warm and inviting it is?  What a difference some paint makes...

Saturday, January 30, 2010

There is a true beauty in things that are old reflecting a life well lived.


All things relating to House and Home...by H.H., avid Interior and Exterior Design Fan