choosing actual art...like an adult.

Abyss of the disheartened by Heather Landis

I don't know if it's because I'm turning into an actual grown-up or because the selection and availability is getting so much better, but I recently find myself wanting to invest in some proper art for our home.

Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not at a point where I can shop in galleries or anything, so I won't be forking over hundreds for a single piece, but with the emergence of sites like Etsy and Society 6 it's getting easier and easier to find great prints from original artists online.

I'll always love a good DIY for jazzing up a bare space in a hurry but I think I've reached the stage in my life where I'd like to own something that wasn't made by me...with a sharpie.

I have a few blank walls that are crying out for decor so I've been trawling through these sites for the last couple of weeks trying to pick a few of my favourites, and this is what I came up with.....

1. Frida - Lucja

2. Dissolve me - Daniel Taylor

3. Woman with flowers - dada22

4. A certain kind of magic - Louie Jouver

5. Metamorphosis - Christian Schloe

6. Message from the sea - Christian Schloe

7. The old astronomer - Charlie Bowater

So, I wasn't expecting it, but after looking at most of the images I chose it would seem that I have a taste for the surreal! LOVE "Message from the sea", that one needs to be mine. I also like "Dissolve me", I think it might be dramatic without competing with the colours in the stair runner so it might work well in the hall. "Frida" is amazing too, I absolutely love the colours, and as my kitchen/dining room has splashes of pink I think it might look great in there.

8. The Breath - Vanessa Poutou

9. Sky - Elisabeth Frederiksen

10. Books - Carlos ARL

11. Sunrise (2) - Alyssa Hamilton Art

12. Beach - summer of love - Ingrid Beddoes Photography

13. Sunny daze - Helo Birdie

These are a little more like what I would usually have gone for, abstracts in more pastel shades. Love "The Breath" but I'm not sure I have a place for it at the moment. I think I need to own "Books" though cos that's basically a picture of my subconscious.

14. In another world - Daniel Taylor

15. Ballerina - Vanessa Poutou

16. This isn't you - Daniel Taylor

17. Everything will be fine - Wanker and Wanker

18. Holynight - Fran Rodriguez

19. Lush peony flower - Gina Jessica Smith

I love "Ballerina" and "This isn't you" in this group. They're darker than what I would have chosen in the past and I think they would look amazing against the lighter palette we have going in the house now. I also love "Everything will be fine", because...obviously. 

I also really want to get the amazing Spacex poster set. I don't think they're right for most of the house but they're definitely going somewhere. I feel a space-y kids room coming on....

And while we're talking space I have to mention the amazing Nasa "Visions of the Future" posters that they released last year. They're free to download so you can get them printed yourself and they're pretty amazing. I love "Venus" and "Titan", and I've been keeping them in mind since they released them so I really need to get them printed and find the perfect spot for them.

What do you think? Do you have any other sources for art that you'd recommend? I have a few artists I would love to commission pieces from too but that's a project for an older, richer me. I will definitely be investing in a few of these prints in the coming weeks though, and I do love the idea of giving (or receiving, hint hint) prints as a gift too. It can be tough to find something thoughtful and personal to give someone when you don't want to spend an awful lot of money, and I think a nice print ticks all the boxes.

*This post contains some affiliate links, because unfortunately no matter how many times I feed these darn kids they keep coming back for more. Thanks for supporting my little blog ;)

industrial chandelier for the hall

                                 

The latest part of the entryway makeover is finally in situ and I just had to share it with you guys! I think I did rather well to end up with something so dramatic on such a tight budget.

mother's day wish list

The Bitch Box

 

I don't like fuss, I HATE surprises and I am the least sentimental person in the world so I usually hate things like mother's day. You know, those "holidays" where you feel compelled to buy an overpriced card to write down how crazy you are about people you see every day so they can take a pic of it and share on facebook? Yeah, I hate all of that, and so I did used to kind of ignore Mother's day, but by god if the destruction of my pelvic floor hasn't instilled in me an appreciation for a day that's supposed to be all about moi!

And said pelvic floor, which valiantly battled to hold in three giant babies. I miss you girl #neverforget

finding the perfect mirror....almost

I've been looking for a new mirror for over our bed for a while now. I did have the diy paper sunburst mirror I made hanging there, but two years later it was looking really limp and tired so I took it down, and I've been looking for a replacement ever since. I wanted gold, I wanted mirror, I wanted an interesting shape and I didn't want to spend too much money on it!

plants for the black of thumb

Plants are absolutely my favourite things when it comes to home decor, hands down. There really isn't a decor problem that can't be solved by adding a leafy friend.

Want to add natural texture to a room?

Plants.

Need a pop of colour and not sure how to bring it in?

Plants.

Not confident of your decorating ability but want to add some drama?

Plants.

Running low on oxygen?

Plants.

They're basically the coconut oil of the decor world. 

budgeting - frustrating this family since 2014

                         

The end is in sight people, the longest, poorest month is drawing to a close. This time next week I'll be out doing something with the kids that costs actual money instead of sitting at home colouring and trying to come up with yet another "inventive" pasta dish for dinner. We'll be living the high life, visiting cafes like rich folk!

I've mentioned budgeting here a few of times over the last couple of years and every time I do I get questions about it. As it's early in a shiny new year I thought it might be the right time to share how we do it....

industrial glam bathroom reveal.....finally

                      

Cast your mind back to oh, about a million and a half years ago, back in the mists of time, when dinosaurs roamed the earth and I had an urge to paint something.....of course I'm exaggerating.......it was definitely only the early 90's when I started this project. I kid, I kid,it was a mere eighteen months ago,it just feels like more because I spent most of it having the same argument with a four year old about why she couldn't watch a third hour of youtube kids, and that shit drags.

new year plans

          




Hi everyone, remember me? Yeah, so it looks like one kid was easy, two I could handle, but three has me crashing through life in that kind of weird "what the hell just happened" way that's really hard to keep up with. Not that the actual looking after of the offspring is harder, cos for some reason it's not, it's just that there's so much to do that my brain can't keep up, and the days are flying past me at a frightening rate. 

My life is basically that scene from Thor Ragnarok where he meets Doctor Strange.......Anybody? No? Well you're missing out. Taika Waititi, Jeff Goldblum, what more do you want?!

my favourite interior trends this season

The New

As someone who's really into interiors I always love watching new trends emerging and seeing how people incorporate them into their homes. There are so many things I'd like to try myself, and while my own style is some kind of a scandi/mid-century/eclectic mash-up, there is only so much experimenting I can do before my home starts looking like I have multiple personalities! 

plans for a nautical, cool kids bathroom

              

This is a sponsored post. As always, all opinions are my own. I only work with brands I love and I think you'll love too ;)

I know, I know, I barely managed to finish my own bathroom, why am I planning another one? Well folks, this is why....

               

Yep, that's a light up mermaid sign friends, and it was on sale, so I literally couldn't not buy her. The minute I saw her (in The Range for €15 if you're wondering) I fell head over heels, and I knew I needed her for the kids bathroom. I hadn't had any plans to touch that room ANY time soon but sometimes inspiration hits and you just have to go with it! 

This room is the main bathroom in the house but it's only used by the kids so I can have some fun in here. I want it to be child-friendly, but not childish. So fun, and whimsical, but no primary colours, no plastic, and absolutely, positively, no cartoon characters.

Starting with my beauteous mermaid I want to go with a kind of jules vern, steampunk-y nautical vibe in here, but with a palette of soft blue greens to stop it being too heavy or adult. Here's a basic moodboard to give you an idea of what I'm thinking....

The floor in here is actually the only one in the house that I didn't dislike when we first moved in so it will stay, but I will be refreshing the grout lines. It's a nice deep blue colour, so will work well with the theme.

The wall tiles in here are also fine, so I'll just be painting the walls a nice white, and adding a feature wall of some kind. I'm thinking an ombre scale pattern? The paint colours on the board are Farrow and Ball "All White", "Blue Ground" and "Vardo", and I'm thinking of making some scale shaped stamps and trying to recreate a fish scale pattern using those colours. 

I would be getting the paints mixed in Fleetwood paints though cos....money.

The shower in here only get used to rinse the kids off if one of them decides it's hilarious to pee in the bath to freak the other one out, so I'm going to replace the ugly curtain rail with a prettier, but less practical round curtain rail. The one in the picture is this one from Argos.

I'm hoping to use pallet wood to create a really cool, rustic bath panel which I think will fit in really well with the theme. I'm also going to use pallet wood for shelves, and possibly for some storage crates.

I say "I", like I'll actually have anything to do with that other than nag Gavin until it gets done.

I'll frame a round mirror with rope, and I've seen this great nautical compass wall decoration that I'll pick up. Add some vintage style art, an octopus toilet roll holder and a nautical style light like this one from Lights.ie and we're done!

What do you think? I think it'll be really pretty and fresh, and something that walks the line between what I want and what the kids want, cos I know they're my kids and I love them but they have terrible taste and this is my damn house.