say no to empty walls!

i doubt anyone is unaware of my love of art! in my world anything and everything is art. loving art means hanging it up and i have always hung stuff on the walls. in childhood it was posters of puppies and bulletin boards. i remember my styrofoam frog shaped bulletin board... it was sooo neat. (i searched the interweb looking for one to show you - but, no luck) my insta account @saynotoemptywalls is all about showcasing great spaces and encouraging people to #saynotoemptywalls my mom Rita was very laid back. not only did she not care if i moved the furniture around my bedroom, she didn't care if i taped up loads of stuff on my walls and later when i grabbed the hammer. (she was also unfazed when as a kiddo i cut my own hair - myself!)

i was so pleased that my hubby shared my love of a fully decorated space. my mother-in-law is crazy creative and she was always redoing things around their home. he is always ready to grab the level and lend a hand.

art/mirrors/clocks/letters/plates/baskets - are all part of the jewelry of your space.

you wouldn't leave the house without lipstick - right?!? it makes me a bit sad when i visit a home with blank walls.

i love these antique baskets my mother-in-law lovingly gave us from her personal collection. i think the look is so warm and textural. paired with the chalet painting  a christmas gift from my sister and brother-in-law and this enchanting floral watercolor by Erisha of a thing created i love how it's come together and evolved.

i love gallery walls. we had one - on the paneled wall of our family room growing up.

i know i inherited my love of framing bits from my mom.

one of my most treasured belongings is a framed pen and ink of an Edinburgh street my mom brought back to me from her travels. it rests against books on the custom shelf my husband built for me in our master bedroom.

the images have a British theme. i do like the art to have a point of view. don't we all do that? if we're collectors?

i'm sure everyone is aware you don't need to spend a ton to achieve a finished look. the print of St. Paul's Cathedral purchased during our London honeymoon in 1998 was only a few pounds because its actually a card. the same goes for the Montreal row-houses - below- it too is a card. both were framed professionally- so i did spend a little bit finishing the pieces.

this gallery wall is from our first house. we've certainly added to it over the years.

master bedroom hall.

have you noticed the theme?  i love architecture. i recently acquired an image from 100yrs ago of the original estate that encompassed my neighborhood and its on the list-  the to-be-framed list. haha!

you can see a piece of original art Sunset Fog by Leigh Viner in the mix here. i have several pieces by Leigh. you should check out her work!

i went with beach towns we love in our only bathroom. chatham ma. and ocean city nj.

art in a kitchen is a must. i have some metal trivets hanging up but, the pears over the stove really completed the space.

years ago i found the site  20x200  i gave my husband Joseph O. Holmes piece Milling Machine Shelves shown here on the stairwall.

how great is the oil on canvas of Rembrandt's The Man with The Golden Helmet - my dad received this in the 1960's for opening a bank account at the local savings and loan. this dude used to scare the heck out of me as a kiddo!  you can see an amazing papyrus brought back to me by my cousin from his trip to Egypt and some of my own art.

check out this corner of the diningroom. the small round antique frame holds an old black and white image of the chalet. i love to hang things in unexpected ways.

in my post becoming the chaletmomma i shared an image of artwork propped against the wall on the porch - it's still there and may be for a while - i've never shied away from leaning and layering. and please don't think art is only for the walls around the chalet there is plenty of stuff on tabletops too!

look around and you can find so many resources for art. cards, postcards, wrapping paper, images from books or magazines. when we were doing up our sons room we bought a ton from allposters

a wonderful source for art from the artists who created it can be found through sites 20x200, and esty as i mentioned above and you can always find fun things at your local michaels, homegoods and target.  

i beg you please say no to empty walls!!!

til next time.

five days

what a magical time i had - i was blessed to spend five days in turks and caicos with my oldest and dearest friend of 39yrs - just us two! she organized this adventure from start to finish and wanna know the best part- she lives there!!! i mean really... yep hahaha! but, i hadn't been there in twenty years. heck i hadn't been on an airplane in years - since my honeymoon to London in 1998. travel became something closer to home. car rides with stops along they way and yearly family trips to the beach in-state.

i admit it i geeked out a bit and took a ton of pics from my window seat. the freedom tower looked spectacular at take off.

my bestie was happy to relax with me for a few days and leave her day-to-day life in providenciales behind while we stayed at the palms resort.

we did exactly what you think - we drank - we ate - we drank some more - all the while sitting by the pool or the ocean - evidence by the corks i brought home to add to the collection. we write down the dates and who we shared it with and we keep them in an old sap bucket on the sideboard in the diningroom. its fun to go through and remember the good times!

i do think 9 corks over 5 days is pretty good and let me not forget the banana daiquiris that nelson made for me! 

oh we did get massages one afternoon which were heavenly the palms offers a world class spa.

we shopped a bit, or rather i did. there is a wonderful main shopping area not too far from the resort.  turks and caicos has come a long way from the dirt roads of 1997.  yes, the two recent hurricanes have unfortunately reeked some havoc- and there are residents still getting things sorted - but, everywhere i was on island it was business as usual. notice the cars parked on the opposite side of the road. as a british territory they drive on left.

this gorgeous view is chalk sound. the colors of the water are mystical.

look at this view from livingroom window of the condo. i mean it's amazing.

i had more than a bit of a hard time deciding which images to share in this post.

 spent all saturday afternoon moving between sun and shade in this lovely spot- it was blissful!

my last day we woke early and hit the beach by 9:30am wanting to soak up as much time as possible before i needed to get to airport and back to reality.

the sand is very smooth and velvety above the shore line - it's hard to find shells with color.

this was the last image i took .... til next time provo!

i must thank my wonderful hubby for taking the best care of our son - i had not a moments hesitation about taking this trip- love you B. & thanks Ro for making it happen! xo

becoming the chaletmomma

chalet: a wooden house or cottage with overhanging eaves typically found in the swiss alps.

how did I become the #chaletmomma - well it all started in 2003- we had sold our first home and the home we were purchasing fell through. we were bummed of course; having exhausted all the homes that were for sale in the area we were talking about putting our stuff in storage - and temporarily moving into a rental. 

but, fate she's a funny friend! the house we didn't get was in another town and i think everyone who knows me agrees i wasn’t supposed to live anywhere else.  my hubby says when he married me he married the town. i vividly remember what came next- it was a saturday of the easter weekend – friends were over; we had dinner plans. leaving the boys behind my girlfriend and i took a drive and that’s when we stumbled across the For Sale by Owner sign that soon turned into our destiny. i couldn't believe a house for sale in my old neighborhood! my dream location full of quiet streets, unique architecture and close to the park.

i knew the house, growing up a few blocks away i had come here on halloween. i had friends on this street and rode my bike by what we then called -the schoolhouse- back when the it was red and with the center chimney that looks like a bell tower. you can see it here- this 1968 watercolor by artist nat lewis was given to us by the former owners daughter. we were so very fortunate that she felt we should have it.

we started calling it the chalet soon after moving in. it was built in 1924 as a vacation home by austrian craftsman brought in specifically by the original owner Dr. Morgan. it’s not overly large at roughly 1400 square feet it has three-bedrooms and although we were originally moving to gain space we have forgiven the chalet for only offering us one small bath. but with features such as the gallery porches with hand cut railings that are mirrored inside; the quirky stairwell and five sets of french doors throughout there’s so much to love.

one of the best features of the chalet is the open-concept living and dining which is beyond cool for a house that is almost 100 years old. we have what I have jokingly coined as a -step-saver kitchen- if you stand in the middle of the room you can reach out and touch everything without taking a step! adding to the homey feel, is the fireplace, surrounded by beautiful carving, which is in the center of the house. 

after moving in we quickly realized the furnishings and paint colors from our previous home just wouldn’t work. the chalet demanded a way more casual feel. our first major purchase a set of big, comfy leather chairs with a matching ottoman from Restoration Hardware – they have held up tremendously well and worth every penny we paid; and are still the most expensive single purchase we’ve made – ever.  we went on to replace the dining room furniture- how i love love love my Winslow dining table from Crate and Barrel- talk about a workhorse… we used to place Liam’s infant bathtub on it.  the living room sofa and the coffee table eventually arrived and then we painted over all the dark trim and doors on the first floor. the chalet can be a bit dark with its wide, overhanging roofline. after an extensive search i found the most perfect shade of beige with a lovely warm tone for the first floor by Benjamin Moore: Putnam Ivory. (i highly recommend!) the final touch was carpeting; out went the dark orientals replaced by a much lighter pattern from Pottery Barn.

all these changes took about eight years, timed well to welcome our son, liam born in 2011.

the chalet is filled with a treasure trove of lovely bits. i am a lifelong collector. just this past weekend i picked up two new pieces of art.  i’ve yet to hang them on the wall. but, eventually they will find their permanent home; for the moment they are propped up against the wall on the porch.  the porch is new... but, ill save that for a future post!

i would be remiss if i neglected to mention our beloved cat. fred the sweetest softest old tabby in the world. we’re really not sure exactly how old he is since he’s a rescue. he is deaf but, not quiet by any means- if you follow along on instagram you’re sure to hear him chattering in the background from time to time in my stories.

i feel so very blessed every day to be able to call this jewel home.

til next time.