Monday, January 17, 2011

Getting the Hang of Things

For Christmas, my friend Lauren gave me this precious pink tool set. It was a very domestic gift, as she called it, and it has come in handy on multiple occasions since Christmas. Before, when I needed to hang things, I called Lauren to see if she could come over and give me a hand. But with the pink tool set, I feel like she's given me wings and told me that I was ready to fly/decorate myself.

Having the right tools is the easy part. Knowing how to use them is where things get a little tricky for me. And then there's math. And fractions. And math with fractions. And all of that is supposed to result in you knowing where to hammer your nail into the wall. And, typically, my nail is never in the right spot, which is a less-than-glowing testimony of my mathematical skills.

This explains why I have a closet full of items that haven't been hung. Fear. Intimidation. Simple Math.

Embracing all the confidence a pink tool set can give, I made it my mission this weekend to hang all the things I've been meaning to hang. 


This is the window pane I refinished a while back, along with some beautiful transferware that was put together for me by Nancy with English Tranferware. It blows my mind that I managed to get these hung, evenly spaced and centered on the wall. I'm still not exactly sure how it happened, but I'm positive it had something to do with the fact Ty was helping me.


Ty was given this framed piece from his youth minister many years ago. I love what it says and wanted to hang it near the entrance of our home. I need simple reminders like this more often than others. 


Here are the two walls side by side. I originally planned to hang all the plates together, but I think they work better divided into the two spots.


And after living in our house nearly a year, I finally found something to hang above our mantle. I found this mirror at Red Door Interiors, hidden in a small room behind several stacked crates, and decided it was perfect for our mantle. It's brushed gold and the way the metal curls and bends it sort of looks like tree bark. All of the heavy lifting was done by my husband and brother-in-law, but I love the results.

With a little help along the way, I think I'm starting to get the hang of this.

8 comments:

Mandy S said...

i was wondering who hung those plates!! i'm calling y'all when i need help! (i do have a pink tool set, but can't say i've ever used much of it...don't tell my dad!)

the house looks great though!!! :) picture perfect!

Meryl & Russell McLendon said...

Looks great. Love that you closed with a pun. Very cute. =)

Laura said...

Love love love the living room! Looks so cozy and welcoming!

Stephanie Jordan said...

Mandy, with two pink tool sets the possibilites are endless!

LJ, it only took a full year for it to look this way. There are a few more things I need for this room, but I feel we're nearing the end. Then we can move on to the next room! How do you feel about pulling down wallpaper?

Laura said...

My liking of ripping down wallpaper is directly proportional to the amount of wine involved!

Ashley Netherton said...

I'm ALL ABOUT pulling down wallpaper, especially if it's Green, and covers the walls and ceiling! let me know when the "paper party" is!I'm in!

Stephanie Jordan said...

Wow, wine and two volunteers!! We may have to do this in the next week or so! Especially while I have in-laws/helpers living upstairs! Mandy, how do you feel about tearing down wallpaper. We'll just do the dining room!

Mandy S said...

I'm down w/wallpaper pulling and so is RB! ;) i'd love to have some wine, too...but the doc says no, imagine that?! anyway, i'll be in! it's the least i can do to pay for our bills!