I'm Trendy and I Know It:Maps

I just realized I like use song titles for my blog titles.

I  LOVE the trend of using old school maps (double meaning there) for decorating. Here is one for sale at Pottery Barn (with hooks) for $179.

 

 This one is of unknown orgin

This one is from Steven Gambrel designs (trendy Pearl loft below!).

My living room is in transformation mode. Slowly it is metamorphisizing (is that a word?). We have always used our living room to read the paper in and to sit around and talk, but lately with the addition of the television in the fireplace we use it a lot more:

I know you are thinking, "A television in the fireplace?" I could not bring myself to defile my mantle with a flat screen. I use the mantle for decorating too much. We don't use the fireplace except for at our Christmas Eve open house. It sits empty all year long. When my mother-in-law moved in with us (oh I haven't told you about that yet have I?), we wanted to add a television to this room and the only one we had was an old box style. A spark ignited and now we have a television in our fireplace. You should try it sometime.

I wanted a piece of art for a big wall in the kitchen and so I borrowed my beach picture from above the couch and moved it into the kitchen. I liked the way it looked there so I left it. Now I had this empty space. It dawned on me that I had a huge map hanging in the storage room. My aunt had given it to me because she thought a school teacher might appreciate it. Oh yeah. PERFECTION.

I had a hard time getting a picture without a glare. Photography is something I need to improve at.

When I hung it my husband looked at me and said, "We aren't living in the Pearl District. Whatever". He didn't get it. The Pearl, by the way, is a uber trendy Portland neighborhood of double income loft dwellers. I thought this was a complement because our neighborhood is the exact opposite of the Pearl. I am thinking this room is beginning to take shape. I am beginning to have a vision. I won't show pictures yet, but here are two more things I have added recently.

I got an email coupon from Cost Plus for my birthday. It was for $10 off my purchase of $10 or more. These candle holders/bottles were $3.99, $4.99 and $6.99. I could have walked out of there with all three for $6, but they had wine and I had to buy a bottle of that as well. I added my little Eiffel Tower key chain because it was decommissioned for stabbing me while it was in my pocket. I found the copper tray at an estate sale for $20. I want to say I paid too much for it, but the rest of my buys were smoking deals so I suppose it is okay.

I just planted this lady up. My brother-in-law and his partner gave me a gift certificate to a great nursery for my birthday. I could have bought plants for my garden, but these spoke to me. I am excited to see them grow!

Now all I need is a deer head. Maybe I should go check out my storage room.