So during the month-long wait to close on our new home, I spent endless hours on Pinterest, Etsy, and other people's blogs researching rustic farmhouse styles. I also watched hour after hour of Fixer Upper as Joanna Gaines is my true inspiration (#shiplapsistersforever) and something that continuously popped up on Pinterest were these beautiful gallery walls. They certainly caught my eye and are such a creative, unique way to spice up an empty wall. I knew exactly where I wanted mine to go, so I set to work putting it together in my mind, then on paper, and then finally working with different artists and sellers on Etsy to finalize my finished product. I refused to just toss up any old odds and ends; I wanted there to be meaning behind every piece.
This, most certainly, was not an easy project by any means. It took me about 2-3 months to complete. It wasn't just about choosing the right pieces either, it also meant keeping in mind the sizes and colors of each item as well. It was a super fun and hysterical night when Ken and I worked endlessly to hang each piece, in just the right spot, without error. It was like putting together a puzzle but only getting one chance at it; our wall was a blank canvas but I definitely was not paying to have it fixed and repainted, so let's just say, that part of the project involved a little alcohol consumption on our end!
Finally, when every piece was hung just so, we stepped back and admired our work. It was beautiful. It was perfect. The very first project I set out to do for our new house was finally done and it was worth every second spent hemming and hawing over just the right selections to make it both pretty and meaningful. Ken and I slapped each other a high five and settled onto the couch to enjoy the wall...our wall...our gallery...our story...
I'd like to break it down for you and explain each piece, in more detail, so you can better understand it's depth. To start, the pip berry wreath, vintage tin ceiling tile, and rustic mason jar hydrangea vase were textured fillers for our wall; there's not much meaning behind them, but they are very beautiful pieces. Every other item, however, was purchased and used due to the meaning behind it:
* The key holder represents our new home and all of the memories and adventures yet to come.
* The "R" represents our last name, Rollo, and the "5 Five" represents our family of 5.
* The "Home is wherever I'm with YOU" sign represents our connection with the military. Me, being a military brat, and Ken, having served 5 years in the United States Army, moved around quite a bit. "Home" takes on a whole new meaning when you're apart of the military and so far from your families. Home was no longer a "place" to either of us. It was the friendships we made, it was the love we shared for each other, and it was being nestled, safely, in each other's arms.
* There are 3 framed pictures of each of my babies. It's hard for me to narrow down my favorites, when it comes to pictures of my children, but these 3 are definitely at the top of my list: the heartwarming picture of our daughter with her daddy, my older son looking rather dapper at 9 months old, and our newest baby boy when he was still nestled, safely, in his momma's belly...
* Which leads me to the rustic arrow, which is hanging in such a way that connects the word "Love" and my maternity picture.
* The "Love" and "thankful" signs pretty much speak for themselves. At the end of the day, we're very thankful for the roof over our heads, the food in our bellies, the clothes on our backs, and the friends and family by our sides. This is a home filled with so much love ❤
* Finally, the ampersand sign which, for us, represents the continuation of our "story." We're not even close to being done telling it yet, because it's only just begun...
No comments:
Post a Comment