A Vacay Gallery Wall

Good morning, friends!  Have you missed me...shhh, you don't have to answer that!  I have missed all of you, but my bloggy break has been truly therapeutic and beneficial.  I only blog for fun, no schedules to keep, but sometimes feel that my posts begin to seem a bit stale.  Anyway, I'm back and have a few new DIY projects to share.

Do you ever get fixated on one particular room or wall in your home that you want to change or redo, but you just can't come up with a solution?  Okay, silly question.  We've all been there I am sure.  The wall that was giving me grief, is this one in our family room.

The print above the sofa is one we had in our previous home, inexpensive from Kirkland's, but one The Man and I really liked.  The problem was that it seemed too alone on that wall with the high ceiling.  We could have added sconces on either side, but that's kind of what everyone does.....not that there is anything wrong with that, but we just wanted something more unique.  Imagine my delight, when one day I was browsing around Cassie's blog at "Hi Sugarplum", and the lightbulb came on.  I've been following Cassie for awhile now and find her to be so much fun and wonderfully inspiring.  You really should go check out her blog, if you haven't already.  She is definitely not afraid of color in her home and in her fashion style....to say she is quite the "Fashionista," would be putting it mildly.  Anyway, this is what Cassie did in her family room......

Source: Hi Sugarplum

And this is what we did in ours.

I cannot even tell you how much The Man and I like this gallery wall of vacay photos!

Some prep-work first.  Have I ever shared that The Man worked for a dry-wall company to put himself through college?  That being said, he cannot stand for mishaps on walls or ceilings....there were some places on this wall that did not pass his scrutiny, so out came the drywall mud!

The picture ledges are from IKEA, and we had to combine two lengths for each level to get the length we needed.  Once the ledges were in place, the patched places on the wall got touched up with paint.

This is such a great way to remember Spain, Peru and Europe...wonderful memories!

I thought I'd share just a few glimpses of my lighter, brighter and more simple summer-look

for this room.  Oops, there's my little photo-bomber!

You really don't have to live close to the ocean to enjoy seashells, nor do you have to live in a more tepid climate to enjoy peonies....okay, the peonies are faux but still look lovely!

Simple and clean.  Oh, by-the-way, that's Abby heated pad in front of the fireplace.  She thinks if she stares at the firebox long enough, the fire might come on....not gonna happen when it's 115 degrees outside!

Cannot get more simple than this.

Since I'm kind of on a wall-gallery roll, I thought I'd share this one, too.

This is the most-traveled hallway in our home, leading from The Man's workshop and Man-cave, the guest room, guest bath, my Momma-cave and opening into our kitchen and family room.  So it seemed like the best place to create a gallery wall of our family.

It's super-hard to get a good pic, but I tried.

Since The Man and I have shared our 47 years together, we have lived in Washington,

Oregon and now Arizona....this Home Sweet Home was easy and fun to put together.

I always plan to simply replace the photos with newer ones as the kiddos get older, but I cannot bring myself to do that....I just keep adding.  Thank goodness for IKEA and their frame selections!

Need I say more?

This is my very favorite collage...Nana in her glory surrounded by my sweeties!

I am so blessed.

I think that should about do it with photo-overload for now.  The Man and I worked on a few other DIY's during my bloggy break, and I will be sharing those over the next several weeks.  I hope you all have a wonderful and safe 4th of July!

Carol

I often party with these lovely bloggers:

Monday
Dee at Meatloaf and Melodrama for Merry Monday

Cindy at Dwellings--The Heart of Your Home for Amaze Me Monday
Maria Elena at Our Home Away from Home for Tuesdays at Our Home

Tuesday

Marty at A Stroll Thru Life  for Inspire Me Tuesday

Wednesday

Suzy at Worthing Court for The Scoop

Thursday
Jemma at  At Home With Jemma for Thoughts of Home on Thursday

Pamela at From My Front Porch to Yours for Treasure Hunt Thursday

Richella at Imparting Grace for Grace at Home