I just love this book, with all it's beautifully framed and hung artwork. I probably have way too many pieces of art on my walls, and I find it hard to resist any prints, watercolors or needlework that I find in my thrifting jaunts. Here are a few of the things that hang on my walls:
Old family photos. This is my great aunt as a child, with her mother. I love old photos, even if they are not any relation. But having some relations in old photos is almost as good as having paintings of your ancestors. If I had any of those, they would take pride of place. But alas, my ancestors were all poor immigrants. I guess I'm lucky to have the photos.
Architectural prints. This is one of a pair from Dublin. I love to bring home at least one old print from everywhere we have visited.
Botanical prints. I have a major problem passing up any I see. This one was about $6. at a flea market/antiques fair. Frame and all.
Hunting prints. I used to ride when I was growing up, so I love hunting prints. This one is from England, where we visited just before my son was born over 20 years ago. There were a series of these in the shop, and I would have loved more, but we could only afford one.
Pressed flowers. This is a rather recent obsession, started last year when I found a few pretty examples in the thrift store. I love to think of someone taking the time to pick and press these, and then to frame them in such a loving way.
Embroidered pictures. Again, I love the care that went into making these. I love flowers in every form, so that is usually what I gravitate towards.
Watercolors. Nothing too fancy, just amateur works that are inexpensive but show a love of place or subject. I'm definitely a country girl, so I love landscapes and natural subjects. I posted about this painting here.
Beadwork. I guess I am drawn to the domestic arts here. Something you would see in an old English country house.
Something small, something French, something fabulous. I love this little barnyard scene. Whimsy called to me here, and the fact that there are roosters pictured.
I have lots more (too many, really) to show you, but I'll save them for another post. What sort of art do you hang on your walls?
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Hi Mary -
ReplyDeleteWhat goes on my walls has to be something I love and can't resist. And it has to 'go' with the things in the room or in my home. Once in awhile I will find something that is a bit different. I love family photos but most of what I have is artwork of one kind or another. Things that go with the theme of the room or our lives. I'm currently working on framing some of my photography for the walls of our little travel trailer. They are too plain and bare. That will be resolved soon. ~Adrienne~
Great post, Mary. You have inspired me. Perhaps I will answer your question with a post.
ReplyDeleteI have a mix of different things on my walls, but like you, they are all something that is meaningful to me.
I'd love to see them all! Reminds me of the kinds of things that I love on my own walls. I'm terribly intrigued by the pressed flower picture as I've recently been gifted with some beautiful pressed flowers. I want to treat them with great respect and care and I just hope that I can create something as lovely as that.
ReplyDeleteI, too, am sure I have too many things hanging on my walls, Mary. I am like you in the fact that I love so many different things. I do change up every now and then to make the room a little fresher and I love that I can shop in my storage closet instead of having to go buy something. Soooo, I keep a stash of wall art!!
ReplyDeletelove, bj
What an eclectic mix you have! I have some quilts my grandmother made hanging on my walls. Those are my favorite. Otherwise it's mostly photos. I'm more of a plain wall person.
ReplyDeleteStill looking for the perfect painting/print for my dining room. I have my heart set on something like a magnolia bloom floating in a glass bowl or something similar. Now I'm thinking of a photo printed on canvas.
Thi is eery! Yesterday I was going to post something with the exact same title, and then changed my mind. LOL!
ReplyDeleteI love all of your art. I have too much too, but it is made to enjoy. So who cares if we have "too much?"
Loved seeing your art. I have an ecletic mix on my walls,too. I am starting to replace prints with more "handmade" pieces. I can't give up my botanical prints though! I also have a thing for Mother and child prints! When we moved in this house I needed some ancestor photos - I bought a few on ebay from my parents hometown in NY- instant family! Now I feel like thay really are Family!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful additions to your home Mary! We have a lot of windows, so our wall space is a bit limited. I am also very fond of flowers, so I have lot of those - photographs, prints, some original art given to me by friends, my own photography. I have quite a few family photographs, but most are more recent vintage. I have done lots of textile arts, but gave them all away and don't have any of my own around at all. I have a counted cross stitch my sister made for me and a crewel embroidery my husband's grandmother gave me for Christmas a long time ago. I have some art, mostly watercolors done by friends and family and a few that we bought. It all changes all the time too :)
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely post Mary. I'm so sappy when it comes to those pressed flowers. And I also love the old family photos.
ReplyDeleteWe have quite a few old family photos that we lovingly display in our home. They're the wall hangings we cherish so much.
I tend to collect lots of things to hang, but then rarely get around to hanging them!
ReplyDeleteBut, like you, old botanical prints, vintage postcards of my home state, prints from my home region, old maps of my home state...hmmm, guess there's a theme here!
On my walls: Prints I fall in love with (like the Childe Hassam geraniums & Van Gogh Irises), my paintings, black & white trip photos & flow blue plates & platters.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this post. You have some lovely things, and I love that they have a connection to your life. My family was in the sheep business, so over the years I have collected sheep prints plus paintings my great-grandmother did with sheep in them.
ReplyDeleteSally
Too many pieces of art hanging on the walls.....can there be such a thing? No.
ReplyDeleteI have lots of old hand colored etchings, traditional prints and some of my photographs. It's all very eclectic and a decorator's nightmare.
- Suzanne, the Farmer's Wife
I am always surprised when I am thrifting, that my eye immediately goes to whatever would hang on a wall. The surprising part is because I actually like to keep my wall stuff to a minimum.
ReplyDeleteAnd yet I wanted my own copy of every single one of your pictures.
It's a sickness, I guess.
Mary, this post was so much fun for me! I owned a custom picture framing shop for several years. When we moved here my husband built me a shop where I can continue to do framing for family, friends and a few former clients.
ReplyDeleteI love all art. I have originals, prints, needlework, shadow boxes, you name it, on my walls. Never too much art for this "more is more" girl!
Your examples are lovely. Thanks for posting about them. Chris
I really like the framed beadwork. Lovely and unusual. I love prints too. In fact, I have some sitting waiting for frames.
ReplyDeleteMarnie
What wonderful treasures you have to hang on your walls. They are all beautiful. I too am a succor for the lost domestic beauties. I have Seascapes and LIghthouses. Tapestries and Wreaths with dried flowers. I like to have little sayings on the wall. Most of them I paint though, not the vinyl lettering. And I have a hallway that is totally dedicated to all the photos I have of ancestors. Like you I am blessed to have a few photos that are truly treasures, but no paintings, they were too poor.*hugs*
ReplyDeleteI have lots of "stuff" on my walls. I love all forms of art and wish I could afford more, or afford to frame some of the stuff I have. This post reminds me that i got a French print of a little girl in a bathroom from Cassie a while back and I have absolutely no recall of where I put it ( and it needs a frame too). Darn this middle age!
ReplyDeleteJanet
I love the barnyard scene too...how sweet! My great Grandfather used to make pictures from pressed pansies...they were quite lovely. Wish I had one.
ReplyDeleteMary, Every piece lovely, collected with pleasure. It makes a home A HOME!
ReplyDeleteHey Mary:
ReplyDeleteIt looks like your home is filled with beautiful treasures. I'm with you...I love filling my walls with art. I just can't afford all the pieces that I'd love to have. My tastes are so diverse that it's hard to make them all go together. I need to pick up a copy of that book you recommended. Have a great night!
OMG! The pressed flower picture looks like several I made (and gave away) when I lived in San Juan, Puerto Rico 30 years ago. I had a 'thing' for oval frames, too. The lady that lived across the street had classes on both fresh flower arranging & pressed flowers and it was wonderful because in the Carribean the unending source of flowers are just outside in your postage-stamp-size yard! What a memory, just wish I'd kept one or two for myself! Thanks for the walk down memory lane.
ReplyDeleteLOL Mary...I read your comment and thought to myself....maybe I should swap mirrors with Mary so I can look as good as her!!!
ReplyDeleteSince moving to a new home a little over a year ago, I have very little on my walls. However, I WANT that cute French print with the roosters!! Love it!! And the others, too!
ReplyDeleteMary, I loved seeing and reading about the art that you have on your walls! I have a lot of family photos on the mantle, on the bookcase and a few on the walls, but the things I have are more modern. It's not that I don't like the vintage and antique look. It's just that my taste in my own home runs to more recent art. I hope I'm saying that correctly.
ReplyDeleteBut yours are quite beautiful!
Oh, this is all so nice ! The botanical print is just GREAT, you were right not to miss the bargain.
ReplyDeleteThe last one with the rooster is very nice, looks very XVIII century-ish. The title is "The rescued rooster". I really love it !
In my home I have mostly framed postcards brought back - or enlarged photos - from our trips. And botanical and flowery prints. In a (few) years from now, there will also be great quilts...
Just beautiful!!!
ReplyDeletejoni