Several people have asked about my stairs and the gallery wall that has transpired over the last few years. I thought I would give some ideas on how to get it started. I LOVE gallery walls..really LOVE! I think my obsession with them are out of control and they are everywhere! But I've always been a big fan of having pics of my family all around me so this is the same just with some extras involved.

So when we bought our house in 2006,it was my dream home! I loved everything about it (well besides the kitchen but that is fixing to change)..everything else was perfect.We have been here awhile and have done some major decorating and I find that it never stops.

Here is the pic of the day we closed. Nice crisp unpainted walls for lots of fingerprints while going down the stairs.Don't you love that cute window??

So within a few weeks we hired someone to come and paint the walls up the stairs since we thought maybe we would die if we did it. Of course it was again the color taupe or gold I might add.It wasn't bad but now I can't imagine it that color.

 

I loved that it had hardwood on the steps instead of carpet but man they are still hard to keep clean with 3 boys and 2 dogs.

 

I had decided to do some pics along the wall and wanted black and white so I started with this first.

 

 

I added things along the way through the years and it looked like this pic.

 

 

I guess it doesn't look bad but as you can see I was painting the whole house! We were right in the middle of an adoption from Africa and this really was the only way for me to stay sane..Paint..I repainted the whole house except for the office that is getting ready for it.

 

This time My hubby decided to get on the ladder and risk his life for me! I held my breath the whole time.

 

And painting on a ladder with flip flips! Can't take the California man out of him. He did survive and I was happy!

 

Today It looks like this..It is my happy. The paint is Benjamin Moore Coventry Blue.It looks grey,blue and a tint of green in at times.The pics stay crooked some of the times as you can tell but they are beautiful. When you first come up with the idea to do a wall you need a plan.Plan for your what pics you want,plan for some odds and ends to go with it and then a color scheme.

 

 

 

 

I knew black and white pics were my choice and I love the turquoise blue,so I just added some of that into the wall with lots of K's for our last name and I had my perfect wall.I did try and choose frames that were the glass kind.

 

I still have a few more to add up around the top but mostly that is where the kids touch when they come down the stairs so I am afraid that they might knock them down.

 

Just to show you some stuff that I have on the stairs that I really love is the sigh.When we were praying for several years about adoption,I just assumed it would be a girl and she would be from Haiti since we  have done mission work there for several years,but God had different plans for us and when I went on a trip to Ghana,Africa and met a boy at the orphanage and was blown away by what God was asking me to do,which was adopt this boy..when I had other plans! I was obedient and our son came home in August of last year and So this sign means something to me. We should always delight in the unexpected,you never know what it will be!

You can purchase this sign on ETSY here but she has a lovely display in Asheville,NC too.  https://www.etsy.com/shop/OldFortStudios?ref=pr_faveshops

 

 

This was made for our birthdays with our wedding anniversary in the middle.This is the 2nd one I got since we added to our family.It is perfect.I purchased it on Zazzle.

 

 

My great grandmother made this for me when I was younger and my mom put it in a frame for me.It is really special to me.This is the only thing I have of what she has made.She was a crafty lady and had a beautiful soul. I never heard her once complain or ever say a harsh word to anyone.When I walk down and see this I am reminded of her daily and wish she was alive to see my boys.

 

 

 It is good to have some vinyl as well in the small spaces and of course know that we are a family of 5,gotta have a number there.

 

 

Upon painting all of the walls I decided to paint the banisters and the steps.I would of loved to have the iron banisters but not like having to pay the price so I just got to work.Spent 2 days doing these and felt like I had been in a car wreck the next 2 days..It was tiresome and I was very sore for the record! But it tied it all together and very pleased.The steps do not stay as dirty as they did with shoes scuffing them up but I do have to keep them clean just as much as before.

 

At the very top of the stairs is a large frame that I spray painted and placed some pics around it.The wall always seemed bare to me so this was perfect..if only I could get rid of the smoke alarm.

 

 

Going down the stairs now and don't you just love the window..Its so cute

 

At the bottom is this little area.I had a small table there but it was just too big. This is actually an old mirror without the mirror and turned upside down! Cute huh??

 

So there you go..Gallery wall complete...Hope you enjoyed looking at it and you can always contact me or my partner Angela for any questions or a consultation for us to help you complete your wall or stairs for you..

 

 Blessings as always, Lisa

 

You want to see something gross??  Okay so when we moved into our house almost 8 years ago,we came with what we had and it was all brown,gold with rust..and very small furniture for a very big room!

 

This is our bedroom. We fell in love with the house for so many reasons but the master bedroom was one of them. LARGE with vaulted ceilings. We ended up having to paint the house and at the time this was the color that I thought I wanted to make it feel warm and cozy.BROWN...It Never felt warm and cozy to me. On to next picture!

Do you see that in all the pictures,the furniture is WAY to small? There is nothing wrong with this bedroom suite.We had it forever and was the first piece of furniture that we bought when we got married (I think everyone bought this set!). But when I think of bedroom I think of hotel glamour! I love being in hotels and I think I could live in one if it was a nice one! I wanted it soft and plush with some bling bling. After convincing Mark again that I needed to paint it (he is so tired of the word paint) he finally gave in and we painted the new bedroom space and the bathroom. Now this is what it looks like now!

 

We stumbled upon this bed and the dresser at a boutique out near we live and it was just what I wanted.The problem was there were not any nightstands or a armoire for my hubbys clothes. I figured what the hay..he didn't need anywhere to put his stuff! Ha..So it was an amazing deal and after spending like hours there we decided "do it"..I had the room painted and already had the comforter on the old bed. I came home put the old bedroom suite on craigslist and sold it the next few days later.  Do you see the difference the bed makes with the room?  Yes it made this room the way it was meant to look.

 

I had the love sign already just took a frame and placed it in the middle.Gave a little more height to the wall. The comforter all came from JCPenny's (they don't make it anymore) and I am sad.I need another one from the dogs jumping on it and scratching and one side needs to be sewed soon but I still love the colors and the shimmering effect of it all.

 

 

 

This room took forever to get done.I had 4 different nightstands at home trying to decide which one's I liked and they never felt right.I love IKEA and looked at their website a lot trying to find the perfect ones. At first I thought I wanted all mirrored ones but once I got them home,just didn't like it.I think one nightstand I bought twice and took back twice because I couldn't make my mind up. It does take time but I wanted the perfect room and not just settle to get it done. The lamps were from Home Goods Store and the curtains were from Bed Bath and Beyond.

 

 

This is the fireplace that sits on the front wall.. Notice I painted it a gray color and the rest of the room is a silvery blue color. This is what you see when you walk in. I have big plans for this mantel and will be working on it this spring once it gets warmer. It needs height for the ceilings but once again it just needs the right thing and I am looking!

Believe it or not we don't even use the fireplace!

 

So here are the nightstands that we choose.They are the IKEA Balm collection and they are cheap but they look great once you add some pulls to the drawers.They are large enough for the room and have amazing storage for the drawers.They fit perfect when we got them home and put together.If you have ever put IKEA furniture together...you know it takes forever! It is still my fav store and I need to get a group of ladies and go soon!!!

 

 

Jewelry! I have so much and not enough space,so picked these babies up at target for 6.00 each (they are key holders) screwed them in the wall and there you go! Perfect and kinda out of sight since the mirror and curtain are there.

 

 

 

 

 

This is the dresser that I fell in love with that came with the bed.I love the old French provincial furniture with the curves and ball feet.I have treated this piece of furniture like it was my baby! I get upset if anyone lays anything on it or even takes something across the top! I will hurt you if that happens,ask my hubby or my kids.The drawers are huge and believe it or not I have more space then I did with the other one.I would love to get the TV off it and on the wall one day.

 

 

 

I took these pictures and made the word DREAM and placed it in this gorgeous frame that came from Kirklands.It hangs above my hubby's dresser and I did not take a pic of due to it's full of junk on top! But it is the same as the IKEA night stands.

 

 

 

 

On to the bathroom.I have big exp plans one day to change this all up.Get rid of the Jacuzzi tub that I HATE and put in a bear claw tub.Paint cabinets and different counters too.My brother is a wood worker and he has some plans for us to change it up but for now it will be like this until I get like 10 grand! I still love it for what it is though.It's serene and sassy at the same time.

 

 

 

Just goes to show you what a little paint and the right furniture can do for you room.Even that the furniture doesn't have to be the same type.Mix it up,go bold and don't be afraid.

 

Thanks for taking the tour! I am in the process of getting my new craft/office room ready for paint to be on the walls by next week!

 

Blessings,

Lisa K