home is where the hearth is

so i did something really fun yesterday.

if you were around in my wedding blogging days, you recall my love-hate (mostly hate) relationship with photoshop. things are still a bit rocky, but we've made some progress. i've been dying to try a little hot before-and-after action on some photographs of rooms but hadn't gotten around to it yet, so when my pal martha asked me for some advice on how to arrange her mantel (seriously? i'm so flattered!), it was just the push i needed to give it a try! martha sent me a picture of the den in her cute, cute house that she and her husband have been fixing up over the past year (check out her blog for some amazing before and after pictures of the work they've done, it's so cute!):


apparently the furniture arrangement's a little different these days, and they have a totally fabulous new rug that makes me jealous, but this is the general idea. i proceeded to probably terrify poor martha with an extremely enthusiastic and prompt response of six photoshopped ideas. so check out my playing-interior-designer-fancy-pants-inspiration-board-mock-ups. or something.

1) fun sunburst or quatrefoil mirror hung in the center, wedding portrait leaning in front. make a silhouette of gibson (their adorable pup) to lean in front of wedding portrait. balance on the other side with a large vessel of greenery and a smaller item or two.


2) find old shutters in a color you like and hang them on the wall. hang portrait on top of shutters. balance sides with arrangements of topiaries/greenery and candlesticks.


3) metallic round mirror in center, portrait leaning in front off to side, along with puppy silhouette. grouping of plants/topiaries/candlesticks on the other side.

4) kindof a mixture of previous ideas...large square mirror with cool frame as backdrop


5) get a neat, structural mirror, like this window-looking one, to hang or lean in the center. lean the wedding portrait to one side, with a grouping of candlesticks on the other side. put a few small things in front of the portrait (these are little birdies made of pottery)

6) find a big cool branch outside and hang in on the wall, prop portrait in front, group small candles around.

whaddaya think? anything pass muster? don't quit my day job?

i wish i had a mantel.