gallery wall 2nd instalment

Continuing from my first post about my new gallery wall.
Sorry if you've seen some of them before, but for me, my blog is an online diary and I just like to catalogue stuff (I should have been a librarian !).

I did a guest post over at A Place 2 Call Home recently and showed this piece of beach junk.

I've hung it on the wall,  just as it is, because I love the patina so much.

I wanted something similar for the other side, so I created this little piece.

I just glued one piece of wood to another, then put a rusty nail through the rusty 'thing' and bent it round to hold in place.

Then, I slipped this old metal piece through the middle.

For some reason, I have given myself a rule with the beach junk. That is, that I can paint it, glue it to something, add pieces together and change it, but never to cut it up. I feel that if I cut it to fit something, then I have taken away the value of a piece of beach junk.

It washed up on the shore having been worn by time and the elements and I only want to enhance it, not destroy it.

You still here, I am not sure telling you all my off the wall thoughts is a good idea but I'm impressed if you've stayed.

Anyway, here it is on the gallery wall, where it balances out the larger piece on the other side.

I also bought this £3 pine frame, to show off some of my favourite things, because I couldn't find a box frame this size and shape. 

I painted it grey, and distressed and waxed it, then stuck the pieces onto the glass.

I thought I might just have no background at all, in the hope that it would look like the pieces were floating. This didn't work, so I used some photocopies of fish, which needed a few adjustments to fit behind the glass, and then just put it all together.

The shell in the middle, is just so lovely and worn. The silver pipe has a real softness to it, and I love the circuit board with tiny molluscs.

I'm loving all the grey tones - grey may be the new white in this house.

And because this is on the left side, I also did a grey frame for the right side. I bought this at the local charity shop for £5.

I had to buy this, because the frame is great, but also because it's the Hight Street, Sevenoaks, Kent  - where I grew up. This photograph is from 1920 and that building on the corner is now a jewellers !

I kept the photo, but used the frame for a print belonging to the old geezer. He lived in Tenerife for four years and wanted to keep this momento of Puerto de la Cruz.

The print isn't square at all, so I did the best I could, and played about with the frame till it looked ok.

I have been collecting all this stuff for quite sometime. Some things I have made for no cost at all, and the ampersand I already had, but I have worked out that the whole cost for everything is £61, which for 16 items isn't bad at all.

Every time I walk in the room I feel seriously happy with the result.

There is one picture left - I'll leave that for another day !

An ascp finished project coming soon !!

Linking up with
Saturday Nite Special @ Funky Junk Interiors

goodbye 2011 hello 2012 !

Last night I went and watched the old geezer's band playing at a pub in town. They go down well at New Year, because they play a lot of Irish jigs, which always gets people up and dancing.

See them here and here.

And today I've put away all the Christmas decs. I would normally leave them out longer, because our holiday season is quite short here - but I really feel the need to get on.

And I decided to do a little post Christmas mantle - inspired as always by blogland

and the many ever-changing mantle vignettes.

It normally looks like this -

But now it looks like this -

I used the white twigs I had added to my wreath. The larger topiary trees that I made about 15 years ago, were here anyway. The smaller ones are from my little office. I made them from eucalyptus leaves and put them in little metal pots that have a lovely patina.

An old chess board and some fir cones finish it off.

But I felt I wanted something else (there definately ain't no minimalist here either), went to my office and saw the candle sconces.

As I have mentioned before - it is rather full, but I am trying to find the right place for everything.

They were one of the things that I first painted white when we sold the cafe - and why I named this blog the way I did. I knew they would balance out the vignette. I just put two small nails in the frame, that way I can always take them out. And I'm really happy with it.

It's very hard to take pictures because of seeing my reflection in the mirror, but I love it here.

Next to tackle in this room - I want a couple of shelves on either side of the fireplace,

and radiator covers.

I haven't made a list for 2012 because I always have about 5 lists on the go anyway.

1. Little touch up jobs around the house.

2. Which pieces of furniture need painting for us.

3. Which furniture needs painting to sell.

4. What I'd like to do to each room.

4. Ideas I have for pictures and paintings for us, and to sell.

2012 is going to be pretty busy, because I need to work as well.

And of course blogging is pretty addictive and takes up quite a bit of time !!!