A Touch of the '70s

I don't know about you, but after Christmas I always seem to get the urge to redecorate. Down come the tree and all the decorations and suddenly the house looks so...naked. It makes me wonder why it didn't bother me before.

Weird.

Anyway, I was thinking about how to punch things up a bit and was drawn--again--to my sad entryway. After taking down the Christmas display I had arranged on the wall above the console table, a single framed 16 X 20 print wasn't cutting it for me anymore. I had to do something more original...something that spoke more to the style of the rest of the house and who we are as a family.

Enter my friend Melissa, who told me on the kids' first day back to school that she had bought me something at a thrift store over the holidays. She wasn't sure if I'd like it, but she thought I might. She could never have known that it was JUST what I needed!

Some 1970s handicrafts are cool. Most are hideous. I am still on the fence about where I stand on macrame plant hangers (leaning toward cool). But to my mind there's something quite lovely about this little piece of wood shaving art. (Who knew that was even a craft form? Seriously!)

It's just subtle enough in its folksy, vintage vibe that I thought it could blend in with other art that I had and not overtake it. And it totally inspired me to create a nature-inspired mini gallery wall above my console table that is just a little more interesting than what I had there before, using small artwork and picture frames I had lying around. Thank you, Melissa! I love it! <3

Then, while I was at Target shopping for a frame for a print my husband got as a gift, I stumbled on something I've been looking for forever. I've long wanted a wall hanging for my living room to fill the space above the TV, but most of the ones I'd seen were either way too expensive or too ugly. I couldn't believe my luck when I found this one by designer Nate Berkus at an awesome price point. I've loved Nate Berkus since I used to watch him on Oprah and I'm so happy his housewares line is available at Target. I was a little disappointed that the picture on the packaging made the wall hanging look twice as long, but ah, well. I still think it's cool beans. :) 

So, is a macrame plant hanger far behind? Probably not. I have a real yen for the 1970s that I can't seem to shake (a cleaned-up version, that is...someone please whack me over the head if I start extolling the virtues of shag toilet seat covers)!