Details….or “Cool Idea for a Blog Post, Swiped from my SIL, Hilary Hanson”

My highly creative sister in law’s most recent blog post was about some fun little décor things she has in her house.  They are just small things, but they are meaningful to her.  You can see her post here.  At the end of her post she asks her readers what favorite things they have in their house.  So—I’m stealing her post idea and you get to see some of my favorite little “details.”

First up—my fish and crab plates in my kitchen:

I stumbled upon the two fish plates at a Ross store a couple of years ago.  I wasn’t looking for anything in particular, but I loved these little guys.  I knew exactly where I’d put them in my house (over the window at the kitchen sink.)  Since they aren’t that big, and aesthetically speaking , a group of three is more appealing to look at than a group of two, I needed one more fish plate.  Unfortunately, there weren’t any more.  I spent a couple weeks hitting other Ross stores (even driving 45 minutes away to check out a store in another town!)  I had no luck finding a triplet.  But—then I found the crab plate.  Loved it. Bought it.  And there you are.

 

Next—this sign; a souvenir from Boise’s 2009 Cupcake Collective (a fundraiser for the Treasure Valley Institute for Children’s Arts):

The Cupcake Collective was a one time event where people could enter their homemade, hand-decorated cupcakes in a contest for cash prizes.  Admission was charged, and all who came got to sample the cupcakes.  My three oldest kids submitted entries (didn’t win, but who cares?  Hello---cupcake feast!  We’re ALL winners!)

These signs were posted all around the room, to remind people not to go too crazy in sampling.  I had to take one home.  My family razzes me for replacing a painting of Jesus ministering to children (which was what hung in the frame originally) with a picture of a pukey cupcake guy.  I have yet to find a new place for the Jesus painting—but I’m working on the perfect spot for it, okay?

Moving on—my next favorite item is this sign:

Actually, it’s more than just the sign—it’s also the jar of paintbrushes, the color on the walls, the greenery on the shelf, and the Guatemalan blanket tied in raffia, too.  The sign and paintbrushes came from my Grandma, Ellen Genta.  She took up oil painting late in life and became quite passionate about it—entering her paintings in local and regional art shows. She hung this sign outside her front door.  The paintbrushes are ones she actually used.  When she died, my aunt gave them to me, as I was something of a painter myself at the time—and I have a daughter named Ellen.  They represent my Grandma’s creative spirit—that she passed down to me, and to my daughter.

The wall color is a favorite of mine because I love blue, and I don’t know anyone else with a blue living room. 

The greenery and the blanket were my attempts to re-create the jungle-y feeling I experienced on my trip to Guatemala in December of 2000.

There. Those are some of my favorite “home details.”  What are yours?