Calendars Aren't Just for Dates

I woke up this morning thinking about the blog and came to the realization that it has been a while since I posted anything about our apartment here in Ireland. Being a renter again, and a short term one at that, has left me with little flexibility when it comes to transforming this place. With a full overhaul out of the question, I am left to find simple and inexpensive soulutions to help brighten up my new digs and turn them into something a little more me.  Before moving on may I remind you what it looked like the weekend we moved in?

Kind of gloomy hun?

This is the artwork that was hanging on the walls between the windows.

Before we came over to Ireland my mother gave me this beautiful Flora & Fauna calendar for Christmas. She gave it to me knowing full well that I would not be using it to to keep track of my busy schedule, meetings, and appointments (mostly because I currently don't have any!). She thought the pages of the calendar would be perfect for framing and make for a quick and inexpensive artwork fix! Of course, she was right.  

I selected four of my favorite images, trimmed them up and popped them into some €4 frames I picked up at a discount store here in Cork. I would have preferred a more substantial frame and a mat around the illustrations, but then it may have been too heavy to hang with velcro picture hanging strips, and driving nails into the 150 year old plaster walls was not an option.

Once they were framed and up on the wall they were looking a little puny, until I came across these for €2 a piece at TK Maxx!

They are perfect because they are melamine (aka plastic), therefore lightweight and easily hung with more of those handy dandy picture hanging strips! Also I'm a sucker for red as an accent color, and they added more height and balance to the arrangement of frames between the windows.

So take one more look at the dark and drab BEFORE:

and now the brighter and more colorful AFTER:

It's amazing what a few splashes of color, and a mix of patterns can do! Already feeling more like home!