Renovating Ideas: Kate Spade Ampersand

I have a little confession. I have been quietly obsessed with the Kate Spade ampersand for quite a while. In the same way I am over the moon for Anthropologie's use of sustainable materials in their gazillion window and store displays, I am gaga over the way Kate Spade dolls up their wall space. But the Kate Spade ampersand stands out more than anything else on their walls. It's bright. It's pink. And it captures my attention every single time.  

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Confession number 2: Sometimes I go into Kate Spade just to see what they've done with their walls. Sure the sales associates roll their eyes at me once they realize I am not there to buy anything, but they'll get over it.

Now, rumor has it that you cannot buy a Kate Spade ampersand ANYWHERE! Apparently they are each hand painted for their stores. Yes, that's right! Kate Spade is DIY-ing! LOVE IT! So I guess that takes me back to the purpose of My Renovated Life... save money and DIY when I want to add a personal touch!

After thinking about this long and hard, I decided I did not want a pink ampersand canvas in my living room. Especially a replica of the Kate Spade ampersand. Why? Because it seems that everybody and their mamma has DIY'd one. And I am not one to follow the crowd so literally but I do want an ampersand of some sort. Here are some of the lovely ampersands I came across.

{Ampersand Design Studio}

{Design Related}

{One Hot Mess Blog}

{Craftzine}

The ampersand means "and"... for me this symoblizes that there is always something next or added onto to build upon the existing. I love it!

What do you think of the ampersand?

xoxo, tami

Living Room: Gallery Wall Update 1

Several weeks ago I posted about creating a gallery wall. If you missed it, you can read it here. Well, I am slowly but surely on my way to making that a reality. I had my eye on a cute colorful design on stretched canvas by Janeen Koconis  of Koco NY titled Cuppa Cafe. After a few months of mulling it over, I finally dove in and purchased my first item for the gallery wall.

I was nervous about the purchase. Not because I didn't think it was a great piece, but because each item placed in my home has to feel right. I need to connect with it somehow. I don't want anything in my home just for the sake of having something that matches. It will be a part of my life for years and I want to make sure that I thoroughly enjoy looking at it. I want to stop and look at it and smile, satisfied that I have welcomed it into my family. It would be a shame to hang things on the wall just for the sake of it and then walk by it day after day and not pay it any attention whatsoever.

Art evokes an emotional response. When I look at Cuppa Cafe, it makes me happy. I love the colors, I love the random brush strokes, I love the names of famous cafes from around the world that are typed out and placed under each row of cups. And I love delicate hand drawn cup handles. Did I say I love it? Well, I do!

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You can purchase Cuppa Cafe and other artwork by Koco NY at Graphique de France.

I love the simplicity of it and the bright pops of color, bringing art of an everyday item such as a cup of coffee. This piece is 18x18 and it is a the perfect way for me to begin my gallery wall! I cannot wait to fill my wall with other unique items. My youngest daughter and I are going to create a few things to add to the work of other artists.

I started out my living room design as City Girl Chic with the colors of Aubergine, Chocolate and Silver, and although those tones will be the base of our living room, we are now adding lots of little pops of color, starting with this gallery wall!

Living Room: Gallery Wall

WAY back in the day, I decided I wanted to do a gallery wall in my living room, but I never actually did it. {Confession: I am a procrastinator on some things}  However, part of designing my renovated life is bringing great ideas to fruition. I think the area just left of my front door is the perfect spot for a gallery. I decided to scout the world wide web to see what I could see.  Look what I saw!

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I especially love the ampersand, the oversized letter and the all black frames. I want to focus my collection using pieces of art, framed family photos and text. This might be a bit of a process because I am a bit picky but I am excited about this. 

Do you have a gallery wall? If so, share the link, I'd love to see it.

If you don't, what do you think about this? Seriously, I wanna know!  xoxo tami