Decorating with Portraits

Hello Everyone!

Hope everyone has had a good week so far and are looking forward to the weekend.  I'm looking forward to getting a few things done this weekend. One of my projects that I've been slowly trying to work on is a family picture gallery going up my stairwell.  I have been searching the internet for different inspirations.  I came across a blog run by photographer Kristen Duke.  I have really enjoyed looking through her posts.  She has a lot of advice when it comes to photography and decorating with portraits.  In September, she ran a special series on using portraits to decorate with and invited guests to post every day of the month.  It was really fun to see how others use their family pictures to decorate their homes.  This month, she is doing a link party for anyone who wants to join in to share what they have done.  Sooo, that is what this post is all about.  I am going to share only some of the places where I have used pictures of family to decorate my walls.  Those of you who know me well know that I love pictures and use them everywhere.  I am only going to share some of the places but it still may seem like a lot.  So here goes.  We'll start off in the living room.

This is what I call the ancestor window.  I have been fortunate enough to have lots of old pictures from both my mom and dad's side of the family.  Most are all in excellent condition so it makes it fun to display.  This window shows my parents, grandparents and great-grandparents from both sides.  Unfortunately, I don't have any good ones from my husband's side of the family.

This is the ever changing piano.  A couple times a year I will change up what is displayed on the piano.  Right now, I just have a picture of my husband and me.  The other end sports a poem about Christian Marriage that my husband bought for me.  This arrangement has been up for a while so it is probably time to change it.  We'll see.

This area I've just done in the last year and a half or so.  I've had the picture hanging but it was just  kind of floating in never, never land.  Once I added the shelf and table it seemed to flow a little better.  This picture of us is a few years old.  Time to re-do that as well.

This is a little side table by my couch.  I have a couple of fun pictures that I took of my daughter with a few of her "big-sister" friends a couple of years ago.  These might actually get moved up to her room because I am going to do a photo gallery above her bed as well.  (Just adding to my "to do" list.) ;)

This is on the table under the big family picture.  It is just a basket of loose pictures that people can casually thumb through.  These are usually ones that have come off of my refrigerator after spending a bit of time there.  Or, they might be a few duplicates to ones I have in an album or frame somewhere else. 

There are two small sections of wall between some windows in the living room.  I  have pictures of my two kids when they were little on top and then a more current one on the bottom.  Sad to say, the "said current" ones are not very current.  Need to update those as well.

My son's side.

This is also in my living room.  I have mixed a few pictures in with my pitcher collection.  I like the variety there.

Now on to the bedroom.  This grouping is across from our bed and above a long desk.  I love these pics of the kids but they may also get moved to the stairwell wall that is in process.  I have recently read that the master bedroom should be about the couple and it makes sense.  So, I will probably update this space with pictures of me and the hubby.

I do have this one above my dresser but I will probably do more.  I would like to do more formal ones to replace the ones of the kids.

This is a little grouping just outside of our bedroom door in a very tiny hallway.  Actually, I don't even know if it would qualify as a hallway but we'll just call it that for now.  These pictures sit above a bookcase that holds the kids books.  This way they can see themselves often and hopefully read the little plaque that goes with their pictures.  It says, "Do everything without complaining or arguing."  Still working on that one.  FYI: These pictures need to be updated as well.  Sigh, more to the "to do" list.  But hey, I get to take more pictures!  Fun!

This is at the end of the so-called hallway.  These aren't technically photographs but they are drawings taken from some photos that I took a few years ago.  A very talented friend of ours did these for me and I love them!

Like I said, this is a lot, but really just a few.  I haven't showed you the other parts of the house.  I am hoping to share when I get the stairwell wall done and my daughter's wall done.  The big wedding I've mentioned before is next weekend.  I would like to get the stairwell done before our company arrives but I'm not sure if I'll make it or not.  These things take time and thought.

So I'm linking this up to Kristen Duke's link party so go check out her site and what others have done with decorating with portraits.  So until next time...

Have a blessed day,

maggie jane