Let's talk about decorating...

We moved into our house here in Texas about 18 months ago.  It's by far the largest house we have owned and as you can imagine the furniture from our much smaller house in California didn't quite fill it.  Well, the furniture was fine since I don't like too much clutter but the walls... oh my, the walls have been bare and so sad.

I spent the first few months after moving battling morning sickness followed by giving birth and having a newborn baby, followed by working on getting used to being a Mommy to two, followed by.... You get the point, no time to decorate and eventually got used to the bare walls.

I guess another point I should bring up is that I operate under the philosophy that a house should never be completely finished or filled to the rims because if that's the case then where is there space to add the things one acquires through the natural progression of living.  The gorgeous piece by that artist standing in Plaza San Marco in Venice you stumbled across on a midnight walk during that dreamy vacation hubby took you in before kids came, the rocking chair that's survived 2 generations and was witness to your own husband's first few weeks of life, the boxes of treasured baseball card collection transferred  with every move yet never opened (wink, wink)... you  know the stuff that makes up life... the things you can't buy at Pier 1 Imports.

I'm a big fan of surrounding myself with things that have meaning.  Now, please don't go asking me for the meaning of every item I have in my house 'cause some things you just gotta put in the hands of PotteryBarn... BUT as far as artwork goes, I do like meaningful pieces.  It doesn't get any more meaningful than something painted by a patriarch in the family who is no longer with us.  Granny and Gramps Payne gifted us with three stunning paintings by Jim's late great grandfather (our girls' great great grandfather) and we have had the time of our lives framing them and finding just the perfect spot to put them in our house.  OK, OK, I have had the time of my life... Jim has just been complaining about how many holes I'm putting on the walls but even he will admit to being so happy to be living around these paintings and to be able to look at them every day.

So, without further ado, I give you the new additions to our home.  Enjoy!

p.s.  You native New Mexicans might recognize some of the landscapes in his paintings.

I just adore the oranges, yellows and blacks on this windmill sunset...

I ended up pairing it with my dreamy Venice painting.  Similar colors and I just liked how they looked together.   What do y'all think?

What about this one?  Isn't it lovely.

AND then there's this!  Camel Rock, Santa Fe, New Mexico...

and finally you pair those two pastels together and........... a thing of beauty in our very own hallway!

Thank You Granny and Gramps!  We love them!