I love the idea of having a frame wall. It was so fun to create and it’s been even more fun building onto it over time. While I’m by no means a minimalist, I like to keep things pretty simple without a lot of decorations scattered around. This frame wall lets me add a ton of personality condensed in one spot so my small place doesn’t look cluttered.

I  was originally inspired by Young House Love,

…and then explored even more ideas on Pinterest.

A lot of the frames I already owned were black, so even though I loved the all white frame collages I saw on Pinterest,  I had to work them in. I didn’t want my wall to look too busy (my biggest fear with this project was having it turn out like the inside of an Applebee’s), I stuck to only black and white frames. I started out with only a few frame and laid them into the design I wanted on the floor. Then, I measured and put up the end frames first, filling in after with the frames in the middle.

After it was up, I thought it looked a little sparse, so I stocked up on cheap frames at thrift and dollar stores. I was always on the lookout for a good frame. The best thing about this project is that whenever I find something cool, I can add it right on. I’ve added a few silver and gold frames into the mix, and some sweet trinkets like this little elephant hook and antique key.

Here’s what the wall looked like when I first started:

I want to continue switching out what’s in the frames and I’m thinking about incorporating even more of a Richmond/Virginia theme. What do you think about this “Carry Mr Back to Old Virginia” print from Etsy?

Update 9/11/16: Here’s what my wall looks like these days:

I always tease my dad about how much he loves Kohl’s. (He thinks it’s great because everything is ALWAYS on sale.) But, I think he’s onto something! After this coat from Zara didn’t work out, I was searching collarless coats online and came across this one.  It looks so much better in person, but for some reason the arms are so tight! I had to take it back and order a size up. when I ordered this coat the first time it was $72, then I went to reorder and it was up to $120 (not happening.) Then, I checked again and it was down to $48?! The free shipping minimum is $50. One thing led to another, and this dress ended up in my basket. Make sure you keep checking back on prices when you’re shopping at Kohl’s and look for discount codes. I always check retailmenot.com before I buy anything online. When I went to the store to exchange the jacket, I saw this bow pillow and basically died. Then, Kohl’s posted these pink sneakers to instagram. Why are they doing this to me?! It’s actually funny because I never would’ve thought twice about these from the photo of them on the site, but those instagram filters are magical and make them look so bright and fun.

All of this stuff is in the mail and I’m excited for when it gets here. Hopefully it’s as great in person as it looks online.

Update: The things came in. Yay! Everything is great except the pillow. When I ordered it online, I though it was all white but it turned out to be grey and cream, which won’t work out. I’m taking it back to my local Kohl’s and I’m thinking about getting this one from etsy. 

Here’s how everything turned out! 

Most of the beauty products I have are just for fun or just for looks. Lip balm, however, has a job to do. There was a certain point this winter, probably around the time the Polar Vortex hit, that my lips got super chapped. Up until then, I’d been using Dior’s Crème de Rose Smoothing Plumping Lip Balm. I kept hearing about it on YouTube and reading about it on blogs. Both MakeUpByTiffanyD and AllthatGlitters21 had raving reviews.  I LOVE rose scented things so I picked it up (from Sephora – gotta earn that VIB status, y’all). It smells phenomenal and looks pretty, AND my initials are on the packaging. It’s perfect for everyday, but it wasn’t moisturizing enough.

So, I had to go back to my old favorite, Strawberry Carmex. It smells SO much better than cherry, and it gets the job done. I don’t think they carry this flavor at Target and I haven’t seen it at CVS. The only place I’ve seen it is at Walmart. Here’s my confession: I paid $2 in shipping on Amazon for something that costs $1, just so I didn’t have to go to Walmart. It’s not nearly as chic as the Crème de Rose , but it’s cheap and I love it. Bottom line, I’ll probably repurchase the Dior balm and use it when I’m feeling fancy, but always keep my Strawberry Carmex around.

Should I do a “What’s in my makeup bag” post?

Check out my recap of the Virginia Bloggers Richmond Barre event here.

I started  my delicate jewelry collection with this sweet friendship necklace by Dogeared (gifted to me by my friend, Kerry).  I’ve since up a few more pieces like this Nadri bracelet from Nordstrom and this tiny pearl ring from Etsy. I also love Nadri’s pavé bracelets (I recommend  waiting for the anniversary sale in August because they ‘re usually discounted.)

I came across this bar necklace on Pinterest today. I think it may be my next purchase ;).

I got these adorable rings from my friend Danielle as a congratulatory gift for a promotion at work. She got them from C Wonder.

Theres an adorable boutique in town called Quirk. I’ve been to a few events there and stopped in to shop a few times. 

Image via ScoutieGirl.

I just saw a post on Facebook linking to their online shop. I didn’t even know they had one! How cute is this address book?

It’s SO Soft! I’m so glad I stopped myself from buying the $80 Trish McEvoy brush that the salesperson at Nordstrom recommended and picked up this one from Target.