When I started to work on my "gallery wall" or putting art on the wall or whatever it shall be called, I became very obsessed with the right way to frame everything. I have used cheap flimsy frames all my life and I felt like that was the wrong route to go with art I care about. I knew that A.I. Friedman had some good ready-made gallery style frames but what about big pieces? We decided to hit up a couple of thrift stores looking for hand-me-down big-time frames and sure enough we found a couple of good ones. We also had this one piece that we had been holding onto a while that had broken glass -- the framer down the road from us quoted a pretty reasonable amount for glass replacement and when I asked him about custom framing for similar pieces, I was surprised to learn that the custom job from start to finish with the metal frames would be around $150. I am not sure if our budget is ready to soar that high just yet but I actually think that is pretty reasonable when all is said and done. Having the used frames is great but it takes work to fit them and I could not find a ready-made large format frame for the life of me. So first came our selection of the pieces which was the easy part! Next came framing them, then the visualizing process of them on the wall, and of course before we hung anything, Dave had to find the studs so that we could properly do the job (or at least know what portion of the wall we were dealing with). This process of his required a magnet and lots of post-its -- I even kind of liked how the walls looked with all of the post-its (+ we shared some laughs about how in it he was) and I highly recommend doing this so that the pieces can securely be hung.

For the "gallery wall" we created, we wanted to leave space to add to it because we are wall art fanatics and need the room to grow our collection. We used 4 vintage lithographs (a couple which we have extras of in the shop), one antique etching of Mozart, a mid century circus poster, and original artwork from Etsy artisans.

I started questioning if the eclectic mix of art would work but in the end Dave and I both couldn't be happier with how it turned out! Naturally we love the mix of old and new and it feels vibrant, unique, and totally us.

There's something about a fine rug that captures humanity in an honest way that few other art forms can.  Here is our top ten list on why rugs are among the ultimate in art forms.

10 - Substantive quality:  Carpets and designs may convey anything from historic woven interpretations of life, poetry, literature, livestock, and even feelings or reverence for other rugs.  Carpets take time and loyal dedication to create.  Any one single aspect of making carpets can be considered an art form individually:  From procuring materials to dyeing, weaving and finishing.  Carpets are an art form greater than the sum of its parts, meant to be enjoyed by touch, texture and design.

9 - Rhythm & harmony in aesthetic and construction process:  It is not uncommon for the design of a carpet is conveyed to weavers in the form of a flowing artistic map or voiced as a chant.  Beautiful!  Similarly, the elegance of a simple or sophisticated hand knotted carpet can easily set the tone for a space.

8 - The mystique:  We all have an innate ability to identify with a fine textile, but sometimes we cannot easily put our finger on why.  With carpets, there is a certain level of mystique

7 - Nothing is perfect:  Random or intentional imperfections make the perfect rug.  We love abrash.

6 - The comfort and warmth:  Nothing says cozy like an Oriental Rug.

5 - The light and dark sides of a carpet:  How true of everything in life.

4 - Testament to patience and time: 

3 - The history

2 - Art with purpose:  How amazing is it that one of your favorite art pieces can be

1 - It can be yours.  That carpet may have a long past and journey to get to where it is now, but when you own it, it is yours to enjoy.