The Cassa- Hall Gallery Wall

Well, it’s been awhile since you got an update on things over here at the Cass household (Cassa, if you will). One of my goals this year was to decorate with some of our wedding photos so that we could use those expensive things after all! And I really do love them, SO! Here’s the first gallery wall i did of our family wedding photos. What’s more interesting than the photos itself, is actually the quick and easy process I used to hang them straight, using wrapping paper! (I did not think of this, by the way, I saw it on Pinterest somewhere a few years ago.) Here’s how I did it!

The frames I bought are from Hobby Lobby if you are interested.

STEP ONE: Lay Out Frames on a Piece of GRID BACKED wrapping paper.

Lay out a roll of wrapping paper on a level surface. And here’s THE SECRET- You have to use wrapping paper that has a grid printed on the back (I get mine at Kohls). Lay the grid face up and arrange your frames on the grid however you would like them.

STEP TWO: Trace the outlines of your frames

Use a pen or a pencil to trace around the outsides of each frame, making sure to use the gridlines for guidance and keep everything straight. Mine frames were all laid out symmetrically because that is the way I wanted them, but this will also work if you are doing a gallery wall with frames that are more staggered instead of even.

STEP THREE: Mark Nail Holes on the paper

Turn each frame over and make an “x” where you’d like the nails to go for each frame. I slid my frame down a little bit from it’s outline so I could mark it best and used the center of the wall hanger as the guide for my nail holes. Remember to use the grid lines to help you keep all the nails aligned. WORD TO THE WISE- even if all of your frames are the same, measure each one individually. Some of your wall hangers may be slightly off than the rest.

STEP FOUR: Hang your sheet of wrapping paper on the wall.

Once you’ve marked the outlines of all of your frames and nail holes, take your sheet of wrapping paper and hang it on the wail where your frames will be hung. I used painter’s tape so it wouldn’t leave marks on the wall.

STEP FIVE: Put nails into the wall

Using the marks you made for your nail holes, hammer in your nails for each frame over the wrapping paper. My husband did this for me, but he said the wall template worked perfectly for him! Once all of your nails are hung, pull the wrapping paper off of the wall and TA=DA, you’re ready to hang your frames!

Super simple, right?? I mean, at least it’s waaaay easier than just guessing and hoping for the best. I’m really happy with how it turned out! I will be doing it again on a bigger gallery wall for our master bedroom, so stayed tuned for that! If you try out this tip, let me know how it works for you!

Hey, I’m Meghan

I’m here sharing content all about pursuing your own version of more and loving how you feel doing it. If that sounds good to you, stick around and let’s be friends!

The Cassa-Kitchen

I’m back with another house update for you, and this week we are moving into the kitchen. The kitchen of this house was one of the big sellers for us because of the open layout to the dining room and the ample storage space. I hope you enjoy another little peek into our home!

The wall color is Oyster Bay by Sherwin Williams. We also carried the same color through to the dining room since the spaces are so open to one another.

I utilized the space above the cabinets to display some cute decor pieces that matched the color scheme or fit the subtle coffee motif I have happening in here.

I pulled in a shade of navy blue with matching rugs in front of the sink and the patio door in the dining room from Kohls. That is also where I got my kitchen towels from.

Eventually, I would like new light fixtures in the kitchen and to replace the bar stools with a set that’s a bit more decorative, but I’d say round one on the kitchen is complete!

Hey, I’m Meghan

I’m here sharing content all about pursuing your own version of more and loving how you feel doing it. If that sounds good to you, stick around and let’s be friends!

The Cassa- Living Room

UPDATE! 9/3/2019- I realized, after looking at these pictures, just how bare the wall by the TV looked. I was always planning to add something on either side of the TV, but finally found the perfect thing and I wanted to share. I got these wooden windows from Kohls and I think they’re the perfect fit : )

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Hey guys! Welcome back to the blog and welcome back to the Cassa this week. It’s been awhile since I shared a house update, so I thought I’d give you a peek in at the progress we’ve made in the living room. It’s not DONE done, but it’s at a great stage of completion for now. Check it out!

The wall color in the living room is Breezy by Sherwin Williams. I will keep it real and say I am not 100 percent in love with how this color turned out, but we hired a painter to paint this and so we’re far past the point of commitment. I’m not repainting it (or paying someone to do it again) so it’s here to stay for now. I do want to get us a new front door that lets in more light that I do think will help soften the color.

The wall art above the couch is from Kirklands and it was perfect because it has all of the colors I’m using in the house right in it. The throw pillows are from Target, Kohls and Gordmans. I tried to choose pillows that had physical or visual texture to them. Eventually, I would like to find a good teal throw pillow to bring out that color in the wall frame, but this is a good start.

We got a great deal on the area rug from Home Depot and was the first big decor piece we picked up. The gray color is neutral, but the pattern gives it some texture. I am using that pattern in several different rooms in the house (you may remember my shower curtain in the main bath) to tie all of the rooms together.

The TV stand we picked up at Colders a year or so ago and the little faux plant is from TJ Maxx. I tried to incorporate greenery (fake, because I kill the real thing) into each room in the house. I couldn’t find it on their website, but the galvanized metal candle holder on the coffee table is Better Homes and Gardens brand from Walmart and the tasseled placemat is from Hobby Lobby. The light mat helps break up the dark wood of the coffee table and the tray where I keep a remote basket, some photo books and magazines.

The light gray curtains are also textured with a diamond pattern. I got them at Gordmans for $16.99 and then had a upholsterer add blackout fabric to the back of them to make them more opaque and give the thin fabric some weight. I love our little pewter floor lamp from Bed, Bath and Beyond.

On the wall with our wood burning stove, I have the cutest square clock from Hobby lobby. On the other side of the stove by the front door is where I’d like to eventually put a coat rack of some kind on the wall with hooks for guests. The house doesn’t really have a formal entry of any kind, so I would like to carve out a little corner of designated space for that.

One of my favorite parts of our living room is the little niche cut above the wall to the kitchen. The previous owners installed an outlet up there so I have a set of cafe lights plugged in up there that I can turn on at night from a light switch and it looks SO cozy at night! We hung a wood square wall art from Target that will stay up year-round, but I do plan to change up the decor a few times of year. The spring/summer set up that I have now is like a “flower market” type theme. The color of the flower canisters match the colors of the house PERFECTLY and I just put in a variety of fake plant stems from Hobby Lobby and TJ Maxx with a little wood crate I got at the Target Dollar Spot and a metal basket.

Hey, I’m Meghan

I’m here sharing content all about pursuing your own version of more and loving how you feel doing it. If that sounds good to you, stick around and let’s be friends!

Make Your Own Home Wish List

Keeping with the spring cleaning/organizing/decorating theme I’ve been talking about this month, I wanted to share how I plan for all of the things I want to buy and the projects I want to do around the house. Even if you’ve been in your home for years, homeowners know all too well that the list of projects for a home are never-ending. With my goal this year of setting up, decorating and organizing our house, the list of things I want or need to buy is as long as Santa’s, I tell ya. If I were rich, this would be no problem because I could  buy it all and do it all at once. Sadly, though, I’m not, so I’ve set up a wish list system to manage it.

At a basic level, making a list just ensures that everything floating around in your brain gets placed into some permanent format, like a spreadsheet or a physical list. My wish list is a huge help with prioritizing projects and deciding which ones should happen first before others. It gives me a much better understanding of the full scope of the projects we are working on and stops me from making random impulse purchases that aren’t really a priority. I am a step-by-step person, so I like breaking huge lists down into smaller sections that are more manageable.

Here’s how you can make your own:

Decide where to keep it- You can use an actual pen and paper, a special notebook, a spreadsheet, a notes app on your phone or as a list in your email server. I personally use a spreadsheet (shocker!), cause I like to sort them and organize them, and especially because I like to add links to items I am considering buying.

Decide what goes on it- I tend to put EVERYTHING in here- purchases from $5 on up because I like to keep it all in one place, but you could set a dollar limit or a time limit on it, such as “any item over $100 goes on the list” or “anything we need to buy in the next year goes on the list.” I have categories in my sheet for small, medium, large and long-term purchases based on the approximate cost. You could also make separate lists for each room, or each type of project, like “electrical”, “plumbing”, or “outdoor”.

Keep it updated- The items you keep on the list will change many times over. You’ll decide that you no longer need things, you’ll find a better solution than the one you originally intended, or find that you already had something that fills a need you had put on the list. Every now and again, you;ll have to go back to the list and update it with things you did end up buying and things you don’t want on the list any longer.

One of the things I like best about this list concept is that you can go back and see all of the things you’ve crossed off and accomplished. When you’re in the middle of something as big and ongoing as projects to do around your house, it’s easy to forget how far you’ve come. It’s really gratifying to see projects that you’ve completed and how far you’ve come.

What projects are you working on at home right now?

Hey, I’m Meghan

I’m here sharing content all about pursuing your own version of more and loving how you feel doing it. If that sounds good to you, stick around and let’s be friends!

The Cassa- Guest Bathroom

Happy March and happy first Cass-a update! I’m kind of cheating on this first room, as the room really did’t need much. The space is small and the Smoke Infusion wall color was already there when we moved in. It is a room that gets used often, though, so it;s nice to have it fully decorated.

The first thing I purchased for the room was the white and blue medallion Shower Curtain from Amazon. I had no idea how well the color would match from looking at it online, but it was a PERFECT match when it arrived. There’s enough white in the curtain that the medallion pattern doesn’t overwhelm the small space. I bought a brushed metal curved shower curtain rod to update the plastic teal one that was there and also added some textured brushed metal curtain hooks.

The hand towels for this bathroom were a stroke of luck. I happened upon them at Kohls while I was looking for kitchen towels. I’m happy I got two of them since Kohl’s no longer carries them. The do have a Bath Towel on clearance right now in the same pattern.

The Hand Soap is from my favorite place, Bath and Body Works. This scent smells good but also matches the color scheme of our house.

For wall decor, I found white wood medallions at a Home Goods store.  Their selection changes all the time, but here’s a similar product on Wayfair. medallion wall decor.

The blue mason jar vases are from a local craft vendor, but decor like this is super popular now so you could find something at almost any retail store or make your own.

This set of wall hooks were a Christmas gift from my mother-in-law. I believe it was from Kohls, though they no longer have it. They do have many other options though-  Wall Hook Search

For the picture spaces in the frame, I didn’t want to put any actual pictures in there, so I took a close up picture with my phone of the medallion wall art, printed it off at home and cut out different sections of the image to put in the frame instead. I also considered using printed scrapbook paper, but I didn’t have any on hand that matched.

I do also have a bath mat for the floor, but since the shower is rarely used, I don’t keep it out. It takes up a lot of physical and visual space. I’m super happy with the way the room turned out. I was afraid that it was a bit too matchy-matchy, but I guess i like matchy matchy because I genuinely love everything that’s in here.

I likely won’t touch this room again in the near future as I’m moving on to other rooms, but if I did, I’d maybe incorporate an accent color or accent material for some variety or buying another textured bath mat. On to the next project!

Hey, I’m Meghan

I’m here sharing content all about pursuing your own version of more and loving how you feel doing it. If that sounds good to you, stick around and let’s be friends!