Young House Love

Home Decorating & DIY Tutorials

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My Little Ponies

First, let’s appreciate how fun My Little Ponies really were. I think I had around 6 as a child. And it was magical.

But in house-news-that’s-somewhat-related-to-the-throwback-mention-above, after what feels like months (ok, it actually has been months) we’re finally ready to fill the empty wall space on either side of the sink nook in our bedroom with something.

Dresser Whole Sink Wall

And since I had fun making a little Pinterst inspired painting (but then resolutely decided that I didn’t want it to live in the bedroom)…

Painting Finished1

It was time for John and I to have a few long chats about what we really wanted to fill the empty space across from the bed (no pressure, we’ll just wake up every morning and see whatever’s hanging there). The unanimous choice: bold and kind of moody photographs. Beautiful photos, but not too soft and pretty- something semi contrasty and interesting and sophisticated. Since our bedroom chandelier is kind of playful and our duvet is pretty bright and fun, we figured we needed some art to balance things out and point the room towards “grown up” (so it doesn’t begin to skew towards “playroom-esque” or “dorm-ish”). So we decided to troll around online to see where we’d end up.

The winning subject? Why horses of course. You all know that I have an uncommon love of almost every type of animal (usually of the white ceramic variety, but I like them all “in real life” too). And ever since I saw a few fancy glossy mag rooms with giant horse art I’ve been itching for some of my own. And this recent house crashing adventure (which includes some giant horse art in the nursery of all places) was the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s horse’s back. So I let my fingers do the walking to a few online art print sources (including etsy.com, 20×200.com, art.com, allposters.com, etc) and found everything from racehorses and black beauties relaxing on a farm to some wild gorgeous ponies in motion and even a charming serene horseback rider on a moody beckoning beach. And in case you can’t tell which of those descriptions I was most partial to, it was the last two (found here and here, both by the amazingly talented Jan Lakey).

John definitely has a voice when it comes to art selection, so he felt strongly that the photos shouldn’t be “too energetic” and should be “a little calming and scenic” since it is our bedroom after all (you know, where we sleep). With this in mind, I figured the moody horse-on-the-beach shot would probably go over well, but I did worry that the blurry motion-happy horses might strike the hubby as too high energy. So I pulled out one of the tricks John laid out here (in an old post of yore about getting your hubby on board with a decorating decision that he might not be as thrilled about as you are) and figured the best way to sell him on my two favorite print picks would be to photoshop them into our room. That way he’d have a nice clear idea of what it would look like and I could hopefully soothe any worries that it’ll feel too chaotic or anything but sophisticated-and-a-little-moody-but-restful-and-serene-at-the-same-time. My quick little photoshop mock-up ended up looking a little something like this (ignore the “progress” label on the pic, I just used one from our House Tour page):

150 Art

Of course that’s not how they’ll look fo’ real, but it made it a bit easier to picture how they might layer into the room. We both agreed that the room needed a nice slap of sophistication and contrast, so it wasn’t like we were looking for something pastel or blown out like a big cloudy sky or a gorgeous sandy beach. As I mentioned, we kind of thought the wacky Ikea fixture and the in-yo-face bedding needed something a little bold and contrasty and sort of chic (not that John would ever use that word). We also thought that something with some subtle gold undertones would relate to the curtains and the gold leaves in the bedding without looking downright matchy-matchy (like oil paintings or abstracts with that color might). And after I mocked everything up I was so so so sold.

Oh but you’re probably wondering what John thought. Just as I suspected, he loved the print on the right immediately. But then he did this pause thing when he looked at the one on the left which definitely freaked me out. But a second later he said “I like them.” Not one mention of the worry that the moving horses would feel too crazy or anything. And he said that he liked how the prints obviously weren’t a matched set but worked really nicely together. Just like that, he was so so so sold too. Oh sweet photoshop, how do I ever thank you for making things that could be five day heated arguments debates into two minute “I’m down” convos? Perhaps with this video of a dog saying I love you? This goes out to you photoshop:

Of course as far as art selection goes, it’s definitely one of those personal things. These horse prints surely won’t be everyone’s jam (and maybe not anyone else’s), but they’re ours and we can’t wait to get ’em. We’re having a lot more fun taking risks in this house. Even if it means doing things that might not have mass appeal – as long as something speaks strongly to us, we’re in. There’s actually freedom in letting go of the notion that your house should please everyone who walks in the door. It allows you be more true to yourself and your place starts to feel more special. Plus it means that your rooms won’t be in danger of looking like everyone else’s, which isn’t a bad thing either.

Now for the cost. Big a$$ prints (the ones that we ordered were over three feet wide at 40″ x 30″) can easily run you around $100+, but these two happened to be priced at a cool $49 a pop. And thanks to googling around for a coupon code to save me 22% off my entire order (it was “ZOLA” if you’re wondering, hope it still works), I scored both of them for a total of $77.98 (down from $100 for the pair) and paid just $5.98 for shipping, for a grand total of $83.96 spent. Which isn’t bad for over six feet of giant photography (printing our own photos that large with a local printer would probably cost us more).

Art Cost1

But giant frames are expensive, so how do we plan to avoid paying another 200 beans for two 40 x 30″ frames? By mounting the prints on 40 x 30″ canvases that I got a while back on super clearance from Michael’s with those two bedroom wall areas in mind (we even taped off the wall first to figure out what size tickled our fancy):

Canvas Taped Off

Canvases Up Straight

They were only $23 each after 50% off with another 25% off on top of that (we mentioned ’em at the end of this post a while back). In fact it was such a great deal that after we drove these two home I went back for a third for the entryway – which is the one that I painted here.

Canvas Receipt

But back to the two I got for the bedroom – it means that we’ll have spent around $64 for each giant piece of photographic bedroom art when it’s all said and done (including the canvas and the art). Which isn’t bad when you consider that many printed canvases of that size sold by places like Ballard Designs or Pottery Barn are in the $200-300+ range (each).

After I spray mount (or somehow glue) each print onto one of our 40 x 30″ canvases, I might even cover them with matte Mod Podge for a more dimensional printed canvas look. Not sure how it’ll all go down yet – but you know I’ll share the details when I get there. Should be interesting. Hope I don’t blow it. Then I’m out $64 bucks a pop. Haha. More details when they arrive and are (hopefully) hung up nice and purty.

Psst- John and I watched the most incredible documentary last night called Catfish. We’re still talking about it. Definitely a must-see. It’ll make you wonder how well you know anyone online- including us. Hah.

Comments

  2. Christina says

    Love the new art. Can you tell us which web sites you get your discount codes from? I’m always trying to do that, but the codes NEVER work on the sites I use.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      I just google the name of the place and coupon code like “allposters.com coupon code” or “art.com discount code”. Hope it helps!

      xo,
      s

  3. Laurel says

    Ooooh, there’s a groupon right now for art.com, you pay $50 for $100 worth of stuff. I used one before, and it stacks with a coupon. You could have saved more money that way!

    Reply

    • Jane says

      I tried to find the groupon for art.com and couldnt find it. Was yours in a particular city? I had Chicago and wasnt able to find it. I’d love to get one as I’ve been saving up for a few prints for my sons room.
      thanks!

  4. alg says

    I just HEART the old post about working with a sometimes-reluctant husband.
    Mine is happy with the outcomes… usually… but I have so much trouble getting him to see my vision beforehand.
    Which leads to a lot of “questioning the process”.
    Your suggestions were so easy & logical. I’m sure using them will help me to communicate my intent more clearly, which will make everybody happier :)
    Thank you, man!!! Am totally bookmarking!!!

    Reply

  5. Meghan says

    Totally LOVE the horse prints! They are perfect for your space, and you were spot on about them bringing just the right amount of moodiness to your space. Yay bold choices!!

    Reply

  6. Brian says

    Love the site – you both do great work! I was going to suggest, in case you haven’t already discovered it – that blick.com has awesome deals on 40×30 canvases every so often. It’s an email list definitely worth being on. I’m trying to recall, but I believe I got a box of 8 canvases for something around $45 once on one of their sales.

    Anyhow, keep up the great work. I really enjoy reading. And you’ve inspired us to capture our next baby’s weekly photos too! (our daughter is a week older than yours!)

    Brian

    Reply

  7. egt729 says

    very nice prints!

    random question…do you have any recommendations regarding digital photo storage? i have thousands of pics already saved on my macbook of our 7 month old son – as i am sure you can relate! i save most on photobucket but i live in constant fear that something will happen to my macbook and i will lose everything! any suggestions!?

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      We have an external hard drive that we use to store pics along with Flickr. I think having them uploaded somewhere not-in-our-house along with saved-on-our-hard-drive makes us feel pretty safe. Hope it helps!

      xo,
      s

  8. jen says

    When I commented just a couple of months ago that I thought you guys were heading in an immature, dorm-room-like direction with some of your design choices for your master bedroom, you seemed to get pretty defensive (“If this light and our duvet are dorm room-ish, then I guess we wanna go back to college! Haha.” – Sherry, March 2, 2011 at 1:18 p.m.) Now all of a sudden you’re admitting that the room needed a big slap of sophistication to prevent it from going into playroom or dorm room territory, which was the exact point I was trying to get across (as politely as possible) in my comment to your “Happy New Year!”/light fixture post.

    I totally respect that this is YOUR blog and YOUR house and you can do whatever you want with it whether I or anyone else likes it, but when you are so defensive about your choices in light of even the most mild criticism but then go back and flip flop later, you lose a lot of credibility. Of course you’re perfectly entitled to change your mind about things you do with your house, but maybe seeing that you actually ended up agreeing with your readers’ criticism that you so adamantly disputed when it was brought to your attention, you’ll be more careful next time with how you respond to constructive criticism in the first place.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      We didn’t want sugary sweet art to make the room look like a dorm room (with the playful chandy and the duvet) but I didn’t think it looked dorm-y quite yet. We love those choices and wouldnt change a thing. We just knew the wrong art could take it to “dorm” in a hot minute (as it can in many rooms) so that’s what I meant. Feed free to interpret that however you’d like though! Or to skip our blog entirely if it doesn’t do it for you. Life is too short to get heated over horse art or a reference to dorm rooms! This is just an online diary of sorts into our crazy ever-changing minds.

      xo,
      s

    • Laurel says

      Jen, you sound petty. Lighten up… it’s just a blog. John and Sherry are nice enough to share minute details into their personal lives and are very helpful about everything. I don’t see how they lost any credibility. To each their own personal style, preferences, and opinions.

    • Jennifer says

      I absolutely LOVE this blog but you do get the teensiest bit defensive about how much you love something when people get critical… like the bed’s top rails and lowering the light fixture. In the comments, you were pretty against any changes but then went ahead and changed it. I even asked in the comments if the readers suggestions had anything to do with it because it was never mentioned in the post. I guess the point to this is that while I can’t say I feel as strongly about it as Jen, I see where she is coming from a little. Sometimes people aren’t saying they dislike the actual print, painting, light fixture, etc its generally the placement of it or what its with that they are not feeling. Just a piddly observation… I mean, this is the only blog that I read the comments so you must be doing something right :)

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Oh yeah, we definitely come around on some ideas that we originally don’t go for! Of course we do! Sometimes it takes a bit of living with something to “see” it – and since we toss posts up as we go, things can change once we live with them a bit (and decide if we’re feeling it as much or as little as we originally thought). Thanks to reader suggestions or other designers or things we see in magazines or online or ideas from friends, etc – they all definitely influence us. I get nearly all of my inspiration from Pinterest these days. Haha. It just takes time to “absorb” what we do as we go, so there’s definitely some course correcting along the way. It’s a lot of trial and error! And we’re by no means trailblazers or trend setters, I’m months if not years behind nearly every trend. Haha. We’re just two people sharing our home makeover as we go. And we’d be crazy to act like readers don’t affect us. But I love that horse art, darn it. Haha. Still can’t wait to hang it and share the finished pics! I just have this crazy feeling that it’s going to be perfect. And if it’s not I’ll rip it down and cry and tell you guys all about that too.

      xo,
      s

    • Kel says

      Jen, your comment is rude, condescending and unsupported, and I would not have published it. Which goes to show just how fair and credible John and Sherry actually are.

    • Leslie says

      I just have to chime in to tell Jennifer that Sherry is the least defensive person I know (well… fake know online). She has written posts about their ideas not being unique (the title had Pish Posh in it) and shares videos of her house all messed up on an average day and always reminds us that she’s not perfect and they “break the budget” and projects fail. I think when a lot of people are judging something that hasn’t even arrived yet she just wants to say that she still loves her choice. I love her confidence and conviction and I would feel the same way. This post is just a photo-shopped version of something, so of course it’s going to look different in the room and then everyone will say “oh now I love them, you were right all along!” Even Sherry’s response above shows how humble and not defensive she is. On an average day she’s not afraid to call herself weird or to laugh at herself and say that she’s years behind some trends. I love her sense of humor and the fact that she realizes that this isn’t rocket science, it’s a decorating blog. Those are her words, and they’re hilarious and true. Keep on keeping on Sherry!

    • Jennifer says

      Hey Leslie, nothing you said is anything new to me. I don’t even think I was being critical enough to warrant a response but thanks for all of the info and your opinion.

    • Monica says

      This whole thing is so petty. I’m sorry Sherry has to spend time on this instead of doing a project to share with everyone who’s here for the fun (and not for the drama).

    • Suzanne says

      I didn’t think the original commenter came off as particularly angry or aggitated, in fact very polite. Maybe you overreacted a bit with the ‘skip the blog’. The opposite points of view are really very interesting.

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Yup, I absolutely could have overreacted. I have a one year old who is getting three teeth at once (lucky me! haha) so I truly apologize if I offended or upset anyone with my response. It’s never my intention!

      xo,
      s

    • Barb says

      How is using big bold letters and saying things like “you lose credibility” not supposed to be interpreted as upset or angry? I agree with Kel that it was rude and snarky and I admire Sherry for publishing it, let alone so nicely responding.

    • kathy says

      Wow, After all the discussion about the movie Catfish, I’m starting to think that maybe jen, Jennifer, and Suzanne could be the same person. :-\ eek!

  11. Catherine says

    The prints seem very impersonal and odd for a bedroom, and way too balanced on either side of the doorway. I think this room is increasingly becoming disconnected from the rest of the house. I think a grouping of smaller prints would look much better. These are just too massive, and the one of the horses running away pull healing and grounding energy out of your bedroom. Something to think about.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      I know it’s not everyone’s cup of tea (seriously, I get it, I’m weird – haha) but large scale horse art just does it for me. Can’t wait to share the finished look!

      xo,
      s

  12. KiTX @ The Big Grateful says

    The photos are great. You know what’s greater? The “I Love You” husky. That is one of my favorite YouTube videos of all time. I say you just do photos of the husky with “I love you” text bubbles for your bedroom. All in favor? Aye. =)

    Reply

  14. Brittany says

    Awww… I hate to say it but I am not a fan of the horse art in the bedroom. I really like the pictures, but does not seem like bedroom material. I LOVED your painting and thought that would be perfect! You have wonderful taste and I have loved everything you have done in the past, so I am sure this will work out!

    Reply

  15. Rachei says

    I stumbled onto this website the other day and I love it. This lady takes pictures of wild horses and sells them. A portion of her sales she donates to wild horse organizations or rescues. Check out her website:
    http://www.nickolesphotography.com
    I love with the pictures that you found!

    Reply

  16. Jennifer says

    You might want to check out pioneerwoman.com for horse photos. She is a wonderful photographer and I think you can use them for free.

    Reply

  18. Sarah says

    Surprising choice! Will be fun/interesting to see the real deal. I have a few “unexpected” art choices in my house too, and it’s pretty cool to feel something’s so right for you and your space that it really doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks. When I started making those sorts of choices was when my house really started feeling like my home. Good for y’all.

    Reply

  19. Laura says

    I absolutely adore your blog, I check it every day to see updates. I love how you’ve been styling your new house, it’s lovely. I’m sorry to be a downer but I really don’t like the horse pictures. They just don’t seem to fit everything else. The rest of your house is fun and quirky, stylish with a touch of elegance. The horse pictures just seem tacky and early 90’s dorm room, rather like blown up clip art. It’ll be really interesting to see how it all turns out. I’m glad you found something you love though.

    Reply

  20. Maggie Rose says

    I’ve also been loving the large scale b&w horse artwork in the decor mags – I have the small-scale version, a lovely 8×10 (color) photo from photographer Traci French (blog is “Bliss”). But I DO have a large 18×24 framed photo of ostriches in Africa from Stefanie of Brooklyn Limestone hanging in my entry! I LOVE it. People are usually surprised by how much they like it. Go with your gut!

    Reply

  21. Emma says

    Going to look great John and Sherry – big horse art is such a trend right now, bold and dramatic and bigger the better! A friend who is a photographer recently held an exhibition and we bought one of his GIANT canvas’s, you can see it here: http://www.ellaatbella.com/2010/12/start-of-something-big.html I not only loved it to match in with our Australian country style farmhouse but the tones in it perfectly match our wood tones and oatmeal coloured couches in our lounge room. It now hangs proudly in our lounge, I should take some in-situ photos for zee blog! Nice work.

    Reply

  22. Lori Bamber says

    Love! I thought it might be helpful to see a similar project after completion — I used a gel paint medium rather than Modge Podge, and four photos rather than one — but same process. As you can see, I painted the background black.

    http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150157609372554&set=t.720672553&type=1&theater

    One thing I wish I knew in advance: it takes two people to set the photo onto the canvas straight. If it isn’t straight, lift it off completely and then try again — trying to jig it just a bit results in zero success and possibly a damaged photograph.

    You probably knew all that — but … safe is more fun than sorry.

    I can’t wait to see the finished project.

    Reply

  23. Kathy says

    Hi, Sad to say, I think you missed the mark here.
    I think you can do something so much better.
    They are too harsh………..

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      I’ll definitely tear those ponies off the wall if they look too harsh in the end! I think I’m going to love them though. I don’t know why. And I could totally be wrong. I just have a good feeling about those guys! The image in this post is just a photoshop rendering so it does’t account for how they’ll really look when they’re actually hung in the space and light is bouncing off of them, etc. Can’t wait to see how it all shakes out!

      xo,
      s

    • kathy says

      Yes, framing, matting, or mounting photos and other artwork makes a HUGE difference, so I think the two pieces are going to be cool. The sepia tones will connect with the vintage dresser–and added drapes, etc will make a difference later too. Anyway, decorating is an evolving process. I’ve redecorated in major ways during the last 10 years in my house; as we change and grow, so should our homes.

  25. Sarah says

    Sorry if I’m repeating another comment – but my sister and I tried spray-mounting a print then mod podging over the top, and it didn’t work well because the mod podge water content caused the paper to bubble (I believe because the paper was absorbing some water and stretching). It worked better to do mod podge below and on top. If it is a photographic print, I would recommend trying an acrylic gel medium instead which is more expensive but will probably go on without the same problems.

    Reply

  26. Andreina says

    Just downloaded Catfish and saw it – cause I’m a pirate, Arrrrrr – I loved it, thanks for the recommendation!

    Reply

  27. Liz A. says

    Ok, that blue pony looks like it should smell like bubble gum. Oh oh OH OH OH!!!! Like the Strawberry Shortcake dolls!!! If you had a picture of the blue My Lil Pony being riden by the Blueberry Muffin doll (with that big blue plastic hat), now THAT would be art worthy of the bedroom!!! Lol…

    Reply

  28. Jenn Khoury says

    You could also try liquitex gloss or matte medium. It can go on to add a texture as well if you want. One of my girlfriends spray mounted a poster onto canvas and wanted it to look hand painted, so she layered this on in a painterly way. It goes on milky looking but dries crystal clear. I use it in my art classroom to varnish everything!

    Reply

  29. Raven says

    As a photographer it made me uber sad when you said you are going to mount them to a canvas and potentially modpodge over them. It made me gag a little.

    But, I do like the prints. Hope you can find a different way to attach them to the walls. :)

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      I’ve heard good things about products like Liquitex gloss or matte medium (which is meant for archival photos, etc) so I might go that route!

      xo,
      s

  31. jenny G. says

    I LOVE the horses! I’ll be the odd man out and say I actually like the one on the left better than the one on the right. I am, and always have totally been a “horse girl” though. I wish I could get MY husband on board with something like that!

    Reply

  32. bridget b. says

    just finished watching ‘catfish’. how crazy! i wonder what Aimee Gonzales had to say about everything that took place.

    crazy how some people are such pathological liars!

    Reply

  33. Jamie says

    My Little Ponies! I feel like i just watched an episode of the Awesomely Bad 80s/90s. Love it! And digging the horse prints. Very grown-up and fun at the same time!

    Reply

  34. Lindsay says

    What ever happened to “If you don’t have something nice to say, don’t say anything at all” ? If people aren’t sure about the new art they should just wait and see how you put it all together!
    Can’t wait to see it, I love horses and never knew how to incorporate them into our house without it looking too ‘little girl bedroom’, but I like where you are going with this!
    I did stay at a Gaylord Hotel in Texas that had beautiful rodeo art and mixed it with leathers and dark woods. It was fantastic.
    ~Lindsay

    Reply

  35. Pip says

    Looking forward to seeing the final product! I think the colors on the right picture (beach) match really well with your curtains/room :)
    p.s my friend has a collection of over 200 my little ponies, yeah – intense. so many sparkly plastic horses!

    Reply

  36. Heather says

    You know, I must say I’m not exactly sold on this project. I love horses and I love the art, but it feels like it doesn’t quite fit the space. But who knows, when you have it all done and finished I just might change my mind. I am a woman and all. Can’t wait to see the finished project.

    Reply

  38. dominique says

    I STILL have that pony….and about 8 more beyond that- and the show barn, complete with the puffy stickers with the ponies’ names on them. FAR better than the modern version. My 6 years old daughter loves them now.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Wow- I wish I still had mine for Clara! Sadly they all got tossed with my old Barbies after I left rubber bands in their hair for a decade (and the bands got all nasty and the hair got goey- it was a problem).

      xo,
      s

  39. Justme says

    Wow I’m surprised that you guys would chose these paintings. They seem so 80’s to me… Really, this post could have very well been one of your April Fool’s pranks.

    Reply

    • Monnikk says

      Well I’m not sure if they would chose these paintings, but they did CHOOSE these prints.

  40. j says

    just in case you didn’t know, michael’s is having a crazy sale right now with bonus coupons on their site and canvases are included (as well as just about every other art supply.) there is a generic 40% off any one item and also a 20-40% on all items from x, y, or z category. i hit up 2 stores tonight and plan on going back pretty much every day this week. the coupons are good for sale items too…

    Reply

  41. Carmel @ our fifth house says

    LOVE me some horse art! Kudos to you all for taking more risks and choosing what speaks to you! I love a home that does all the talking for you – one that clearly shows the personality of the peeps that live there! Those prints are going to look great on canvas!

    BTW – Have you seen the new My Little Pony cartoon (probably not – Clara’s too young still)? So not the one that we grew up with – why do they have to mess with stuff like that?

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Ooh I’ve never seen the new My Little Pony cartoon. Didn’t even know it existed. Now I might have to DVR it, just to be in the loop. Haha.

      xo,
      s

  42. betty in munich says

    I think your bedroom is perfect as is with no art in those spaces. The mirror and hanging lamp have so much wow power on their own. I think the horsey art will just end up making the space look cluttered and too too much.

    I really liked the canvas you painted, I see a future side business in the making!

    Reply

  43. A.S. says

    Forgive me if this has already been mentioned in the hundreds of replies…

    The photos are lovely, but..my gut reaction is that they make your space look jarring/busy/too full. If you switched the plant and the floor lamp there might not be any need for art on that side of the nook.

    Maybe the running ponies would work over the dresser but the other seems too dark for the space. But again, it feels like it would be better showcased somewhere else…still, I look forward to seeing how it turns out.

    Reply

  44. Danielle C says

    I love the prints, but I think they are a little big for the spot. It looks a tiny bit cluttered in the photoshoped picture. Maybe I will change my mind when I see the final reveal.

    Reply

  45. Catherine says

    You need to check out Cathryn’s blog at The Farmer’s Trophy Wife. She just did a post on horse art. And they are beautiful…

    Reply

  46. Monica C. says

    The horse prints are not my fave, i actually really liked your homemade painting but that’s just me. I am sure you will choose what suits your style better.
    With this said and after reading the comments, I have to say I am a little disappointed. After reading the comments, I have to agree with Jen and Jennifer. You guys CAN get defensive when someone doesn’t really agree with the choices you have made (perfect example, read above), but you need to keep in mind this is part of the territory when you choose to blog. I have been a faithful reader of yours since the very beginning when you started with the other house and I love your blog, so when you make comments like “feel free to skip our blog entirely if it doesn’t do it for you”, I can’t help but feel like you are saying that to those of us who don’t agree with that particular decision you made, which is really unfair. We DO NOT have to agree with everyone of your choices, but at the end of the day this is YOUR house. If it makes you happy, then so be it and that should be the end of the story but when you post about it on a blog you are opening yourselves up for criticism. Just like we might not like this post, we love other (like the deck post….by far one of my faves!) I don’t think it’s fair you tell those of us that don’t agree with everything you guys do to skip your blog. It just makes it seem like the only comments you are open to are positive ones, and well that’s almost impossible on a public blog. It’s not what you say, it’s just simply HOW you choose to say it ….

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      We know not everyone will love everything we do! Right in this post we said things like “art is subjective.” And we’re totally down with that. We think it would be a terribly boring place if everyone agreed on things like decor and music and food because we’d all practically be robots! I say things like “feel free to skip our blog if it doesn’t do it for ya” to very few people who sound extremely upset or angry like one person on this entire chain of 345 comments (and not to those who just say they don’t like things we choose like art and wall colors). The point of saying “feel free to skip our blog” to any extremely angry or upset person is that we genuinely want people to skip our blog if it isn’t a positive experience for them – the goal is never to make anyone angry it’s to be a fun happy you-can-do-it kind of place! We’re not here to ruffle feathers or cause drama. We’re just a decorating blog, for goodness sakes! We do work pretty hard to share tons of tutorials and answer every single comment question that we receive in order to hopefully inspire others at home to realize that they can do anything we can do, and that has always been the goal!

      xo,
      s

    • Monica says

      I think John and Sherry always choose to say things very kindly! Even when others are not being very nice. I admire that very much. I’m not sure I could be that sweet to strangers telling me how to run my blog or how to comment or what to hang on my bedroom walls! They’re always honest and sweet and they love laughing at themselves. Such a good quality in a blogger. Make that a human.

  47. Lori says

    Wow sometimes people just want to argue. I absolutely agree that this a happy go lucky place that makes me feel empowered! Mission accomplished Sherry! Don’t worry about those people who seem to thrive on drama – you guys are encouraging and extremely helpful to those who have a home that they dream of transforming. Me and many others included! And you’re always reminding us that things like art are “subjective” and we should all do what we love in our own homes. Your blog isn’t a huge success by accident. I believe you’re where you are because you’re helpful, upbeat, and humble. And people love that you’re so real. Don’t change a thing!

    Reply

  48. kimb says

    I know you guys are always looking for the bargin, and you say your cheeeeep! But when it come’s to art I can’t believe you wouldn’t do it right. First can’t believe you wouldn’t go out and find some younge artist and buy one of thier paintings, you know ‘pay it back’. Second can’t believe that once getting the prints (I don’t like prints or poster art as I call it) you wouldn’t frame them properly. just had to say.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      We love supporting young and local artists (as mentioned here and here among other places), but when it came to finding exactly 40 x 30″ pieces, it just didn’t happen on sites like 20 x 200 and Etsy (both of which I mention checking right in this post). As for mounting them on canvas, we’ve googled around and found that other artists display their own photography this way, so I hope it’ll end up looking legit. Who knows- it might be a total bust! But I love trying new things and sharing the results (success or failure, we spill it all). And yes, I’m cheeeep and proud of it! Haha. I got it from my dad.

      xo,
      s

    • kimb says

      hey I don’t have a problem with cheep, I’m right there with you with my scot blood. Actually let me correct that I’m not cheep I like a bargin. Something expensive for cheep.

  50. Y3ll0Rose says

    I have a dilemma -sorry it’s totally unrelated but I was thinking about it this morning and I coulnt think WHO to ask then I thought of you guys… You see for my b-day yesterday I received the most gorgeous bouquet of flowers (red roses, white roses, pink lilies and tulips) delivered to my door in the morning- the only problem is we r going away on vacation for 10 days starting tomorrow and I don’t know how they will last 10 days with no care! What should I do – how can I get th maximum enjoyment from them? is there any way to make them last? :-( sorry about the random comment :-/

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Hmm, the best way I’ve been able to get flowers to last is changing the water and reclipping the base of the stems every few days. So maybe reclip the stems and change the water right before you go (and add any plant food that came with them) and hope for the best? Some might still be alive when you return and then you can take out the wilted ones and make a gorgeous small bouquet to enjoy for a longer time (remember to change the water and reclip the stems when you make that smaller bouquet). Good luck! Anyone else have help-flowers-last tips for Rose?

      xo,
      s

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