Update on my lack of interior design skills

Remember when I didn't know what the hell to do with our fireplace?

This is what I looks like currently, although The Good Daughter's first birthday photos are now replaced by Christmas ones. However, it is still basically the same stuffed mantel and boring white walls.

before

Since I have no creative bone in my body, I have been searching and searching for ways to make my mantel pop. Then last week I was over at The Good Aunt's and she suggested whatever we do, make it an odd number so it would be more interesting. I dismissed that right away since I am way too anal to have anything but even numbers.

I thought I would find four photos, maybe of mountains or a field and group them into one large rectangle. Then I couldn't find any prints I wanted and a poster of an Ansel Adams photo just seemed too tacky.

Then a combination of things fell into place to inspire me into the perfect grouping. Check out this idea:

please imagine this completely centered and everything even

The Good Husband and I were watching The Last Picture Show on TMC the other night and I just happened to catch this as the layout over the couch in the living room as Ellen Burstyn was talking on the phone. It had everything. An odd number to keep your eye interested, but matching end features to appease my anal ass. I even made TGH pause the show on the DVR, so I could sketch the design. We also learned a cousin in the family is taking photography lessons and we saw some of his work and loved it.

The plan now is to commission three black and white photos to be the same size as the actual fireplace (black part only, not the title or trim) with one large photo and two smaller ones. They will most likely be farm fields, so we will have to wait until summer to get a beautiful shot of corn swaying in the breeze. I want to find to small silver oval mirrors for either side of the smaller photos and I already have some sconces for either side of the larger photo. Then I can clear the mantel off and move the photos to another wall, as yet determined.

We are also going to paint the wall with the fireplace red and the rest of the house tan. I will update as soon as our lazy asses paint since we are both too scared to do it and then hate it.