My own little corner in my own little room...

I just added one of my own designs to this pretty little corner in my library, and I'm happy with how it looks!  Chalkboards are all the rage right now, and I'm totally willing to follow the trend -- I've always loved the look of a chalkboard. In fact, I may have been secretly bummed that when I switched classrooms my second year of teaching, my bigger and better room lacked a chalkboard (as most classrooms do these days)... There are a few drawbacks, though, which might explain the blackboard's gradual banishment from classrooms everywhere: 1. Chalk can be messy -- think tiny dust particles everywhere and accidental smudges every time you brush against it. 2. A design doesn't last longterm. 3. Most people don't have a wide range of lovely "fonts" magically flowing from their fingertips, which makes it difficult to create the cool designs that are en vogue right now.

So, my solution? Design, print, and frame "chalkboard-style"prints (I can't claim or credit the original idea, as these are also floating around and gaining popularity about as quickly as the real thing). I was doing chalkboard-style card designs, literary quotes, etc. for a while when I received a great suggestion -- interchangeable prints to coincide with the holidays and seasons!  Use one frame and swap the print each month or so throughout the year for a fresh and timely look. Perfect. Here's what I came up with:

And here are the first two in the frame:

I went with 4x6", so it's just a little accent, and I've been enjoying the concept so far! I can't believe I haven't tried this trick before, other than the usual updating of years-old photos. Do you regularly switch our the art or photos in the frames in your home? Feel free to share your own ideas in the comments.

And it's time for a little plug: My seasonal designs make a great gift (to yourself or others!), and I currently offer them sized to print in 4x6" or 8x10" (will be working on adding 5x7"). Take a peek at the listing in the shop to see all 13 designs (basically one for each month, plus a "Happy Birthday")!

While I'm at it with the plugs, let me share a close-up of my other art in that corner. These are actually real art ;) I love the beautiful sketches by artist Caitlin Connolly, found here. They are numbered, limited copies of her original sketches from her popular "daily doodles" series. I received two of my favorites ("a woman who reads" and "a couple who listens") for Christmas and framed them in white-on-white gallery-style frames. Just love how it turned out :)