It’s a new year. It’s this time of year that most people are looking to make major (or minor) changes to their life. People resolve to do things like eat better, drink more water, eliminate toxic people from their lives and generally be happier. Those are very good goals to have.
When the new year starts, people are more out to make personal changes, but what about changes to their physical space? Perhaps you plan on buying a house. Or maybe you plan on upgrading to a bigger apartment. I bet it would be a wonderful adventure to move to an entirely new city, state or country.
Not everyone has the need (of funds) to move. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t make some changes around your home for the new year.
The first thing I would recommend is purging your home of things you do not need or no longer use. I would recommend starting with your closet. Go through all your clothing and accessories. If you haven’t worn/used it in a year, chances are you never will.
Last week I purged the bedroom close and donated a lot of clothing I either haven’t work in a long time, or I know I never will. It feels great to actually be able to walk inside the closet. Before my purge I literally could not go inside of it. I had boxes and clothing all over the closet.
This is some of the stuff I took out of the bedroom closet. Crazy!
Another thing I would recommend is doing things like tossing out old make up, checking the expiration dates on the things in your pantry, and give your home a good cleaning from top to bottom, including things you don’t normally do like clean out vents and make any repairs you’ve been putting off.
Organizing your stuff is also a great way to start off the new year.
Now that your home is clean and organized, there are a few other things you can do to freshen up your space. One suggestion would be to add some colorful artwork to your walls.
I personally don’t like big, open spaces on my walls. I like to make my walls visually appealing by decorating them with family photos, photos I took (I’m an amateur photographer), and colorful artwork.
I was recently introduced to a boutique design firm called Byrd Prints. They offer original, world class, museum quality products which include artwork, cellphone cases, cards and prints.
As per Byrd Prints;
Our influences include William Morris. historic Japanese textiles and woodcuts, 19th Century nature illustrations, Paul Klee, Mid-Century Modernism, 20th Century American animation, late 1960s and 1970s graphic design and advertising, Richard Diebenkorn, Hergé, Carl Barks, The Whole Earth Catalog, traditional world arts and crafts, Picasso, Marie and Otto Neurath, Matisse, Hayao Miyazaki, Abstract Expressionism, Pop Art and Rankin and Bass’ The Hobbit.
What stood out the most to me is the artist’s use of color. All if his designs are very vibrant and colored with “happy” colors like bright reds, blues and greens. The artwork is also very whimsical.
Here are a few examples.
You will notice that Byrd Prints features a lot of nature and animal inspired artwork. There are also a lot of beach-themed products too.
I was sent two beautiful prints to review. I received the print entitled Italian Rivera Dogs.
What I liked most about this print is the use of color. Almost every color of the rainbow is represented in this charming piece of artwork. Looking at it makes me instantly happy. There is just something so joyful about it. Perhaps it’s the adorable pups frolicking in the foreground? Or maybe it’s because visiting the Italian Rivera is on my “Bucket List.” I know I’ll never get the chance to visit, but at least I can enjoy this beautiful print and imagine I am sitting at the sidewalk cafe enjoying a cup of coffee and watching the waves gently roll up on shore.
I should note that I received two print from Byrd Prints. Both of them arrived carefully packaged in a tube to keep the prints from getting creases. As of this moment in time I have not had the opportunity to get them framed. I could frame them myself, but I rather have them professionally framed because I plan on featuring them on the living room wall behind the couch, and I rather not mess things up by framing them myself.
As you can see, there is a lot of available space to frame the print. The white area surrounding the print acts as a mat/border. You can make it as thick or thin as you want.
Here is my husband carefully holding the print, as well as a close up of the print. Please note that the close up looks a bit curved. It’s just how the picture was taken.
You can see that the print looks exactly like the one from the website. I love it! I cannot wait to have it framed and hanging on the wall.
I received an additional print from Byrd Prints. Sadly, I cannot find this specific one on their website. It might not be available any longer, but I still wanted you to see how beautiful the art work is.
The bottom photo is a close-up of the print. The colors look a little more muted in my photo compared to the actual print.
I think the second print compliments the Italian Riviera Dogs print nicely. Their colors are similar. Plus they both have a water them to them, as well as adorable little dogs running about.
You can purchase the prints as only the print, or you can purchase them already framed in your choice of frame color (black, white or brown). I really like the white frame. I think the white frames make the prints colors “pop” even more.
If you are looking to change things up for the new year, why not consider adding some beautiful, colorful art to your walls.
To check out all the other products and designs Byrd Prints has to offer, visit ByrdPrints.Squarespace.com. They can also be found on Facebook.
What do you think of Byrd Print’s designs? Would you like to adorn your walls with a few of these prints? Feel free to comment and share your thoughts. I always love to hear from readers.
Kimberly
*I received free samples to review. There was no compensation. The opinions expressed are my own and not influenced in any way.
