Hey Y'all

 As I have written many times, I was born and raised in Oklahoma. "Hey y'all" was something we said a thousand times a day. So when I moved to northern-most Kansas and lived there for 17 years, I just took that greeting with me, never thinking twice about how it might sound to others. 

 I remember in high school our English teacher would have us say "Get ten men and send them anywhere." She would go over and over that with us, since most of us said, "Git tin min an' sind them anywhere(s)." She had her work cut out for herself trying to rope in our Okie drawl and twang. She told us that Kansas people have the perfect dialect. They don't have any accents and they enunciate their words perfectly. Well she had worked so hard with us on the "Get ten men and send them anywhere", that I never forgot that lesson. Nonetheless, when living in Kansas, I was still surprised when people would look at me with a funny look or a sly grin on their face when I would announce, "Hey ya'll" upon my arrival anywhere. 

 Remember when I showed you this collage wall that I did not plan out, but shopped the house  spontaneously one afternoon and arranged the wall? Well ever since I did that wall, I knew I needed to do something on the other side of the door to "even it out" (at least somewhat). 

 And because I had put gold accents on the left side, I wanted something gold to go on the right side as well. So one day while on the internet, I saw the print that said, "Hey ya'll" and I knew I had found the beginning of the right wall collage. (Here is the link to the print: http://www.etsy.com/shop/StephanieCreekmur?page=1). 

 I had an old frame that wasn't being used, so I spray painted it gold. I also had a white mat that wasn't being used, so I put that around the print. Then just because I was so anxious to get up the cute print, I put the (faux) matted print in the very gold frame and hung it up. If you look closely, you will see the mat is sitting on top of a piece of foam board that I used to back the entire project! 

 My intentions are to get the print framed professionally. Really. But I hung it up in September and have not taken it down since. I thought the gold frame and the gold letters were too much when I put them together and now they have grown on me completely. When I do get it framed (professionally) I might just get a gold frame! 

 But when you look at it (like above) I think it looks good. It kind of looks like a floating mat/print in a big frame. (I guess it looks like that, because it is!) 

 Since the "Hey y'all" was so Oklahoma (and/or Southern) to me, I looked around for other things to hang around it, that would match the print. (Like how my typography with letters and numbers worked together on the other side.) I realize no one else thinks about these things when they are in my house, but I know!! Once again shopped the house and came up with this Oklahoma flag that I kept under a glass dome. (It was originally a Christmas ornament.) I took a small white plate and painted the outside edge gold with Rub and Buff. I just glued the ornament to the plate.  The other plate is one my Hubs and I got in New Orleans when the two of us were on vacation there many years ago. (It had the gold rim, so it got the nod!) 

 Then this past September I was lucky enough to be honored by the State at a banquet for a teaching honor. At the banquet I was given several gifts and a certificate from the State of Oklahoma. The certificate was nondescript. It was just a run-of-the-mill certificate. (Plus I really never considered putting up a certificate about myself in our (not-really-formal) living room. But I really liked the folder the certificate came in. It was navy and gold and had the embossed seal. So I decided to use it! I got another old frame out and painted it black. I then used Rub and Buff on the inside edge to put some gold into it. I spray painted the green mat with a gold paint. The green and gold together makes it a more muted gold, which I was really happy about. 

 Then I just glued the folder (with the certificate still inside!) into the middle of the too-big mat. Once again I used white foam board behind the whole deal. You can see it a little around the edges of the folder. And once again, I thought I would leave that up until I came up with another picture to replace it. That was clear back in September and it still remains just like the day I nailed it up. 

 Only my mother has asked me about my unusual "picture" and of course she was as proud as could be when I told her what it really was. HA! (Notice the box and the clean laundry that needs to be taken upstairs in the reflection? Real life.) 

 We have noticed as we have (slowly) decorated this house that many of the things we decorate with, reflect our Oklahoma roots. It was unintentional, but must be (subliminally) because of living away from our state for so long. 

 Many of the rooms have Oklahoma items in them. Some times it might be pictures of the farm or the cattle, and sometimes it might be in a fabric that celebrates our Native American roots. So the fact that little collage ended up being an Oklahoma tribute is really not surprising. 

 What is surprising is how quickly it all came together once I saw and purchased the print. Soooo, because I shopped the house and used old frames (and did it elcheapo) the whole wall only cost me $20. Not bad. Not bad at all. 

 I really do intend to have the print framed professionally. And I really do intend to replace my certificate folder with some other Oklahoma picture or item. But until then, it stays as is. 

When I look at the two walls on each side of the front door, I like that they are both collage walls, but not the same. They both have gold, but in different ways. Alike, but different. By the way, I took the pics at dusk one day and I noticed in some the gold looked a little bright. It is not. All the gold is very similar in color and is an old muted gold. I have been looking for a similar table to go on the right side of the wall. If I find one it would be great. If I don't, I am fine with that too. Hey y'all, it's just evolving, a little at a time! 

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Wow Us Wednesdays
Feathered Nest Friday
Funky Junk Interiors
Fabulously Creative Friday
Between Naps on the Porch
The Scoop