After living in my house for over 5 years, I've slowly but surely made it into a home with artwork that I love. Artwork that inspires me, reminds me, excites me, and motivates me. I took these photos with my trusty little Canon G7x. Take a tour with me to see my favorite pieces! *this post contains affiliate links, thank you for your support!
The top photo is a family photo taken by Rachel Reilly during my session with her in 2022, next to one of my cover corners in my office, and right above one of my corgi's favorite snoozing spots.
Just this year I've nearly doubled the amount of magazine covers featuring my images, so I finished the original cover corner and started a new one. (And Phoebe's favorite snoozing spot is also Penny's so they have to share nicely!)
Next up is a copy of Horse To Water by my favorite modern artist, Kit King. I never thought I would be able to own artwork from Kit. But, back in 2020 she did a studio clean-out and offered a limited amount of mystery boxes containing a few print copies for a discounted price. I jumped right on the offer and scored 2 of my all-time favorite pieces from her, this horse and another I keep in the dining room, which you will see later.
In the hallway we added 5 photos from our favorite trip ever, a horseback safari in South Africa. On the other side of the hallway we have 3 identical mirrors to create the illusion of more space and symmetry. And of course a black background portrait of Nordic, the dog that helped start my relationship with my husband.
Our guest room, or 'Sara's room' as we call it, is giving very much horse girl vibes. In 2020 we listed this room on Airbnb and Sara was one of our first guests. She booked the room for 54 nights over June and July for a work trip. We've had her visit every year since and as of this year we are no longer active hosts on Airbnb but we will always welcome Sara back each summer with excitement! We've met so many cool people and loved the four years we hosted on Airbnb, if you're considering hosting, use this link to save $! Send me any questions about hosting, I'd be happy to share my knowledge and experiences.
Above the bed I supported another 2020 side project, this time by my friend Tina Azucena. She created digital horse artwork that you could print on your own at any size. To the left, I have a collage wall from Milton Menasco, plus a photo of one of my favorite childhood horses, Blondie, right in the middle to make for a solid rectangle (you'll see more of her soon!) Scrolling down, we'll see the other wall in Sara's room, a black background portrait of my horse, Gracie. And my very first painting I did in Feb 2024 of Granunga, a leopard Appaloosa gelding that I rode in South Africa (and the horse I landed the Summer 2024 Appaloosa Journal cover with, too). On the desk is where we keep all of Zach's paintings, he sure loves the color blue!
In the dining room, we keep my favorite piece, a massive painting of The Horses of My Heart, painted by my friend and client in Florida, Veronica Stewart. I had been wanting to commission a painting of Crystal, Blondie, and Gracie for several years, but was just waiting for the right artist to come to me. In January this year, I connected with Veronica and after shooting with her and her unicorn, Craig, I knew she was the right artist for this project! The whole experience of working with Veronica to get this piece created was just so much fun and I love my painting so, so much! Veronica and the experience of working with her inspired me and my husband to start painting too. I'm now absolutely obsessed with painting dogs and that fills my free time most days! Below on the left are paintings by me of my dogs, Penny and Phoebe. You can see more of my paintings on my personal Instagram highlights under "painting?" And in the distance on the far wall is my other favorite piece by Kit King, Cori With an I.
In the living room, I framed my favorite photo of the dogs above Phoebe's other favorite sleeping spot, her teepee. This photo was taken in Wenatchee during the wildflower bloom, I'm considering offering dog mini sessions again in spring 2025, so let me know if you'd like to sign up for that!
In the other corner of the living room we have yet another African Horse Safari inspired piece of artwork. This was Zach's first painting, and I think it's so cool and creative! To the right is my trophy case my grandpa made for me, where we keep our [mostly mine] trophies we've won with bodybuilding and horses. After showcasing our trophies for 10 years, Zach had the great idea of printing a couple of our show photos. My next task is to find a good photo of me and Crystal to print for the lowest shelf.
Our house has an open floor plan so I'm not sure what to call this space with the map. This map was the one my grandparent's used to plan their road trips from Chicago across the entire country, hitting all the lower 48 states plus Alaska! You can see, if you look closely, their routes in colored marker on the uncovered states. My grandma gifted me the map several years ago and now Zach and I are covering all the states and adding pictures as we go. Our method of travel is by plane for the most part, though!
Lastly, we have our room! Above the bed is a wedding photo of Zach and I, chilling on some cliffs in Kauai. I printed this weird cut up canvas from some random place online, I like how unique it is! The wall to our bathroom has some drone shots that Zach took that are available in my print shop, under 'Landscape'! Thanks for taking this tour with me! May this inspire you to print your photos or hire a painter to create artwork for your home!
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