I have to say I've never ever been inspired by wandering through a retail store. Too pedestrian for me. Instead I prefer to find inspiration at home (what do you collect? what things gather around your home in groups? Plants, glass, pictures of the kids etc.) I use those items as my inspiration as well as fabrics and textural pieces (ie tile, stone, glass). I can easily become inspired in an antique store :) and don't get near me in a fabulous fabric store (I get all giddy and run hither and what goes with hither? gasping...oh look at this....look at this.....LOOK at this!!!) I often come home with a yard or ten of inspiration (which shows when you see my fabric collection LOL). A great deal of the "where" question will first come from "who" you are. Are you a modern gal? Do you love clean lines and bold details? If so, you probably won't find inspiration in the same place I will. You'd probably have a great time in a wonderful furniture store featuring Italian Modern pieces, where as to me they leave me cold. Or do you like traditional or even fussy victorian? You could have a great time in an antique store. Are you a country girl? Find an antique store or even a farmers market and wander with your eyes open. Something as basic as an ear of colored corn should inspire you to develop a decorating scheme. To figure out who you are...pick five things in your home you absolutely LOVE. WHat were they? Which rooms were they in, and how can you share them with others through your decor? In my dining room you'd instantly know that I have a deep love affair with venetian glass. My entire scheme is chosen to highlight that collection, from the art to the wall color. I chose muted antique oils (and while that sounds like I spent a fortune on art...I really spent very little...they were hidden in the back corner of an antique store, painted by someone's grandfather most likely, and no one wanted them...I LOVE THEM). Their muted colors don't distract from my glass, but the gold frames do bring out the gold in my glass. In my living room it's my husband's animal prints. I decorated with them in mind, not going too fussy with furniture so that they're the obvious attraction verses the red sofa's. If you wandered down a hallway in our home you'd see that we adore our little miracle child. We also love our family and all of our halls are decorated to highlight that love with pictures everywere, all in similar frame colors, and in either sepia or black and white tone. The highlight of that collection would be the umm well ooddles of very large black and white portraits of our son done by a local photographer. We always get at least a 12x20 or more in size and I needed a place to display those without overwhelming. So pick five things...if you want, take a picture of them and post it. I bet you will find many of us can be inspired to lead you into the next step to work with those five things :)

Art is such a personal thing. The kincaid in the original post strikes my heart with fear (I hate them...they're creepy IMO) and yet my best friend loves the horrible things. I don't look for art and would never go shopping to fill a space, from a galary or mall, because it never works. Instead when I'm out and about, sometimes art just happens along my path. Sometimes I find it in the attic LOL You just never know. I have a gorgeous bronze nude in our front parlor. If you would have asked me if I'd have a gorgeous bronze nude in my parlor prior to us seeing it at an auction I'd have probably laughed in your face, but when I saw her I just had to have her. DH and I both love her and she fits perfectly in the room. In the same room there is a tin lithograph of a steam ship. Huge thing from the turn of the century. I tripped over it at an antique show and it wouldn't take no for an answer. As to the pet picture...I'd encourage you to have a good artist paint your puppy. A dear friend of ours just lost their kitty. They do not have children and their kitty was their baby. We had a local artist paint him from photo's for them as a suprise gift in his memory when he died. It did bring tears, but it also evoked positive memories for them as well. He was a wonderful friend to them and memorializing the dear boy in a quality art piece was worth every penny to us and to them :) Art should be that personal IMO Stay away from the Thomas Kincaids please :P

It sounds like you've already decided which ones to keep and which to return, but I just wanted to chime in and say that I like your choices and think they look great with the other colors and items in your cheerful home. My favorites are the barn (on the left in the first pic), the one in the second picture (that no one else seems to like), and the "confetti people" piece. I also like the frames a lot., and wouldn't have guessed that the art was mass produced if you hadn't said so. All of them look happy and fun to me. I don't think every piece of art has to be original and deeply meaningful... Just brightening your day a little can be enough in my opinion. I like your idea to use the keepers in your guest and laundry room. Makes me want to check out Anthropology for some colorful art when we set up our guest bedroom.

I tried to post and found all my air-dropped files were in a format that would not post. Will have to find time to redo them. But my art is so different -- some "fine" and a lot of contemporary and folk art. This was the only one that worked and I took it down towait, but in case I don't make it back (I am behind on an 8 week course and trying to get caught up) -- this will be my one contribution. This is titled Angels from Above and was painted in response to the attack on 9/11. It hangs in my LR where I have an Americana folk piece, a new still life that may not have found its permanent home and some other contemporary art. It's an eclectic grouping with the link being rich saturated colors. The sofa is midnight velvet and the chairs are natural linen, both treated as neutrals. The background is an inset above the mantle that was painted for another painting when this was in DR. It isn't terrible with the painting, but were painted the walls and now I want to pick a new color for the inset and different painting.