Monday, February 21, 2011

Hey, Don't Toss that Old Frame!

Reusing frames is easy and,

well,
 
useful!

See how easy it is:


My daughter had a wall that was a bit bare after we moved her bed to it's new spot.

 I found this matted picture that had seen better days.



 I turned it over and began to disassemble it.

(I know.
It is probably not the greatest thing to use your silverware.

Call it,
"Gotta get this done in between impending catastrophes perpetrated by household children.")



 The mat had been bleached by the sun
and was an ugly shade of blue/gray.


 I got some black acrylic paint out
and began painting one of two coats onto the mat,
allowing the first coat to dry before applying the second coat.






Be careful at the inside edge.
(If being careful is not good enough, you can always touch up the inside edge later.
I was not so careful with the cat picture you will see in a minute,
so I redid the inside edge in a very light lavender color.)

While this dried,
a back was added so that the frame hung width-wise instead of length-wise,
as I needed.


 When the mat was thoroughly dried,
I put the whole thing back together with a picture I had taken of our mini horse Misty.
(I had it developed in a 8" by 10" size).


 
 I had found these pretty glass enclosed real butterflies at a second hand store
(My daughter loves butterflies)
(Does anybody not love butterflies?)
as well as this scissor-cut silhouette of a cat.

The cat was in this frame, but the mat looked like something from the 80's,
so I took it apart and painted the mat black on it as well
(and the inside edge of the mat a very light lavender,
as previously mentioned).


 We all liked the way they filled the wall;
even Levi was excited.
(Although he may react that way because he hangs around with us girls all the time
and is just copying us.

  We will make him appreciate a woman's touch to a home.

Someday, this will be appreciated.

No, forget someday.
It's appreciated right now!)


 The wall looks more filled in,
and her room looks cozy.


I still need to ad knots to this quilt I made;
it's one of the few quilts I've ever made.





 
My Grandfather put this mosaic puzzle together and then glued it and framed it.
I love that it was all made by him,
especially now that he has passed on.




Some pictures on a wall make these kids smile...

which makes a mom smile knowing such simplicity can make kids happy.



11 comments:

  1. Ahhhh, love the endless possibilities of a frame! (Or a collection of them!) Your quilt is fabulous! (And your kids are darling too...) Jules from bles-id

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  2. Wow...that quilt! I'm very impressed!

    I have promised myself that one day I would learn how to quilt. I am saving all my children's special baby clothes (the ones that I'm emotionally attached to) and one day would like to make a really big quilt with swatches from each outfit. That way, when I'm an old woman, I can wrap myself with all my special memories of my children's youth. I will be surrounded by pieces of cloth that each hold a cherished memory for me. Well, that's my plan...and I will do it someday! Afterall, a promise is a promise :)

    I love your creativity, by the way. I come here for ideas :) and if I ever copy one of your ideas, I promise I will link back to your blog to give credit where credit is due!

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  3. I love old frames. Goodwill is a great place to buy old pictures and change them out. Thanks for joining in...your kids are adorable! XO

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  4. Looks great. I love making old frames look fun and new!

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  5. Beautiful! Great job with the frames!
    xxDaniella

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  6. It was very smart to repurpose that old frame. You found such a nice photo for it. Your kids look happy! Hugs, Kim

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  7. Thank you, everbody! What a GREAT idea, Katrina. I wish I had saved some baby clothes for that: how sweet!!

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  8. Great job on the frames! I have a few that I need to redo! Thanks for the tips! I love the quilt too!

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  9. HI
    I am a new follower from the Thursday blog hop.
    I blog at www.tammileetips.com
    Tammilee

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  10. Very nice frame re-do! I came over from your link on Coastal Charm & am now following your blog. :-)

    http://educatorssoliloquy.blogspot.com/2011/02/how-to-make-your-own-inspirational.html

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