I've Been Framed

Hello everyone and happy Monday! I hope everyone has had a wonderful weekend. I have spent this weekend trying to scratch things off of my "to do" list with not much success. I have an on going list that conveniently sits on my counter in plain view so that I will not forget all of the things that I would like to get done. My problem is that I get side tracked. I will walk into a room to do something and suddenly my eyes are darting around the room like a cat watching a fly buzz around from wall to wall. I'm not even kidding. I have a hard time watching a television show with my family. While they are looking at the t.v. I am staring over their head at a picture that I think would look better if it were on the other wall. I know that I'm not alone here. Some of you do the same thing and you know who you are. This brings me to the topic of this post...pictures. Well, not really pictures as much as the frames they are in.

I love frames! Almost to the point of being a sickness. I mean really...just plain frames, even with nothing in them.

Don't get me wrong, I also love pictures of my family all over my house so it's not just about the frames but I love the shapes and details in frames. That is what attracts me to them. It is rare that I will find a frame that I like the color of it. That does not deter me from buying it though. A simple paint job will do the trick.

I found these beauties at a thrift store for cheap. I loved the curvy sides but did not like the 70's wood finish on them. ( If I wasn't so excited to paint them, I would have a good before shot of them but I don't so you'll have to use your imagination here.)

I gave them a paint job using a satin spray paint in various colors. I really like using spray paint on frames because it covers all the angles really well. Once it dried, I lightly sanded the edges to give it a distressed look. Then I wiped on some dark wood wax to make it look even older and that is it. So easy. With all of the paint color choices, you can make any frame match your decor.

And should you decide to redecorate your room, repaint your frame! (A little money saver tip for you.)

I hope everyone has a productive fun week. Now back to my "to do" list...


Diane

That's A Corker

Hello everyone and happy Friday! This week I have been looking for some inspiration. It's not too hard to find with magazines, the oh so cool blogs out there and ...Pinterest. (Insert sigh...) I love Pinterest! Who wouldn't love a world of ideas right at your fingertips? People with no ideas, that's who. (Trick question).

Although I love browsing through countless pictures until my eyes start to cross, I have realized something about myself. Besides the fact that I think I need a twelve step program to help me with my addiction to Pinterest, I realized that I am a touchy person. I love seeing the real thing in front of me. I love to be able to touch things, whether it is fabric swatches, paint chips, found objects, etc... It made me remember that long before Pinterest, there were "inspiration boards". (Aka...cork boards)

Now there is nothing wrong with cork boards except that they're, well, not so pretty.  Who gets inspired over not so pretty things? That's right, no one. So today I decided to fix that and it was so easy.

I started by spray painting the frame around a cork board. Then I remembered that I had this frame that I had stashed for literally years just waiting for an opportunity like this. Wouldn't you know it, if you push hard enough, you can actually make things fit. So I fit the cork board into the frame....Back outside to paint the frame.

Before the paint...

And after the paint...

Once the frame dried, I covered the cork part using burlap that I cut to size leaving just enough fabric around the edges to tuck under the frame. I lightly used spray adhesive to secure the fabric to the board.

 Then I used a putty knife to push the fabric under the frame around all four sides.

 How easy was that? I love the way it turned out and even better, I could physically touch what inspires me. I can't wait to fill my board.

 While I was at it, I made a couple of inspiration boards for the shop.

 The big one is also covered in burlap with a rope trim around the edges and the smaller one is covered in a fabric that I think is classy but fun. There are so many options to match any decor, so have fun with it.


Now I need to get pinning!

Diane