Thursday, February 25, 2010

empty frame wall art



since we moved into our new condo, we've started to actually decorate our space. some of that comes from big purchases like new living room furniture (and an entire nursery...), but lots of it has come from reusing our old decor and making it new, or searching for budget friendly options to spruce up the walls and surfaces.

i edited my favorite photos into black and white and filled some old frames to display them in the entryway. we've purchased some glassware to decorate the mantle, which now also holds an old mirror that looks so much better there than where we used to use it. obviously, i did the curtains and pin up prints for one of the bathrooms. our guest bath is vintage style too, but mostly because it had royal blue floral wall paper and a shabby chic white shower curtain when we moved it - so i've been finding hobnail milk glass to accent the small but adorable space.

my latest project has been this affordable and fun frame wall.



i found these frames at a thrift store and was so lucky that they were without backing and priced between 50 cents and two dollars. i scooped up a whole bunch and found a matching mirror for a whopping three dollars. i bought a small can of white paint on sale, some picture wire, and a few eye screws.



i skipped the initial sanding step (because i am lazy) and went straight into two coats of paint. i used fine sand paper to clean up the edges and to rub in some wear to various parts of each frame. husband used his strength to screw in the eyes and i strung some picture wire along the back.



the hardest part was deciding on the layout and moving it from the floor version to the wall. i gave up on the measure/math portion and let husband figure that part out.

we hung them in a small hallway where the mirror really brings in some light and the whole arrangement fits perfectly. in a last minute decision, we chose to include the door buzzer within the "art" because ew can't very well take it down.


i love this. it was cheap, easy, and i think it looks fantastic. a perfect way to re-purpose old frames you might have - the more variety and wear and tear, the better it looks.

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