So excited it's Friday! I've got a lot of DIY-ing planned for this weekend I can't wait to get it underway. Any fun plans? Also excited to share this project with you today. One of those that makes me happy every time I look at these beauties!
A few summers ago I found this pair of frames for $6 at a garage sale. I was instantly drawn to the faux bamboo frames and new with a little love these guys could be transformed.
The art in them wasn't particularly bad, but the dingy background never seemed to work with my decor. Part of me still looks at them and really wishes they worked, but they just didn't. I'm a long time lover of Natural Curiosities, and love these prints in particular. But sadly they are beyond out of my price range at this point. 
But that didn't stop me! Here's how I recreated the look for less.
I traced the size of the art onto a piece of Kraft paper. I have a roll of it but paper grocery bags do the trick, too.
I traced the size of the art onto a piece of Kraft paper. I have a roll of it but paper grocery bags do the trick, too. 
Next I watered down white paint so it was thin enough to be transparent on the paper. I wanted the paper to look textured somewhat like linen so I brushed white across the entire paper vertically. Next I brushed the same way horizontally to give a cross hatched texture.
I didn't have any ink on hand, so I mixed blue and black water color to achieve the same look. Then I simply freehanded flowers, trying not to be overly perfect with the thickness of the lines and the flower in general. If you're not comfortable going freehand, sketch the flower out first then paint over your lines. If you really don't fancy yourself an artist, have your kids draw the flowers. The beauty of line drawings like these is the imperfect quality to them. Even if the "ink" gets smudged a bit it looks great!
While I had the frames off, I gave them a few coats of spray paint. I started out with a dark blue, but it was too bright. So while it was still wet I took some black spray paint I had on hand and sprayed a light coat on top of the blue. I love the color I got from this technique. Practically black with a bit more character.
Not the most revolutionary DIY, but I love the idea of taking really inexpensive (garage sale, thrift shop, estate sale finds etc.) frames of great quality and making them your own. Framing is uber expensive so this is a great way to get the look for less. And even if you're not an artist you can always use the frames for a pair of photos or art you purchase online.
Happy weekend!
Great project - I love finding vintage frames and adding my own pieces. One of my favourite sources for affordable art are artists' prints from local galleries. I really need to have a go at painting my own though!
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