The Big Frame Up

I have been so inspired by the couple at Young House Love. Sherry and John have tackled just about every home improvement and decorating project you can think of. They have fabulous ideas, step-by-step tutorials, and even "How To" videos.

Their site was a great guide in helping me create my own wall of asymmetrical frames. I really like what they did here. I learned some tips for composing a frame arrangement by watching their instructional video.

I thrifted these hideous lovey pieces of framed art (can you sense my sarcasm?). Who would display a rainbow colored illustration of angelic 14 year old's in their home? It's beyond me. But I liked the size and shape of the frame, so for a couple bucks, it was worth it. The same goes for the square "Every day offers many gifts, untie the ribbons" frame. Cute...I guess. In an early-90's-country-kitchen kind of way. I really liked the oval frame to mix up the shapes a bit. The rest of the frames I had at home.

I took apart all the frames and spray painted them flat white. I have to be honest, it took quite a few coats. Like 5 or 6. Tip: make sure you spray all of the inside and outside edges, as well as the main frame area. Try to coat them as evenly as possible. Many light coats work better than a couple heavy (and drippy) coats.

I did have to be somewhat careful with them once they dried. A couple of the frames got nicked while I was working on them. My husband (the expert painter), insists that hand painting them would have looked better. But when I start a project, I want instant results (A.K.A. lack of patience), so spray painting them seemed quicker and easier. He may have been right, but I still liked how they turned out.

This is what my craft room looked like while I was figuring out what to put in the frames and started cutting mats for them. Disaster area. That's what inevitably happens when I start making something. All the rulers come out. Paper ends up everywhere. Every surface is used - floor, table, desk. Ideas and creativity at work!

Of course, I clean it all up eventually. That part is great too.

 

I think the most challenging part of designing a wall of frames, is the actual selection process of what to put in them. I wanted the compilation to look a little "artsy" with a modern feel. Since the wall would be part of our new dining corner, I liked the idea of cafe images, food and nature. I found this Paris calendar on clearance for $3.49, and I really liked the black and white images. 

This calendar, produced by Portal, with Alan Blaustein's photographs (and ones similar), can be found online here. I cut mats for each frame out of regular white poster board. A pack of 10 sheets was about $4.50. For that price, you can afford to mat quite a few frames. I measured the opening I wanted, and cut it out with an x-acto knife. It's simple and easy enough to change later.

 

The leaf print on the far left, is a wood cut that I made in college printmaking. I loved that class. Recognize the shape and size of the former angelic frame? That's the one. For the oval frame, I liked how it mimicked the shape of an "O" (like the "O" in our last name). So I printed it out in a lovely font. It instantly adds a personalized touch to the group. And last but not least, there is a photo of us. Andrew and I played with the arrangement on the floor until we came up with a composition that we thought worked best.

 

Then it was time to take it to the wall. With hammer and nails, I set to work, matching the placement of each frame on the wall. It did take some careful measuring, and if you look behind the frames, you would see a few extra holes here and there. But they're covered up! I used a bit of sticky-tack to hold the corners of the frames down and keep them straight.

What do you think of our little dining corner? I love it! Thanks Young House Love, for inspiring me and helping me to create my own beautiful asymmetrical wall of frames.