Two for One

I apologize for not getting a post up on Wednesday.  To make up for it, I decided to do a two for one special today...a W.O.W Wednesday and Fab Find Friday post combined.  

Yee haw!

I have this long, narrow hallway in my house that leads down to all of the main floor bedrooms.  It has no natural light and tends to feel a dark and drab and boring.  It has been needing some attention for awhile, but I've had a really hard time deciding what to do...until now.

Meet my fabulous finds!

I found all of these frames this last week at my local thrift store {except for the gold guilded frame on the far left which was a 50% off find at Hobby Lobby}.

I immediately thought they would look great lining the walls

I love the combination of all of the dark wood and gold together.  I thin the bunch of them look great just sitting on the ground, leaning against the wall...almost like art.

But because the space I plan on using them in is a long hallway where a lot of foot traffic occur, it just doesn't make sense to leave them on the ground.  We are clumsy bunch without the help of booby traps or tripping hazards, so it makes much more sense to put them far, far away from our feet.  So, they will go...you guessed it, on the wall instead.

I can't wait to get started on my hallway.  At this point anything would be an improvement.  Hopefully a reveal will be coming up in the very near future.

In the meantime, I am resorting to all of you for your "Words Of Wisdom" regarding what you think I should do with the frames.

Do you like the natural, "collected over time" look of the frames as they are.  Or, do you think they would look better painted a single color for a more cohesive look?

And, if you do vote for painting, what color is your current fave?  I think if I were to paint them, I'd probably go with Navy blue...my current flavor of the week.

faux bois...not to be confused with fois gras

First order of bi-ness!  My house blows!!!  First the ceiling falls in...some of you may recall my "accidental skylight".  And today, the basement floods with all manor of stank water...aka. sewer backup.  If I hadn't already invested blood, sweat, tears and our 401K into the place, I'd probably walk away and never look back.  But, since our only other alternative would be to take up residence in a mini van...down by the river, I guess I'll just suck it up, along with all the poo water stanking up the basement.

Second order of business.  I just found out that my {diy flour poufs from $3 rugs project} is being featured over at knock-off decor.  It's a super awesome site totally dedicated to knock-off projects.  Love it!  So, if you love stuff that costs a zillion dollars but only wanna spend a few...head on over to knock-off decor to be inspired.  Thanks Becky!!!

Third order of bizness!

I love faux bois.  Not just love it...but like, loooove it.  It makes me giddy.  Who knew fake wood would complete me, but it does.

I've been looking for ways to incorporate this delicious {unlike the duck liver delicacy with a similar sounding name} pattern into my home decor.  I've considered wall paper...which I might still do

rugs

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throw pillows

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lamp shades {which I sorta already did here}

{source}

but settled on this super simple project for now...diy faux bois frames. 

I found the frames at the thrift store for $5 a piece.  They were thick, chunky and perfect for what I wanted to do. 

All I needed to complete the project was brown and white craft paint {or whatever colors you prefer...just make sure they are contrasting colors} and a stiff, thin bristled paint brush.

I painted the frame and let it dry.  Then with a contrasting color, I painted on my faux bois.  The best part about faux bois is that it is a pretty forgiving design.  It doesn't have to be perfect, to look perfect.  It took me about 15 minutes to paint the design on my frames.  I let them dry, then went over them with watered down brown paint to age them a little and lessen the contrast slightly.

I love how they turned out.  I have just the place for them.  Don't you just love projects that are quick, easy, cheap...but don't look any of the above?  Ya, me too.

Wish me luck in the meantime.  Fingers crossed nothing else goes wrong with this place...at least until the basements put back together. 

 

Got Platters?

I'm not really a silver collector. I have no idea what's valuable and what's junk, but when I was at the thrift store a while back I found these.

I didn't really need them or have any use for them, but I liked them so I grabbed them. {They were $2}. They've just been sitting around the house collecting dust...until now.

That's my mom and dad. Aren't they the cutest? I just love the fifties.

It's hard to see it in the picture, but this platter has a really neat bluish petina. That's me. Just in case you wondering who that super darling, adorable, chubby baby was. :)

Here's another old photo of my cute mom and dad. Don't you love the ears? I inherited those.


Old silver platters turned picture frames. Me likey.


Don't forget to enter my Halloween Giveaway for a fun, festive prize. Click here for details.

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Blue Cricket Design

Pimp My Frame-tutorial

I don't know about you, but I like things chunky...salsa, peanut butter, babies and especially frames.
I know, by experience, that thick, lucious frames can cost as pretty penny. But, I have figured out a way to create your own chunk-a-licious frames for a fraction of the cost. All you need is an existing frame and some moulding.
Let the chunkifying begin.

Begin by removing the mirror or picture and glass from the frame and set them aside.

Next, measure all four sides of the frame making note of all the measurements.


These measurements will be used for cutting the moulding to size. I like to mark the board with the measurements and then compare them to the frame just to make sure everything looks right.



Now it's time to get the hubby to cut the moulding, or time to get your Bob Villa on and do it yourself. Just a reminder, the pieces will have a miter cut on either end rather than a regular straight cut. Mitered simply means cut at a 45 degree angle and looks like this.


I had never actually touched a miter saw prior to this project and cut all of the pieces myself. Using the saw is not that difficult. However, mitering all of the edges can get a little tricky. If you're measurements are not accurate the miters will not meet up properly. My suggestion is to cut your pieces one at a time and dry fit them to the frame before moving on to the next piece.

Here's what it should look like when it's done. Please note that although mitering can be a little tricky, it really isn't that difficult if you just take your time (which you probably wanna do anyway when working with a freaky, scary saw). And also bare in mind that it doesn't need to be perfect. In fact, the imperfections are what add character to the frame.


Once you have your pieces dry fitted you can begin gluing them to the existing frame. I used Gorilla brand wood glue. I don't know about you, but a big gorilla on the bottle seems like the strongest, dontcha think? I used clamps to hold the pieces together tightly. I also used a staple gun to stabilize the frame further. If you don't want the staples seen you can staple on the backside of the frame. Or, you can do what I did and staple the frontside. In my opnion the staples add a cool, rustic feel to the frame.


After the frame has had ample amount of time to cure...approximately 24 hours, you can paint it.

Be sure to place it in a prominent place in your house so that you and others can admire it in all it's chunkified glory for years to come.

Here are some before and afters of the frame I did.
Before:(


After:)

Uh-hum, yes those are Halloween decorations you see. Don't hate!

Mmmmmm. Chunk-a-licious.


Good luck on pimpin' your frame. If you have any questions feel free to leave a comment or contact me at brendleca@yahoo.com.
I'd love to see some before and after's of your pimped out frames, so please share.