I have an obsession with frames. I own more than will fit on my walls. I bought one of these round frames for a spring mantel a couple of years ago and then they went on clearance. Of course I went back and got a couple more. But my first ideas of how to use them was a flop.
I decided to spray paint them black and add in a map of each place we have lived since being married. They didn't turn out as I would have liked. Even though I sanded to try and even out the chippy finish, the frames surface was not smooth. And the black and white prints of the frames made it washed out and boring. I was frustrated with the outcome and let them sit in my office for a long time.
Sometimes when someone says "Oh I love how you have decorated your home!" I feel like they think it happened that way the first try. But a room comes together slowly over time and with many fails and plan Bs along the way. When I cleaned out my office the other day and saw this forgotten fail, I decided to try again!
I decided to go with some art prints of flowers that were dark and moody. There are lots of good downloadable options on etsy. Since my frames were 8.5" wide, I had to print them as 11x14 instead of 8x10.
I really wanted to stain them a medium brown but I wasn't sure if they were real wood. I really hoped they were, but I had a sinking suspicion that given the price and the fact that they were painted, that they would end up being MDF. I decided to sand them down and if they weren't wood, I would paint them gold.
Annnnnnnnd, they were MDF. The good news is that since I sanded them all the way down, it got rid of the chips and the frames were completely smooth. MDF accepts paint well so after sanding I grabbed some gold spray paint. It took three coats since MDF soaks up paint.
I actually like them better gold than if I had stained them. I already have a lot of wood tones in the room and this champagne bronze matches the original brass door knob and other elements in the space.
I added them to this wall because this side of the room needed something else. The other side has the bookshelves which give it weight. This wall needed more to help balance things out.
really nice.
Thank you!
Beautiful! Thanks for sharing the process, including the "fail". I love how the gold looks next to the furniture and plant you have in this space. I'm curious about the glass dome on the mantle picture... is it a dome just sitting over the potted fern? or is there a base? I like this idea better than actually planting in a big jar.
Thank you!
They are called cloches and I have several. I love them! Yes, you can use them kind of like a terrarium or as an alternative to a terrarium. This one does not have a base but most come with one. You can buy them at places like Target, Hobby Lobby, IKEA, or online.
Love them, great Win!
Thank you Elizabeth!