repurposed antique frames.

so for a couple of months now i've been complaining to the dreamboat about trying to find the perfect old frame to complete a diy project i've been itching to get at. i spotted the idea on pinterest in the form of a lovely photo:

(i hate not being able to source photos, so if anyone knows the source, do share!)

now, keep in mind i am a serious thrift-store junkie. i have to make at least one major trip per week in order to maintain the stock for my etsy shop, so during each trip i would dig through their inventory for any frames of a similar style or shape that would work as well as the one seen above. and after about four weeks of not finding anything with enough OOMF to make me take it home, i decided it wasn't meant to be just yet... AND THEN!

dream and i went down to the city to visit courtney for a mini-vacation during the week of my birthday. it worked out so perfectly in terms of timing - his band had a show down there both tuesday night and wednesday night and tuesday nights just so happen to be my favorite karaoke night ever down there! so we headed down and on my way to drop him off at his show, whilst driving down side streets in the city, i found it.

well, to be fair, i found them. that's right - not one, but TWO beautiful, old, soaking wet (it was pouring outside!), plaster and wood frames. i saw them a block ahead of me... and then i saw them as i drove by and left them where they were because dream had to be dropped off about fifteen minutes before all of this. long story way too long already but shorter than it would be with full details, after i dropped him off i circled around (about 1/2 hour out of my way) to get them... and they were still there.

SO. we took them home with us. i let them dry out a bit and went to our home depot to find some paint for them. insider secret? when painting something small like a frame , mirror, or shelf, my favorite place to go is the "mistake colors" shelf in any hardware store's paint section. i got a fantastic color in a trial size containter - a super pale blush pink (almost white). and i started painting.

here are a couple of "before" shots. the smaller of the two frames was this metallic gold finish that had kind of faded over the years - really pretty but not quite what i was looking for. the larger one was plaster with this odd floral paint job that didn't do anything for all of the amazing detailing on the frame itself.

before:

during:

so when i had finished painting both frames the same color, i realized that i didn't want to part with either of them (i had toyed with making them both into jewelry storage and selling one on my etsy, but just the *idea* of shipping something so delicate made me want to bite my nails in anxiety). and then i remembered that ugly (sorry, boo!) tie hanger thing that dream had taking up massive space in our shared closet. and so the idea for the tie rack frame was born. i made another trip to the paint mix-up counter (i could afford another color for 50 cents a pop) and got a muted mustard. i went home and re-painted the smaller frame, et voila!

the results?

hers: