Something Old, Something New

Something old, something new… How fun is it to re-purpose something old to have a completely new function in your home?  After making over my daughter’s room this spring we were left with one wall that we decided to use to display her artwork.  The problem was we didn’t know how best to display it so the wall remained blank and the artwork remained in a pile.  Frames seemed the most likely choice in all sizes and I envisioned them painted black with hinges to easily change out the work.  However I did not have an overabundance of frames on hand and the more I thought about it the more unsure I was that this would be the best solution.  Unexpectedly I was given some old things to re-purpose and among them were two 5 foot old screens framed in wood. Driving home with them in the car I just couldn’t get my mind off the possibility that this could somehow be the answer to my design dilemma.  The frames were old with lots of character I could see them adding the perfect blend of rustic meets modern to my daughter’s room.  Wheels turning in my mind I called my mom and within a few minutes the design was coming together crystal clear in my mind and hers.  You just gotta LOVE moms!  I couldn’t wait to get home and as soon as I unloaded the screens I pulled out my paint and went to work.  I painted the Eiffel Tower and several French words/sayings directly onto the screens in different shades of the same color and in different fonts.  As luck would have it the wooden frames of the screens already had a crackle finish in just the right color for the room I would be using them in.  However, this would have been a simple step to complete for this particular project, just in case you want to try this at home.  After painting on the design I added 4 sets of picture wires and hooks to the front of the frames and added picture hangers to the back of the frames.  Just like that the project was complete and ready for display.  Small close pins were painted with an accent color and used on the picture wire to hang artwork.  I think you will like the results and how easy and fun it will be to change the artwork up without having to worry about what size it is.  This is the perfect solution to our dilemma and looks great when displaying artwork or as a work of art itself.