Upcycling Frames

I pulled out a few sweet frames from my studio stash today, they on their way to a new look and then some reloving! Upcycling is one of my favorite things to do, especially when it involves painting and gathering some of my vintage treasures to create a collage. I find my frames all the time in yard sales, thrift and antique stores, and sometimes I even buy them on clearance. You have to look past the picture in the frame usually, ignore the frame's color, and focus on the material and details. I love wooden frames, but even metal, ceramic and others can sometimes work well. I usually don't need the glass, so if it's missing that's fine! Engraved or ornate frames are especially fun to find. Once you imagine a new color and some embellishments, these frames become upcycling treasures

It's finally cool enough to work on my screened patio...YAY!

This one is my favorite, definitely thinking shabby chic!

It takes a few coats to get a nice look to your paint job so be patient!

The ones I'm working on now are starting out with a base coat of white, then some crackle on one, a little pearl glaze on two and just a bit of vintage red on white for the other. I like to paint the back too, to make it more finished looking and of quality. Sometimes you may have to fashion a new hanger or stand, but that's not a big deal either, lots of little tricks for that! I have some ideas in mind for each little mixed media collage and assemblage I'm going to make...it's just hard to be patient during the process it takes to finally see my finished projects! Then of course is my least favorite part...selling them, but only because I love them so much, they are hard to part with! But then I guess they will be PRE-Loved before they are RELoved!