Thrifted Frames – An Easy Way to Update Your Artwork
The links in this post contain affiliate links and I will receive a small commission if you make a purchase after clicking on my link.
Hey best buds! I think I’ve finally found my DIY groove again after taking a hiatus from doing-it-myselfers. This project I’m sharing with you is a sneak peek into my office/guest room remodel which I plan to reveal later this week so stay tuned for that!
I knew I wanted to hang my new “work hard and be nice to people” (digital | printed) prints that I created and I also knew I didn’t want to spend a fortune on frames with matting so of course I head to the thrift store! I mean when all else fails, go thrifting. Am I right?!Going into the thrift store I had a plan…find 2 same, or very similar, frames with matting. The frame itself could be any color because I knew I wanted to spray paint them anyway. The mats had to be in perfect condition because there’s no fixing those!
Well after about 5 minutes of searching through bins of framed artwork I stumbled upon these pretty bird prints. The frames were exact but the mats were different. I’m totally ok with that but if you’re not…keep searching.
Since the frames were black and they were going on a black wall I wanted a contrast and thought I’d bring in a little cream to coordinate with our pine desks. I went to Target to find their devine color by Valspar Paint & Primer in cream.From there I simply took the frame apart so I was left with only the black frame itself and in a well-ventilated space I started spraying my black frames cream. You want to do a smooth back and forth motion being sure not to spend too much time in one spot or else you’ll get drips. I like to do a light first coat and let it dry then come back to do a second. Since I used a paint and primer 2 coats is probably all you’ll need. And this paint coats REALLY well!
I knew I wanted to hang my new “work hard and be nice to people” (digital | printed) prints that I created and I also knew I didn’t want to spend a fortune on frames with matting so of course I head to the thrift store! I mean when all else fails, go thrifting. Am I right?!Going into the thrift store I had a plan…find 2 same, or very similar, frames with matting. The frame itself could be any color because I knew I wanted to spray paint them anyway. The mats had to be in perfect condition because there’s no fixing those!Well after about 5 minutes of searching through bins of framed artwork I stumbled upon these pretty bird prints. The frames were exact but the mats were different. I’m totally ok with that but if you’re not…keep searching.Since the frames were black and they were going on a black wall I wanted a contrast and thought I’d bring in a little cream to coordinate with our pine desks. I went to Target to find their devine color by Valspar Paint & Primer in cream.From there I simply took the frame apart so I was left with only the black frame itself and in a well-ventilated space I started spraying my black frames cream. You want to do a smooth back and forth motion being sure not to spend too much time in one spot or else you’ll get drips. I like to do a light first coat and let it dry then come back to do a second. Since I used a paint and primer 2 coats is probably all you’ll need. And this paint coats REALLY well!
