Of Old Frames, Paint By Number and Wes Anderson

A couple of months ago I found a fabulous paint by number painting at the thrift store.

It was a dollar.

Framed.

And I didn't buy it.

It was pretty damaged in one of the corners and the frame was hideous.

I must have been temporarily insane.

I laid in bed for nights, thinking of that paint by number hanging in my house, its frame spray painted into a thing of beauty, and how perfectly it would go with the 2 smaller paint by numbers I already had.

It was almost 2 weeks before I was able to make it back to that thrift store.

I tried not to run to the corner where the paint by number was the last time I was there.

And then I tried not to cry when it was!

I'm joking.

Kind of.

My wonderfully clever husband was able to repair the damage to the picture and you can hardly tell it was hurt.

I spray painted the frame a bright turquoise and it looks amazing.

The last thing that remained was to frame the smaller paint by numbers we had waiting in the garage.

I had some black IKEA frames on hand, but they just weren't working.

Maybe we could paint them?

Aaron said, "I have an idea.  Let me see what I can do."

Here's what he came up with.

Turning old frames into new ones!

He found 2 old frames in the garage, cut them down to fit our paintings, and then made new frames out of them.

He also photographed and styled each step of the process so you could see how he did it.

Take a look.

1. Use needle nose pliers to remove the small nails that hold the picture inside the frame.

2.  Using the new piece of art, measure the new size of the frame. Mark that spot on the frame with a pencil.

3.  Put on your safety goggles and cut the frame along the marked line.
Aaron used his compound miter saw.

4.  Still wearing your safety goggles, use a crow bar, a putty knife, or whatever else works, to pry out those nails inside the frame.

5. Remove the extra pieces of wood, get your hammer and some new nails and prepare to nail the frame together.
(first glimpse of one of the paint by numbers.  isn't she a beauty?)

6.  Try to keep the edges as closely aligned as you can as you pound in the nails.  There will be nail holes on the side of the frame.  You can putty them to fill in and then sand, stain or paint your frame and you won't know they're there.
Or, like us, you just leave em.

7.  Don't be discouraged or alarmed if the frame slips and your edges are not flush.
Simply take the nails out and try again.

8.  Once the frames are nailed together, you are ready to insert your art.

9.  Insert the art into the frame and then gently tap in some small nails to hold the art in place.
You will actually insert the nails into the inside edges of the frame.
Take care with the art.

10.  Turn frame over and enjoy your custom frame and lovely paint by number art.

Isn't he just the greatest?

Funny thing is, neither one of us is a fan of shabby chic.

We often prefer clean, modern, freshly painted look, to the chipped, thrashed, worn out, rustic look.

It's just our aesthetic.

Or maybe it's because there are so many things that look that way around our house and are not intentionally that way.

Please don't ever look closely at my windows.

But these pictures did not need new.

They were at home in these worn out old frames.

Chipped paint, dust, visible nail holes and all.

There are times when it pays not to throw things away.

We hung up the 2 smaller ships with the larger paint by number I scored at the thrift store.

They look so great together.

A match made in heaven.

Come back tomorrow to see them, OK?

And hear the story of the ships.  It's pretty cool.

And now for the Wes Anderson part of this blog post.

Aaron and I are pretty die hard Wes Anderson fans.

We like his movies.  A lot.

If nothing else, the style of his movies are just plain inspiring.

I think they've crept into our subconscious and are oozing out into our daily lives.

Observe.

This reminds me of some photos taken by my husband.
See above.

These props--vintage suitcase, vintage plaid bag, record player, the turquoise, the canvas sleeping bag (looks like that is what it is) all items we own or want to own.

And at the risk of sounding like a crazy stalker kind of gal, doesn't that painting on the wall remind you of the one Aaron just framed?
I guess we all just have great taste.

And I know I am not the only one who enjoys Wes Anderson movies for the attention he pays to fabulous vintage pieces.  From the smallest detail--Tang jar-- to the big ones--Camp Ivanhoe sign--he nails it.

I can't wait to see the movie.

And I can't wait to show you our paint by number gallery.

Come back tomorrow!

Love from,

Greta