Finished...For Now

I finally "finished" a project that has been months and months in the making. I will probably add to it later, but for now, whew, I'm happy with it.

I decided to create a collage of empty frames. I'm sure you've seen them and if not... no problem! I'm happy to show you some of my inspiration.

 

The Nester's awesome wall o' frames

Amber's foyer wall

I'm sure you get the gist, but if you want to see more examples, feel free to also look here or here.

I knew I wanted my frames to hang on the stair landing wall. I chose that spot because a) it needed something, b) the space is limited yet also has room to grow (on the other wall going up the rest of the stairs), and c) it's pretty visible- I can see it from a number of spots in the living room, obviously when going up or down the stairs, and also from my bedroom so I see it as soon as I wake up.

I'll be honest, I didn't think this project would take this long. It doesn't help that I'm particular. I only wanted wooden frames. I know some people use plastic, ceramic, or whatever, but I wanted wooden frames. I also wanted them to be in relatively good condition. Ultimately, I wanted a variety of sizes and shapes...but gosh, it was nearly impossible to find round or oval wooden frames! Oh, and price was important too! I didn't want to spend too much... I don't think I spent more than $6.50 on any one frame.

I'll run through my process, but be warned, it's probably more than you ever wanted to know...about me, my neuroses, and how I finally end up finishing projects. :)

Step 1- Scour thrift shops, rummage sales, and own supply of unused frames. I cannot tell you how much time I spent looking at frames.

I love this frame...great size, great detail, in very good shape.

Be creative... this was actually a mirror! I loved the depth and detail, so I just popped the mirror out. Actually, there were two of these and I'm kicking myself for not buying both!

Step 2- Clean, sand, paint. I won't bore you with pictures of this. However, this sometimes took a while...especially with all the nooks and crannies of the more ornate frames.

Step 3- Let your collection grow...and grow... then tell yourself you have to stop at some point.

Step 4- Spend an inordinate amount of time thinking about how you will arrange these frames. Lay them out and take pictures. Trust me, you're not going to remember "that one arrangement" after you've tried three different options.

Personally, with something like this, I really like to have an idea of what this is going to look like when it's done. Plus, I wanted an idea of spacing, since I was working with a limited area. Some people out there recommend laying things out, like I did above.

Others recommend tracing the frames on a giant piece of paper cut the same size as your space. I tried this, but since I would've had to tape pieces of large paper together to fit the space, I lost interest in that idea pretty quickly.

Still others (Martha Stewart, for one) suggest actually tracing your frames on cardboard or paper, cutting them out, and then hanging them on the wall with painter's tape to visualize the layout. Again, great idea...in theory. I initially used cardboard that was too thick and, of course, with the frame shown above. It's got some curves, which are pretty tough to cut out of thick cardboard. The small frames are also not fun to cut out...especially since I also tried to cut the inside out.

Step 5- Get overwhelmed and frustrated and immerse yourself in other projects. Occasionally think about frame project. Finding more frames at this point is optional, but may increase your frustration.

I finally tried enlisting some help one weekend when my mom and brother were in town. It was great having them hold up frames, but in the end it was a little too difficult for me to visualize in such a small place and with so many arms and bodies.

So. I decided I would make up my own weird method....

But for that, my friends, you'll need to come back tomorrow...this post is long enough as it is!

Tune in next time for How to Make a Project More Complicated Than It Needs to Be...