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Sunday, March 28, 2010

I Need Help With a Frame Makeover!

I am late posting for Shop the House Sunday. Check out Kendall' page at Finesse Your Nest. She is a great lady with tons of great ideas and she is super talented. Her blog is http://finesseyournest.blogspot.com/. I posted a desperate make over emergency call back on January 31, 2010! So today I am asking for help with part of it. Here is a picture of a similar frame that I have hanging in my bedroom

My maternal grandparents wedding photo is in the large oval frame.  I have two more similar in storage because  when I lost my parents I inherited those empty frames. They held precious photos of my dad's two brother's that both died from influenza in 1918 and 1920. That pandemic lasted from March 1918 until June 1920 and my paternal grandmother lost two of her four sons, Joseph Jr. and Frank. For whatever reasons my older brother removed the photos! I would not be asking for help had I gotten the frames with those wonderful photos left inside. But since my frames are empty I am asking if anyone out there has any ideas or experience in using these frames. I would be most grateful for any help I could receive. Please pass this along.

I am going to start redoing my chair here

This chair sat in my paternal grandparents house when I was a child. I am not certain where the others got off to but I treasure this piece of my family history. I was over at http://gracioussouthernliving.blogspot.com/ and I saw a dresser she is redoing with a product called Motsenbocker's Lift Off Paint and Varnish Remover. I am going to look for this product and re finish my chair.  I am debating on the paint color but will worry about that as soon as we get more beautiful Spring like days here in Colorful Colorado! Right now my son Nick uses the chair at his desk in his room and  he is a blue kinda guy with shades of blue in his room ranging from navy to bright blue. So that is my shopping the house for this Sunday and if any one can tell me if I can just strip the old paint and re paint it will I need to glaze it because I am just doing the distressing as the chair has some name cravings in it! It says "Hannah", hmm...do you think my own daughter Hannah did that! Laugh Out Loud!

I will keep you posted and I promise to complete my projects in the next 30-45 days! Since my girl Noelle can not scrape with me again until April 11th I will have a free weekend to work on these projects.

Please tell me if you have had an experience with the oval frames. The are 20th century products so I need to handle them with care!

Happy Sunday to you!

11 comments:

Gwendolen Elaine said...

Hi there, dear Anne! I don't know what in the world to do with those frames.Maybe a professional restorer could transform existing, more modern photos to a similar sepia tone, and use those frames to frame those pics, or you could have mirrors or stained glass cut to place in the empty frames and use them either WITH the framed portrait, or elsewhere in your home,depending on how similar the frames all are.Good luck and be sure you let us know what you do with them!

Silver said...

I came here to response to this "Life can be cruel, my late mother always told me "Life is hard, now pray harder!" (HOW TRUE that is, and HOW very WISE your mom was!!) but my eyes soon got lured into reading more and more of your blog page..

You are as sweet as can be, Anne :)

~Silver

Chatty Crone said...

Do you have a Michael's or something like that - bring them in and you can redo them there with help???

sandie

Mary Bergfeld said...

I wish I had the skill or knowledge to help you with those frames. Alas, I have neither. I can, however, tell you how much I enjoy your blog. I hope you are having a wonderful day.

Kendall@ Finesse Your Nest said...

Good morning! I love those old oval frames. So from what I'm reading you have 1 with the old wedding pic and 2 that are empty right? I would find some beautiful scrapbook paper with a victorian feel and put that in the 2 empties. Then, print a couple of your favorite photos in b/w or sepia and mount in the center. The scrapbook paper will become sort of a mat. Hang all 3 either vertical or horizontal in a row with the wedding photo in the center. Thanks for linking up to Shop The House Sunday!

Jenny said...

Hi Anne, come visit my blog! I think it'll make you smile!

GwendolynKay said...

You could put maybe some needlework in a frame.... the 10 commandments... or a nice family quote. Let us know what you do. Love the little chair.
Blessings!
Gwen

1 Funky Woman said...

I am in total agreement with Kendall. I love the idea of victorian looking scrapbook paper and printing off old pictures. How about pictures of when your mom was young? My mother passed away in 2002 and I have a picture wall of black and white photos, kind of a mom memorial with others mixed in.

I think it was labeled, "I joined the bandwagon"

Can't wait to see what you decide!

Fifi Flowers said...

Oooh these sounds like fab projects... ENJOY!

Miss Gracie's House said...

Hi Anne,
I never strip paint before painting...just a bit of sanding to de-gloss...prime with oil-base primer...then paint away.
The only thing I can think of with the frames is to find a reproduction print to fit inside...or were you wanting to stay with family photos?
Have a nice evening...
Rene'

Vicki said...

Hi, Anne,
I love those old oval frames like the ones you have. My mother had some of these, too. I really don't know what you could do with them. I have seen folks just hang a frame on the wall and then put a decorative plate in the middle of it. The chair is very pretty, too. I am going to be anxious to see what you do with it. I hope you have a blessed Easter week, my friend! Blessings to you! Vicki