Thursday, June 30, 2011

Framing Nature

I finally bought a shadow box to make a display of the remaining quail eggs I had.  I searched the local thrift stores for a shadow box, but alas, I could not find one.  I did find a cool framed butterfly at one of the shops.  I've always wanted one but have felt guilty about purchasing a new one, killing butterflies and all, but finding one at a thrift shop is like saving a butterfly, right? :o)  I ended up buying a shadow box at Michael's that fit the bill.  Here's a picture of my purchases:


Also at one of the thrift stores I found a gold frame with nice detailing at the corners:


I decided to paint the frames in my Annie Sloan chalk paint in Duck Egg blue.  I was too lazy to prime then paint so I used my trusty chalk paint and got straight to the painting.  I also wanted to add some interest to the frames and since chalk paint distresses really well I knew it was the perfect choice.  

Here is a picture of the previously gold frame after painting and distressing:


And a closer shot of the distressed detailing.  I think the distressing just makes the corners pop.  I'm not sure what I'll put in the frame, we will see what I can find.


Next we have my framed butterfly.  There was also a separate beveled edge inside the frame that I painted white to act as a matte around the butterfly.


At first I thought a more colorful butterfly would have looked better but with the blue frame I think the neutral color of the butterfly contrasts nicely.  I LOVE it!  Here it is a bit closer:


And last we have the framed quail eggs in the shadow box.  I glued the remaining blown out quail eggs on a piece of paper cut to size that had a woven fabric look.  Since the frame was pretty plain looking I distressed the edges a bit.


My attempt to bring more nature indoors :o)

Sharing with:

The Shabby Nest Transformation Thursday

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I love the way the paint and distressing brings out the detail on the first frame. I would not have been able to see it's potential like you did.
(Gen)

Post a Comment