Making the Old New Again

Original Post from April 8th, 2010

Lately here at the gallery we have been working on a couple of small projects for a few different customers.  One of our local churches needed some fix-ups to the frames around a few pieces of art that have been donated to the church over the years (frame corners coming apart, a print not sitting in the frame well anymore, and ripped dust cover sheets).  Nothing huge to be done, but they just required some TLC.

Jesus print and frame needing a little TLC

On these frames I've just made the corners more sturdy by adding v-nails, secured the prints in nicely, put on new backing paper, and put on a new hanging wire.  It doesn't always take much time or effort (or even money) to give a bit of new life to an older frame.

New backing paper and hanging wire!

We can also go a step further by putting something new into an antique frame you might have sitting around in your closet or in the basement.  Right now I am also working on putting a new piece of art into a customer's old frame.

New art to be put into antique frame!

I will be matting this photo that my dad did into this frame using our oval mat cutter and two mats (black for the top mat and a crisp white for the bottom mat that will make the photo really pop from this frame).  This frame had just been sitting in the back of our customer's closet for years just needing that "right" picture to make it something special.  It will be going into her dining room when we get it finished.

Thinking of making old new again reminds me that a couple of years ago, I went through some stuff I had sitting around the house.  Back in college I had gone to Paris with other members of our art department and got a few small momentos that I meant to frame up some day.  They included some small postcards I had gotten of work by Vincent Van Gogh in his early years of painting.  So, years later I came upon them again and decided it was time to get my act together and get them into a frame.

My Van Gogh Postcards

This frame now graces my upstairs landing.  So, next time you are thinking of needing something new on your walls ask yourself if you can start by using something you may already have sitting around your house.  We can fix what is broken or add new to old!