Hello again! It’s Jillian here, and boy are we really close to the finish line with this One Room Challenge! Today I am talking about framing artwork and giving you some of my tips and tricks. I also will wrap up some odds and ends while briefly discussing window treatments too. I want to keep the big reveal of my daughter’s big girl bedroom a surprise until next week. Here is a recap of the progress so far:
Week 1 — The plan and before photos
Week 2 — Blush-colored paint
Week 3 — Lighting, a rug, and furniture
Week 4 — Decor
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As I have mentioned before, my mother-in-law is an artist. She is quite prolific in her retirement and we have reaped the benefits for sure. Not only is my home filled with art, but both of my husband’s offices are also decorated with her beautiful artwork. My mother-in-law used to take her paintings to her local framer for us, but lately I have been doing some serious bulk framing, and have been having it done at Michael’s. I replicate the framing jobs of some of the older artwork I have, and now I’ve got it down to a science using a few different frames on repeat depending on the paintings. Let me break down the process for you a little more while I will show you some artwork options for my daughter’s bedroom. I rarely use a mat, but occasionally I will float the artwork on top of a mat board to show the interesting edges of certain paintings, as shown below.
Once in a while I will use a mat if I want the artwork to be larger than it actually is, but mostly I frame with no mat and a simple metal frame. Keeping it simple also keeps the price down and lets the artwork stand out. Generally I choose the frame finish or color based on some color or feature that is in the artwork itself, rather than simply basing it on where I am planning to hang the art. Below is a good example of a purple frame that highlights the purple accent color in the painting.
The next painting was in my daughter’s nursery, and it’s a no brainer to put it back up in her big girl room! I mean, isn’t this gorgeous?!? Also, she is still little and believes she could be a mermaid, so I’m not bursting that bubble now! I love how it looks with the beachy dresser and the California-chic look of her big girl mermaid bedroom!
Just to give you some more framing examples, I will show you are few more pieces of art with simple metallic frames that I have around the house. The beauty below is in my guest bedroom, which we redecorated in the One Room Challenge from this past fall, and it may be one of my favorites. Notice the frame? Not really, right? The artwork stands out with the frame as a quiet border.
Below is a simple black metal frame. Notice how it picks up some black accents in the artwork.
Lastly we will pop over to Lisa’s nest, where she has also chosen some simple metal frames. Here she has framed one of my mother-in-law’s pieces by floating it on top of a mat board to display the irregular edges of the artwork.
For this piece, she used a small one-inch border mat, which looks beautiful as well.
I hope that was helpful information about how to keep it simple with framing. But wait–what’s that you say? You have no original artwork to frame? No problem, because have you checked out the art selection on Minted recently? Amazing! Below are a few of my favorites. Minted also allows you to choose the frame, so remember to keep it simple and complementary to the art.
Also, since we are discussing decorating a child’s room, another good option would be to display artwork created by the actual child! I have a neighbor that gets her children’s artwork framed at Hobby Lobby in simple, inexpensive coordinating frames and displays them in gallery walls throughout her house, and the effect is fantastic (we hope to bring you photos of this soon too)! This is a great way to highlight some of your children’s artistic creations and fill the walls of your home too!
Last week I picked up a new batch of artwork from Michael’s, some of which will find their way into this little girl bedroom, so stay tuned for the big REVEAL next week to see them in the room! Now on to some odds and ends of this One Room Challenge. After I picked up my artwork, my son wanted to stop into the Five Below store which is next to Michael’s, so I said sure. Lucky for me, because I totally hit the jackpot by finding a bed canopy for my daughter’s bedroom! I had been planning to add one to my daughter’s room to give it some whimsy, and had this one in my cart on my computer, ready to buy it later that night. Thanks goodness I came across this one before I clicked purchase, because I saved myself $195! I am going to jazz up the canopy a little, so come back next week to see if this little do-it-yourself project will turn out a success.
I bought these blinds from Hunter Douglas to darken the room, replacing some very old roller shades. I am loving how they look and function. I had been looking at drape options for the windows, which would have finally been possible with the built-ins removed, but the freshly painted walls and trim with the new windows are just so beautiful and pristine right now that I didn’t want to start drilling…yet. Plus, I think the ethereal draping of the bed canopy tulle will be enough to soften the room, even without fabric on the windows. In the future when I get the itch to dress up the room some more, here is what I have my eye on: either custom curtains in this adorable fabric or these tasseled curtains.
Decisions, decisions! I’m sure by the time I finally get around to doing window treatments, I will have found many more options to consider (but I’ll definitely have to get to that before my daughter has her own opinions!). That’s all for now, folks. Don’t miss the big reveal next week as we wrap up this One Room Challenge! Thanks to Calling It Home for hosting, and be sure to check in on some of the other bloggers’ progress too before the reveal next week!
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- My nest is not a museum, it is a comfortable, charming, unique, fabulous home with young children. I have high-end custom pieces, vintage tag sale finds, authentic antiques, colorful prints, and basic box store staple furniture. There are many ways to add functional style to your home and I can't wait to share my ideas and inspirations with you!
Cassie Bustamante says
i think the tassel curtains might be more timeless but gosh i love the birds! maybe you can use that fabric for something else? it’s so pretty! and how cool that the art is made by someone special- love the mermaid!
Jillian Jusko says
I agree Cassie, I do love the bird fabric too, maybe I will do it with a tassel trim? Now there is a thought! Thanks for reading!
All Things Big and Small says
Isn’t Minted the best? I love all of your other pieces too! We got a piece from them for our ORC master bedroom and I am in love! One week left–can’t wait to see your complete reveal!
Annie
Jillian Jusko says
Thanks Annie! I agree Minted has some fabulous art and frames! Good luck with finishing your master bedroom.
Emy says
Your mother in law is so talented! I love her artwork! She should open a shop.
Jillian Jusko says
Thanks Emy, she is very talented! Good luck finishing up with your challenge!