Beefing Up The Foyer

My lonely table in the foyer is sad and looks tiny in the now open foyer:

There is a definite need for some artwork or photos, and pronto. I have been keeping my eye open for something that caught it. No artwork ever jumped in my hands, but a giant red S screamed "take me home" when I saw it. And the clearance price of $5 made it all the sweeter. I was so excited to hang the S above the table when I got home.

The S, although large and in charge, isn't cutting it. I like it and want to keep it, but, all by itself it looks lonely. I think I should surround the S with some little art friends to create an asymmetrical wall arrangement. However, I have champagne tastes on a beer budget, and don't want to pay out the wazoo for the art. Frames straight from the store might be all neat and pretty, which I want neat and pretty, but they can also be expensive when purchased in number. The best solution, once again, is to purchase frames from a thrift store.

I used the same process on these frames as I did in the Man Cave - separate the mats, frames, and artwork. Spray paint the frames gloss white so they look like expensive store-bought frames instead of cheap thrift store frames.

Instead of using paper on the mats, I used fabric - burlap and brown/white polka dots. To make the fabric tight on the mats, fold the fabric over onto the back of the mat, hot glue into place and then snip away the excess.

The artwork for this arrangement was almost free, I only purchased one item from an Etsy shop. The other art is a picture of me and the hubby, a picture of a waterfall from a cabin we visited on our 5th anniversary, a note from our wedding, silhouettes of the girls, a feather from our bird, and keys from our apartment and house.

And here is what the foyer table is looking like nowadays, actually this is the picture from the fall decoration post, but close enough to nowadays:

The table and wall in the foyer look much better now. And the living area of the house is starting to come together. Do you see those baseboards in the picture above? Yep, got those suckers installed which was the last step in the refinishing project.

Psst - I used a fall picture of the wall because the table sits empty now waiting on spring decorations. And I hung the arrangement in the fall - slap my on the wrist for just now posting it.

Asymmetrical Wall Arrangement

Final art project for the Man Cave is an asymmetrical wall arrangement above the sleeper sofa. I love the look of an asymmetrical arrangement, if hung in an eye-pleasing way. However, I don't love the costs that can come with the purchase of new frames and mats.

But, of course, I have a thrifty way to achieve the look for a fraction of the costs - reclaimed frames and mats from the thrift store.

I scored everything in the picture above for $13! You might be thinking that these don't match or won't play nice together on the wall...but they will. We need to chunk the art that is currently in the frames so it can be replaced with something more Man Cave-ish. Let's get started.

Remove any paper backing and tear apart the frames to remove the old artwork. (Please don't literally tear them apart Hulk Hogan style. Nicely raise the tabs and remove the artwork.) Throw away, or recycle if you're green, the paper backing and the artwork...be sure to keep the glass and mats.

Now you should have a pile of frames, a stack of mats and glass, and a whole bunch of old artwork in the trash. Next up, one of my favorite things, spray paint the frames gloss white. This will make the frames cohesive and look like they belong together instead of the mix-match like when they were purchased.

While the frames are drying, I start on recovering the mats with scrap book paper. This is really easy to do. A little hot glue, some paper, and trimming it up with an exacto knife. (Be sure to place a cutting board under the project when using an exacto knife!)

Once the frames are dry and the mats are finished, reframe and mat the new artwork. The new artwork I chose was free, which makes this arrangement even better! I printed pictures from the Internet, or used items we had around the house.  

Hanging the arrangement is a breeze. The key to hanging an asymmetrical arrangement in an eye-pleasing way is spacing and shape. Basically, the spacing should be tight and even, and the shape should be consistent...not scattered here and there. I start by laying the art pieces out on the floor and tweaking the shape and spacing. Then cut paper the same size as the frames and tape it to the wall in the same shape that was on the floor. You can easily rearrange and move the paper. Then just nail right thru the paper and hang the art. Notice the spacing is about 2 inches and the basic shape is a diagonal rectangle.

Here is the sleeper sofa wall, complete with the asymmetrical arrangement...and yes, the artwork is missing in the large frame. I plan to put flies in it that my hubby has tied; however, he hasn't gotten them out yet. Anyways, the other artwork is a Razorback (woo pig sooie!), a Jeep (what the hubby drives), a picture of Mt. Nebo, a "Free Beer Tomorrow" sign, and a joker card.

Has anybody mastered the "art" of hanging an asymmetrical arrangement? Are thrift stores your go-to place for frames and mats? Any words of advice for future arrangements?