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Re- Purposeful


 
One of my recent projects has been a new frame for a gorgeous hand painted watercolor I bought when in Yuma for Christmas.  My "Mom" (and friend), the fun and adorable Doris and I did a little shopping and had a blast!  We were just out and about looking for "stuff"... I've been a closet junk shopper for a few decades now... 
 
I guess I first started hunting on my own when I was in my first year at WSU; around that time my friend Jackie introduced me to a gal who lived on her dorm floor.  Her friend Jennifer collected vintage dresses and I recall thinking it was an interesting but odd thing to collect.  I definitely didn't like the idea of wanting a closet full of musty old dresses... but I also remember the pride she had while showing off her marvelous collection.  She told me she found her dresses at thrift stores and Estate sales.  Hmmm!

I remember going junk shopping with my Dad when I was a kid.  He would always tell me, "the fun is in the hunt, Shelley".  He grew up in a small town back when television and electronics weren't the entertainment.  He had a forest right out the back fence and he was his entertainment because entertaining oneself was really the only option for entertainment in those days.  lol..  I think he & I actually went to outlet stores... you know, the kind that would have hundreds of rejected consumer products strewn on tables, hanging from racks, sitting on shelves and suspended from rafters... 
 
So when I saw this delightful hand painted watercolor on the junk store shelf, I really just liked the colors - plus, I tend to gravitate toward flowers in art.  It had a skinny, unimpressive, tired old frame.. but those gorgeous, fresh, vibrant colors that Doris had so thoughtfully displayed in her home drew me closer.  Less than 24 hours earlier I had walked into their home for the first time... and what I immediately noticed, were her beautiful collections of all sorts of incredible items in these colors!  She had mentioned she liked blue tones, but I didn't know it was without a doubt her favorite color!! 
 
Last summer a friend was getting ready to get rid of some things and invited me over to take a peek before she donated.  I liked the shape and size of the frame so I grabbed it.  The actual piece of artwork was slimmer than the frame, so that was the "challenge".  We had recently cleaned out the laundry room downstairs and discovered some worn out base molding that made it's way to the garage but not yet the garbage can.  We had a bunch of dowels from this colored bins thing I had bought for the boys years ago (that had eventually found it's way to the garage because we just couldn't make room or proper use for it anywhere in the house).

I had the base molding (old nail holes and all) and dowels cut to fit the rest of the opening, making sure they would frame the artwork.  Then I painted them using complimentary colors.  Everything got assembled with hidden wires and Ta-Da!  it became a beautiful new frame, which gives the watercolor a boost and new life!  Best of all, it turned out to be a pretty addition for the guest bedroom!
 
 
I'll show you the cute dresser and nightstand I painted for this same room next time!!
  Till then!!
Ciao!!

S.







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