Thrifted Vintage Artwork Upcycle

I have a pretty large collection of thrifted items...as I'm sure you can imagine.

Sometimes, I know exactly what I'm going to do with an item the minute I spot it in the store. 

Other times, I have no idea what they'll become. I fall in love at first sight, with a buy now and figure it out later mentality.

Then there are times when I think I know what I'm going to do a new treasure, but it doesn't end up that way. At all.

Today, I have one such story to share.

You may remember this $1.99 print from a few months ago.


It was of a famous lab in my town and I was going to mount it to a board and hang it in my newly updated basement.

Well, that didn't happen.
Nope.

While I do like the rustic/ antiqued look, once I took a really close look at the paper, I realized it was in much worse condition than I originally thought.

It was wrinkled, folded, torn and stained. It was going to require lots of thought and work to bring it back to life and I wasn't ready for that.

So I tucked it into a drawer and forgot all about it.

Until. 

Until I dug another pair of thrifted treasures out of that drawer and hung them up in my bathroom.

Sweet vintage frames.

Also $1.99 each.

They looked great, matched my decor, my cottage style vibe and they were the perfect size for the little space above my shuttered cabinets.


Unfortunately, I just couldn't find the right art to fill those frames...and trust me I looked.

I even tried to make my own, but those very tiny frames proved hard to fill. 

Fast forward to this weekend, when I thought about that print. The sweet village was created with the right colors and the houses were just the right size to fit inside those miniature frames.

So, I cut it up to create a pair of coordinating prints for my wall.


Of course, the DIY was super simple, since I wouldn't have it any other way.

I started by choosing a part of the print that fit well in the frame...and one I thought was pretty.


Next, I had to make a template, so I'd know the exact size that fit inside the opening.

To do that, I opened the frame and traced the back panel onto a piece of scrap paper.


My frames did not come with glass or plastic to cover the art, but if your frame does, you could trace that as well.

Then I cut that template out and placed it inside the frame to make sure it fit perfectly.


If it wasn't a perfectly perfect fit, I trimmed it and tried again, since I didn't want to make a mistake on my actual print.

Once I was happy with my template, I laid it down on the top of my print, centering it on the part of the artwork I wanted to frame and traced around it with a pencil.


Then I repeated the process, carefully cut them both out and popped the pictures in their frames.

I have to say, I'm so happy with the way this tiny DIY turned out.

It took me less than 5 minutes to complete, but those little houses truly looked like they belonged in those frames.


And in my bathroom.

They tie in so well with the fabric on the French door and the paneled vanity door.


Best of all, it made me very happy to find a way to use that sentimental print.

As a matter of fact, once I saw those houses isolated, I realized I could use the rest of it to make charming vintage style Christmas ornaments.

Which is definitely not something I thought about when I spotted it in the thrift store all those months ago.

Like I said...sometimes...you just never know.

😉

Do you thrift to craft or display? Or like me, you just never know? Do tell!

Happy Thrifting, Friends!