A few weeks ago I stumbled upon a "diamond in the rough" thrift store find. I love those days.
On this particular day what I spotted was a very large Degas print. The ballerinas caught my eye immediately, as well as the size of print.
What didn't impress me was the dark frame that it was mounted in. The below photo is my "before" photo, and while its not the greatest photo...you can see what I'm talking about. As I was wandering around the store with this giant painting in my cart, I started to notice that something was "off" with this print. After inspecting it closer I could see that the previous owner had taken a "dark wash" of some kind and darkened the painting from it's original brilliant colors. That actually made me sad for some reason and I debated about putting it back...but I didn't.
Once I got it home I took soap and water on a sponge and was able to actually clean some of the dark wash off of it, which made me so so happy. Now the frame needed some attention. Its a very nice wood frame with lots and details, but I needed to change it to gold. I love gold! I know white is very "in" right now, but gold just has my heart.
I had just ordered some gold leaf off of amazon so I decided that I would try my hand at that for this particular frame. I usually use a gold paint for my frames, so this project would be a little different for me. Well...lol gold leafing is definitely a lot different than what I'm used to! Its honestly not hard at all, just follow the directions. I think my issue was since it was my first time using gold leaf, I should have started on something that didn't have a lot of details. My frame looks a little more "rustic" than I had intended it to look, but it works for me. My husband even commented that the frame turned out really nice, and he doesn't usually notice things like that. I will definitely use gold leaf again.
A close up of my Degas print. Aren't the ballerinas beautiful? Its truly a beautiful painting.
Currently I have it hanging in my entry way and I love it here for now. In the future I want a huge gaudy gold French Pier Mirror for this spot...just waiting for it to show up on one of my thrifting outings or Craigslist...lol
This sweet little french photo was sent to me by one of my very dear IG friends. It actually hangs in my entryway as well, but today I took it down for this photo.
I'm so happy that I took a chance on this beauty and brought it home. I think it cleaned up very nicely and is definitely a keepsake.
One more view of the foyer. This year one of my goals was to focus more on my photography and try to get out of my comfort zone when it comes to taking pictures. This particular view is not a view I would ever share. I have to use a different lens to get this type of view of my home. This particular lens is one that I don't use a lot and I find it intimidating. I decided to get out of my comfort zone and I am pleasantly surprised at how these photos turned out! I can finally show you the Gothic arches that we have at Welch House. We actually have 4 in our house, three downstairs and one tiny arch upstairs in the hallway.
I hope you enjoyed this post! Don't forget to stop and look at the wall art when you are out thrifting, you just might stumble upon something beautiful!
-Larissa
What an amazing find! The painting looks so expensive and authentic with your DIY touches. I am loving all of these new shots, the details of your woodwork and arches. Amazing my friend!
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