before and after quick project

Earlier this summer we took the kids on a hiking trip about an hour from home.  All along the highway I saw signs for flea markets and rummage sales.  So, of course, we had to stop at one of them on our way home.    It was late afternoon by the time we pulled in to check out one of the flea markets.  By then, all the good stuff was gone, and they were offering a bag sale...everything you could fit in a big garbage bag for $5.00.  So, the kids went crazy finding books and gadgets, and discounted packages of candy.   It is amazing what you can find when you really dig and decide to get creative.

One of the "treasures" was this little, pink, round frame.  Not that great, right?  Well, when I was painting some frames, I pulled it out and gave it a quick coat of spray paint too.  I used a cream color called Heirloom white by Rustoleum.  You can find it at Home Depot.  Melissa from 320 Sycamore tipped me off to this perfect white some time ago, and I'm so glad she did!

Next, while I was cleaning, I found an old address book with famous artists' paintings in it.  I realized that I really didn't use it anymore.  But, before throwing it away, I went through all of the paintings to see if there were any that I liked.  I found a cute little beach scene, (Sorry, don't remember the artist) and tore it out of the book.  Then I took the round glass from the frame, centered it around the part of the painting that I wanted to be framed.  I traced around it with a pencil, and then cut it out.



Popped it in the frame, and was thrilled with the end result!
Oh, the miracle of paint...the great transformer!