The first time I saw a piece of contemporary art in a vintage frame on Pinterest I became obsessed. It combines so many things I love. An old frame, or any old object for that matter, creates a connection between the past and present by hinting at the story of its previous life. And it adds character and charm to any style of decor.

Whether you choose to restore it to its original beauty or transform it with bright colors and bold modifications, a vintage frame will always make a statement. And also very important to me, is the fact that every old frame I salvage and repurpose will be cherished for many years to come, instead of ending up in a landfill.

I "discovered" the world of vintage frames in 2022, and since then, I started collecting (more like hoarding) them. It took me just a couple of hours on a Saturday to fill this box with some gorgeous old frames from thrift shops in my area.

Here are some examples of recent paintings I framed with these beauties.

I've been getting a lot of questions about the vintage frames I use, so I decided to make this blog post and a video tutorial to show how I refinish and attach my paintings to old frames, making them ready to hang.

I hope you ejoy it.

And here is the list of supplies I used to refinish and wire this particular frame. You can find most of them in arts & crafts stores and online as well. I’m providing some links to Amazon in case you prefer to buy them online.

• Vintage Frame (thrift shops, FB marketplace, etc.)

• Canvas panel or wood panel - most vintage frames won’t fit a stretched canvas. Make sure your panel is the same size as the opening of your vintage frame. Sometimes you will need to cut your board to match that size.

• Modern Masters Warm Silver (opaque)

• One-inch paint brush 

• Rub n Buff - gold leaf

• Kraft paper - thick

• Ruler

• Box cutter

• Wood Glue

• Clay needle  tool (optional)

• Screwdriver

• Hanging hardware

I hope you give it a try.

Love,

Pat