Framing a Scarf

Hi lovelies!  I recently designed an artistic decorative piece for our home and thought I’d share the process with you. 

My husband and I were figuring out how to decorate our new home together, but we hadn’t been able to come to an agreement on what we wanted! !  We’d had our fair share of trips to Ross, Home Goods, Z Gallerie, Pottery Barn and the likes, but we couldn’t find anything that we liked or within our budget! 

After returning home empty-handed from countless trips, I decided to try researching unique wall decorations online.  Somehow, I came across something new – framing scarves – and was instantly intrigued.

I narrowed down the framing methods to three ways: The first option was to purchase magnetic hooks from Hermes and hang the scarf from all four sides.  While this method would showcase the scarf nicely, it also would leave it exposed and vulnerable, inevitably leading to it getting ruined and stretched out over time. The second option was to flatten out the scarf and secure it between two pieces of Plexiglas, which gives the illusion of a floating scarf and no border.  And finally, the third and most popular framing technique I found was to frame the scarf in a conventional picture frame and showcase it on the wall like any other portrait or painting.

Image: Apartment Therapy 

Image: Live Auctioneers

Image: Hermes

After showing and discussing the different framing methods with my husband, we decided that the third way was the nicest.  So now, we had agreed on a technique-- but we were missing an actual scarf!

From the get-go, I knew that framing an authentic Hermes scarf would be a dream, but I also knew that they were very expensive.  The 16”x16” pocket squares retail for $175, so you can only imagine how expensive the 36”x36” scarves are.  I had read that you could get a better deal on a vintage scarf from a store, an estate sale or even  eBay, but I couldn’t find any scarves that we liked, and I don’t like to purchase expensive items on the internet. 

When I discussed my new decorative idea at a family brunch, my husband’s grandmother mentioned that she had a few scarves in her closet that she would gladly give us.  When we visited her later that weekend she asked us if we would like to take a look at them.  She disappeared into her closet and emerged with boxes of magnificent scarves, many of which she had purchased from her travels across the world, and they were all truly beautiful.  We laid them all out on the dining table to see which would fit perfectly with our current home décor.  While we were examining the scarves she snuck up behind us and told us she had one last special item to show us.  She pulled out this stunning 36”x36” vintage 1965 Les Voitures a Transformation Hermes scarf, in black and gold.  I couldn’t believe she was offering this to us and was just speechless.  

Here is how it came out…

We chose a black wooden frame with a thin gold fillet that would not only accentuate the colors of the scarf, but would act as a small border between the edge of the scarf and the dark frame.

We are so ecstatic and thrilled with the final results and are so thankful that grandma gifted this beautiful scarf to us!  We will have this piece of art forever and we’ve already gotten so many amazing compliments on how it looks!

I hope that you’ve enjoyed this post and that this has perhaps inspired or helped you if you are thinking of a new way to decorate your home.

XOXO,

Grace

DIY Picture Collage

Hi lovelies,

I recently worked on a DIY picture frame collage at home and thought I’d share it with you.

There are a few ways to go about making a picture collage at home-- you could use the same sized frames, similar frame styles but different sizes, or completely different styles and sizes.  I went with a cleaner look and used similar styled frames in 2 different sizes.  I used two 8X10 and six 5X7 frames.

What you’ll need:

• Frames of your choice
• Wax paper or tracing paper
• Artist’s tape or scotch tape
• Pencil
• Scissors
• Measuring tape
• A leveling tool
• Nails
• Hammer

Begin by tracing each frame onto tracing paper.  Cut each outline so you have individual pieces of paper.  For each piece, measure the position of the hook on the frame using the measuring tape and mark it with an “X” (you can also poke through the middle so you’ll get an existing space for the nail).  I suggest figuring out the layout of your choice (feel free to be creative) on the floor or table so it’s easier to move things around. 

Once you’ve come up with the layout design of your choice, measure its entire length, and mark the middle point on the wall.  Take the middle frame outline (in my case it was frames), use the leveling tool to make sure it’s straight and tape it in that middle mark on the wall.  Measure out the space for the next stencil using the measuring tape, level the next piece, and tape it onto the wall.  Continue measuring the spacing and leveling of each additional piece you are taping on the wall until you’ve done them all. 

             

When you’ve finally taped all of the stencils on the wall, hammer a nail right on the “X” mark of each of them. 

     

Place your desired photos into the picture frames and simply hang them on top of the stencils with nails. 

Go ahead and adjust the frames if they are a bit off center, but rest assured that gravity will help you out and straighten most of them out. 

(FYI the images may look slanted because they were taken at an angle, but believe me, they are as straight as an arrow)

Once all the picture frames are in place just remove the stencils and tape from the walls (be careful not to damage anything if you’re not using the artist’s tape), and voila! You’ve just created your very own picture collage!!

Easy-peasy right?  :o)

I hope you’ve all enjoyed this post and please let me know if there’s anything else you’re interested in seeing!

XOXO,

Grace