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Framing a Memory

September 06, 2011

For my birthday last March my aunt J sent me a small antique Limoges mirror that had belonged to my Great Aunt Margaret. I really liked it, but for the life of me I couldn't figure out what to do with it - I'm not the type of girl who carries a mirror in her purse, and it was too pretty to be just tossed into my purse where it would disappear to the bottom and probably get damaged. That said - I also didn't want to store it away somewhere where nobody could admire it. 
Antique Limoges mirror
My birthday present - an antique Limoges mirror
It took me a while to figure out to do with the mirror, and once that was figured out, it took even longer to find a key component for my idea to work. The plan was to frame the mirror in a shadow-box type frame. Unfortunately I couldn't find exactly the type of frame I was looking for - I was looking for one where the glass was spaced about 1/2" away from the back of the frame - all the frames I found had no space, or they were true shadow boxes for mementos and the glass was a couple of inches from the back of the frame.

After some fruitless searching at all the big box stores (and some little box ones as well), I finally found what I was looking for in a thrift store. My new frame cost $6 which, let's be honest is a little steep for a thrift store, but it was just what I was looking for.
thrift store picture frame
I decided that I was going to hang my mirror in the bathroom, so one of the first steps after completely dismantling the frame, cleaning, and then re-assembling it was to spray paint it silver to match the chrome accents in my bathroom. This was my first experience with spray paint, and quite a bit easier than I had thought.
Frame taped off before spray painting

I taped off the glass on the front a back, and set the frame on some 'Painter's pyramids' I had bought for another project but not used. I set the entire thing in a big cardboard box to spray as I was doing it inside (I don't have a garage or outside space that's solely mine).
A square frame spray painted silver

I decided that I would back the mirror with black velvet, but I needed to figure out a way to mount the mirror on the velvet. Two sided tape was out as it could potentially damage the mirror, but luckily the mirror was framed with a rope pattern that was constructed in such a way to leave tiny holes around the mirror. Using a beading needle and some clear thread I sewed the mirror onto the velvet using the tiny holes in the rope pattern to secure the mirror to the fabric.
mirror sewed on to black velvet
I then mounted the velvet on some thin cardboard (from a frozen pizza) using spray adhesive and placed it in the frame. I then added a piece of thicker cardboard to ensure the mirror was positioned securely in the frame and anchored it all in place using the original nails. Using spray adhesive I glued a piece of brown paper to the back of the frame to neaten up the back, and also to help keep out any dust. My last step was to add a small label identifying the mirror.
Dedication lable on back of picture frame

Here's the finished product:
Newly frames Limoges mirror

Here is the cost breakdown of the project:
  • Thrift store frame: $6
  • Velvet fabric: $6 - King Textiles - $14.00/yd. and it was 20% off
  • Needles and thread: $2.01  - Fabricland - the location was closing so it was 50% off
  • Spray paint: $7.19
  • Painter's pyramids: $6.80 (I bought mine at Lee Valley, but Amazon has them too)
For a total cost of about $30 (tax. included) I think I got a pretty good result.

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10 comments

  1. CeekaySeptember 07, 2011 7:31 am

    It is wonderful....nothing like cherished items to decorate our homes. And you did a great job...the label is brillant!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Chari @Happy To DesignSeptember 07, 2011 8:05 am

    Hi Michelle...

    Ohhh...your great aunt's mirror is frenchy fabulous! What a sweet family treasure! I think you came up with the perfect solution for displaying this beautiful piece...as well as a great way to preserve it! That frame certainly is perfect and I love the black velvet background! It turned out beautifully, my friend! Thank you for sharing it with us today!

    I'm coming over from Laura's new linky party!

    Warmest wishes,
    Chari @Happy To Design

    ReplyDelete
  3. michelleasSeptember 07, 2011 8:13 am

    Thanks!
    I forgot to add it in my post, but I got the label from this online template: http://blog.worldlabel.com/2011/vintage-ornamental-framed-labels-by-cathe-holden.html
    Michelle

    ReplyDelete
  4. niftythriftygoodwillSeptember 07, 2011 8:21 am

    Very cool! I love seeing step by step projects. It's like having a mini museum piece in your house! I recently did one that was really fun...you should check it out :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Laura Ingalls GunnSeptember 07, 2011 12:38 pm

    Oh my that mirror is absolutely gorgeous! I love how you personalized the back of the frame so future generations can appreciate it.

    Thank you SO much for linking up!

    ReplyDelete
  6. DebbieSeptember 07, 2011 4:41 pm

    I'm currently on a mission to find beautiful and creative things to hang on my wall. This is really pretty to me!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Madigan at madiganmadeSeptember 09, 2011 2:53 am

    What a lovely way to save a memory! Beautiful job! Love the idea of labeling the back so future generations can remember, too.

    ReplyDelete
  8. spencerSeptember 13, 2011 9:45 pm

    couldn't be more perfect....

    blessings,
    spencer

    ReplyDelete
  9. DIY – Upholstered Headboard With Nailhead Trim « Sweetsuite10December 14, 2011 4:01 pm

    [...] Bed at Crate&Barrel. A while ago when I was at King Textiles looking for some velvet for my mirror framing project, I spotted some fabric in their clearance section that sparked an idea. After quickly Googling on [...]

    ReplyDelete
  10. Almost Free Bird – Sweetsuite10March 19, 2012 7:03 am

    [...] after my successful first two forays (one, two) into the magical world of spray paint I decided to unearth the bird for his [...]

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