Thrifty Thursday: It's Chic to Be Cheap {14}

Have you ever had something of sentimental value that you hate to part with, even though it's really a little bit ugly?

T's aunt took up painting shortly before our wedding almost 8 years ago. So, for a wedding gift, we received....you guessed it...two of her framed paintings. They're not horrendous or anything. I like the paint colors she used. I just wasn't a fan of the fake gold frame with the mat. I sort of wish we'd gotten married more recently, as her talent has much improved.

So what's a girl to do? I couldn't very well toss the paintings. Like I said, they don't make me want to claw my own eyes out, and T would probably notice their absence. Then again, I sometimes wonder if he'd notice a grizzly bear walking through the kitchen carrying one of our children.

Here's a before shot (sorry for the glare! was trying to snap it before the toddler ran into the frame):

My friend K's husband is an artist, and he kindly offered to paint the frames for me.

Here's an after:

The story doesn't end here. Perhaps you notice the broken glass in the lower corner? I have a sneaking suspicion that a certain three year old and her friend may have stepped on it (with shoes on, thank God!) during a play date. I had them resting propped up against the wall, on the floor. Poor choice on my part.

So now I really had a dilemma. I did my best to find a frame in the same size with a similar design. No luck. I think it may have been a custom frame. The closest thing I could find was going to run me around $16 with a 40% off coupon. Bummer.

In desperation, I called a local paint and glass store. Turns out, they cut custom pieces of glass all the time. (Lowe's turned me down--said their glass would be too thin.)

"Come on down!" they said.

They cut the glass for me right there, and it only cost me $8!

So don't toss that frame just because the glass is broken! Either find a new use for your frame, or consider having the glass recut. It was considerably cheaper for me in this instance!

Here's a final shot:

Now I have art I can live with. These paintings are no Rembrandts, but they mean a lot because T's aunt took the time to create them for us. To me, that's special!

I'm not sure how I feel about the mat. Any thoughts? Should I color over the gold with black paint? Leave it as is?? Your comments are greatly appreciated!

Do you have anything in your home that you've given a new life rather than toss to the curb?