Thursday, March 25, 2010

window pane picture frame

I have lots of projects right now in various stages of completion. I'll get to all of them when I can, but for now, here's a little project I've wanted to do for a while now.

About a year and a half ago, I was looking for a architectural salvage window pane I searched for a few months, I brought it up with my Grandpa one day last year. He was really good at finding "junk". He told me he would keep his eyes open. A few weeks later, we had family over for my little boy's birthday party, and he came in carrying a window pane just like I had been looking for.

He made it himself.

For me.

I was thrilled and it's one of my favorite pieces of decor in my home. My Grandpa just passed away in January. It's been a hard thing for me. He was a special guy...


In our old house I mounted it above the sofa in the living room. When we moved here around Halloween, I decided to put it above the desk (which is in the living room until the basement is finished and we have an office again.) I liked it there, but didn't feel like it was living up to it's potential.



I had black and white images in it that where over a year old and I was kind of getting tired of them.


I decided to swap them out for these color images instead...

and turn it the other direction. I put it right in my entry way and now it's the first thing you see when you walk through the front door.




It makes me happy every time I pass by it.

I've thought a little about what makes houses feel comfortable and "homey" and this is something that for me does. It's filled with pictures of my kids that make me happy, my boys playing outside on warm summer days, swinging, holding bugs, eating apples in an orchard, and just being themselves. The colors are bright and fun, and most of all, I think of my Grandpa Jay every time I walk past it. That makes it perfect to me.

If you're looking for a window or a door like this, but don't have the luck of having a grandpa Jay to make one for you, I have a few ideas on where to find one. Consignment stores frequently carry them, I've found that sometimes consignment shops charge a lot for them though. You would be better off going to a salvage yard if you have one near your home, unfortunately for me I don't. You could look online, I found a few on ebay that where going for between $50-$100, but be prepared to pay a lot for shipping, they're heavy.

Or if you are super lucky, you'll be like my sister in-law, who found one in the garage of the house she bought a while ago. Can't beat that!

8 comments:

Holly said...

Love it!

So here is a question for you. Do you know of any place along the Wasatch Front where one can find fun second hand purchases, fix-ups, salvage, etc? Of course there is the ever famous D.I. and various stores that have old furniture and things fixed up already... but do you know of any Utah locations where one can really do some sort of flea market type shopping?

Chris said...

I love it! What a colorful welcome to your home! That rug is GORGEOUS! It's a tough decision trying to choose just one, isn't it? I love the color!

Mindy said...

Thanks, Ladies! Holly, there is a place called George's Salvage in the downtown area I haven't been there yet, but would definately be up for a trip if you want to go. There is the Star Mill in AF that's flowing over with good old stuff, a place in Lehi I've driven past, and of course the various consigment shops in the Salt Lake area, but I've found they are hit and miss sometimes, and some are way over priced. I bet Smith and Edwards gets random salvage items, but I don't know how good it would be, I've never been there and it's huge. I would think it would be like finding a needle in a haystack!

If you're ever up for some antique/salvage/consignment shopping let me know, Scott thinks it's fun for a little while, but doesn't have the patience required to find the "treasures"! That goes for anyone else in the area as well, I'm always up for a new shopping buddy! :)

Anonymous said...

Love the pictures

Jackie said...

I'm not even sure how I stumbled across your blog-but thankfully I did!

Your story about the window pane picture frame just melted my heart! Just knowing your granpa thoughtfully found one for you- gave me a huge smile!

What a treasure!

Mindy said...

Thanks for stopping by and saying Hi, Jackie! :)

Carol said...

I just got my hands on a couple of old window panes and want to do just what you did! Can you tell me how you affixed the pictures to the back?

Thanks!

chrisaan said...

This may sound silly, but I have a question. How did you get the pictures to stay on the window? I'm doing something similar with an old door but can't quite come up with a good idea for that.