Author: Autumn
I had the opportunity to spend a glorious eight days alone in Paris last spring and took lots of photos of different angles of buildings and statues. At the time I didn’t quite know what I would do with them other than keep them with my other travel photos on a CD.
These are the giclee prints I saw in Ballard’s catalogue.
Well, fast forward to this winter and the purchase of our new townhouse. One of the features that I love about it is the wet bar located between the kitchen and the great room. It almost could pass as a butler’s pantry. The area has a mirrored backdrop and glass shelves that are not my thing, but I really want to work with what I was dealt. We will be replacing the ugly orange countertop and stainless steel bar sink during our current remodeling project. I am excited to have the bar because it will keep guests out of the kitchen when we are entertaining. But what could I do to enhance its looks?
One day when I walked past the bar, I got the idea of getting some of the Paris photos printed in black and white and framing them in plain black frames. I thought they might look nice placed randomly on the shelves along with a jar of corks, wine glasses, my crystal wine stopper collection, etc.
These are the six prints that I selected. I wanted both buildings and statues and both vertical and horizontal.
Well, this week when I was catching up on my mail after being away for a month, I discovered that I wasn’t the only one thinking about Paris artwork. In the Ballard’s catalog, I saw giclee prints of vintage postcards highlighting Paris’ most popular attractions. They were priced at $159.00 each or two for $299.00.
Wow! I was so thrilled to see what the final product would look like but shocked at the price. Meanwhile, I already had gotten my black and white prints made, and all I had to do was wait for Sunday’s papers and the coupons from Michael’s. I was able to buy six black 8 x 10 frames and six pre-cut mats for around $44.00. The only difference in Ballard’s and mine is that their frames are 9 x 15 1/4 inches, which would actually be too large for my shelves.
After buying the supplies, I returned home to our rental, spread everything out on the floor, and assembled them effortlessly.
The first two are finished. Using precut mats and standard frames made the process go quickly.
Two more are complete.
All six are framed, and it took less than 15 minutes.
They really resemble the Ballard’s giclees. I can’t wait to move in and display them. When that happens, I will be sure to post a blog showing the revamped bar accessorized with my Paris prints.
Take care.
Linking to www.betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com
Linking to www.coastalcharm.blogspot.com
Linking to The Lettered Cottage
Linking to www.romantichome.blogspot.com
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I was not paid by Ballard’s or Michael’s to mention them in this post.