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Thursday 8 December 2011

A Way With Words

I'm afraid I got a little sidetracked from Christmas decorating yesterday.  It's not unusual for me to be sidetracked, of course, but I really needed to stick to a schedule if I'm ever to be ready for the big day!


It all went awry when I walked past a pair of framed engravings that I've been meaning to have re framed for ages.  The engravings were from the 1800's and had been professionally framed (I'm guessing in the 80's) with a gold, metal frame and green matt.  The price on the back of each one is $150.  I think I picked the pair up, at auction, for $10. ~


Thrift, gift, reworked and found does not include custom framing so I've tried to ignore everything but the lovely etchings of the ruins of Fort Ticonderoga and Mount Tom & The Connecticut River.

I was, at the same time, trying to bring myself to get rid of a newspaper from 1916 that was so brittle it crumbled at a touch.  But how do you just throw out all those wonderful words?  In 1916, the Great War is raging and society is changing at breakneck speed.  Britain has a shortage of men for home work and the success of women driving buses has made them decide to have women police officers.  On the same day,  Wriggly's Spearmint Gum is being marketed as calming to women's nerves.  I hope Britain has a good supply of gum for all those female bus drivers and police officers or the streets will be mayhem! 


Something started to gel in my mind and I started cutting and fitting ~



Out came the Modpodg and I started glueing, leaving only the darker green inner matt showing.  You could use a spray adhesive for this but I didn't have any so went the messier route.  Because of the brittleness of the newspaper I also gave it a coat to seal it.  A spray sealer would have dried much faster but, again, none was to be had.

I love (REALLY LOVE) the final result ~


Remember how dark green the inner matt was?  Surrounded by sepia tone and black ink, it appears gray.  The mind reads colour based on light conditions and surrounding colours.  That is why you never want to choose a wall colour without testing it in your home first.

I did do another play on words that is for my Christmas decorating.  I had a badly water damaged, vintage book, titled How We Got The Bible, that belonged to my dad.  He considered entering the ministry before he decided to become an educator.  I hand tore some of the pages, curled the pieces and popped them inside some clear glass ornaments.

How perfect is this for the tree in my library? ~

 
I think I've found a way of getting rid of things AND keeping them too!


~I'm leaving the last word to you ~



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2 comments:

  1. Your Christmas Ball is beautiful Maureen and has meaning too! Very unique what you did to the matting of the frame as well! You should have been a history teacher..I like your stories. xo

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  2. I just love the new (old) look of the frame.
    Lynn

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