Swing and a Miss

Or maybe it was a foul tip.  

In My Etsy Finds, I showed you the metal sculpture from TheWordWithin that I hung in our entry, and said I wanted to surround it with photos.

I decided that they should have a variety of metal frames in silvery shades, and set out to find some at Goodwill, as we had for the reception centerpieces for Princess Sassy and Prince Steadfast's wedding reception.  But I had much less luck than at that time.  So instead, I picked up some bargain-priced frames at our local Walmart, of different sizes and profiles...  Also, some in different colors, but decided I could try to paint them silver.  

I knew we had some silver spray paint, but decided to try silver acrylic paint applied with a foam brush first for more control and less mess.  I didn't worry about complete coverage, as letting a little of the original colors show through, gave them a variety in finish, and a more rustic appearance. 

The one on the left started out black,
and the one on the right started out dark brown

 --And to change things up even more, I added other colors for a different effect.  For a darker shade, I streaked in black and brown, and to brighten one, to bridge between the painted frames and the frames that were already a bright silver, I added some white.

On the left: Light brown natural wood... a little of that showing through.  The silver paint with
white added to brighten the silver.
On the right: a dark brown plastic frame.  The silver paint with darker streaks.  On my screen
it looks brown, but I assure you, it looked silvery dark gray in person

I felt that project was a success, and I was happy with my variety of silver finishes.   I printed out some pics I thought would represent our family and household, and hung the frames.


This is where the disappointment came in.  The balance could be improved, but, overall, I'm just not fond of the idea.  It looks dated to me, and not a look that complements the art piece.  I think it needs to be simpler and more contemporary, maybe like the cleaner lines of the 3 identical frames I hung in the living room.  

Hmmm...

But, wait!...........