New Life for Old Frames

We love art and have a lot of original oils and watercolors in our home, some of which were done by my talented mother. Most of these paintings have come to us in old frames that don't do a lot for the artwork in them. Two of our favorites had frames so bad it was hard to see past them to the beautiful scenes within. We intended to have them reframed or build some new frames ourselves but time and and our little friend budget got in the way (it always does!).  The right frame can really make a painting, and while I would usually leave this decision to the professionals, I knew that I could make them better with minimal effort. So, with a little leftover black paint, some champagne colored gilt craft paint from Michaels, and one afternoon this is what I came up with:

Before: The frame was chipped and completely the wrong color

After: I painted the whole thing black and accented the inside molding with the champagne colored gilt craft paint. It looks more gold in this picture, but in person it is the perfect cross between gold and silver. 

Here it is in the dining room above the antique hutch I inherited from my grandmother.

Before

After: I first primed and then painted the whole frame black, then dry brushed the champagne paint over the black. The new color really brings out the blues in the painting. This one is hanging in the bedroom and is my inspiration for the bedroom decor which is patiently waiting to get some attention.