{using an old window as a frame}

You all know my obsession with old windows, lol.  I really wanted one in my girls' room, and I found one that I thought would be perfect to frame a really large photo of them.

The frame was already cream, so I painted it brown, then went to town with the sander to distress it--that was the easy part!I didn't want to spend a fortune on such a large photo--the window is almost 3 feet across--so I decided to try a method that I've seen around town and get a large engineering print done.  I'm pleased with the overall product, but it's definitely a little different than I thought it was going to be.  

I ordered my print online--super easy to do, because I could upload my photo, and then pick it up in a couple of days.  Staples was offering 3 different sizes, and I chose the size that was the closest to my window. It was going to be just a little bit bigger than my window, but I knew I could trim off a couple of inches and not have it interfere with the photo. Engineering prints (they are actually paper) are only black & white, but that's what I wanted, so it was perfect.The cost was fabulous--only $5.98!  When I went to pick it up, it wasn't exactly as I imagined it to be--lots of lines going through it, and one line in particular was very dark.  There were also 3 spots on it, on the right hand side.  When I asked the associate about it, she explained to me that it was because my picture was such high resolution, that it was picking up everything when it went through the machine.  I wasn't able to get much more info than that from her, but it must just depend on the printer and the photo, because when I've seen others do this, they didn't seem to have the same result. Bottom line?  I'm glad I did it--the price was right for such a large photo, and I actually really love the way it turned out.  All the lines give it a yummy vintage look, and I think it matches the overall feeling of the window. Yay!

The print ended up being almost the exact same size as the window, so I didn't need to cut it at all.  I put it on the back side of the window, and because it fit so well, I only needed a few pieces of tape to hold it in place. Had it not fit so well, I would have done something different, but it made it so easy!

For the final touch, I added vinyl to the bottom right of the window frame...just what it needed!

 Total cost?  $6!  I found the window on the side of the road, I already had the spray paint (total cost of $9 if you had to buy the paint), and the print was $6.  

{love} it!