Frame and Mirror Collage

We have a large wall that I wanted to do something a little bit different to. I didn't want just one huge painting filling it, and I thought I'd have a go at making a collage out of some mirrors and frames.

This is what I ended up with (sorry there is some glare. It was pretty sunny when I took these):

We painted our whole house, and I decided that I wanted very light neutral walls throughout. Sounds boring, I know, but I prefer to add colour with accessories and furniture. That way if I get sick of the colour(s), I can just change the pillows or a painting rather than having to paint walls where the ceilings are 14 feet high at some points.

My best tips for creating a collage are as follows:

- collect the main bulk of frames and mirrors that you want  to include before you start if possible. This means that you can plan out where everything fits in better and you wont have to move things around as much.

- Try to stick with on colour for your frames so it is somewhat cohesive and flows well. I went with gold tones. You could do whatever colour you'd like or if you'd like a more wild look, you could just use a bunch of colours.

- Some of the frames I bought were a different colour initially. I bought some cheap gold acrylic paint and gave them a base coat with that. I then lightly brushed some dark brown paint over top when the gold paint was dry, and then removed it with paper towel. This gives them an antiqued look.

- Don't spend too much on your frames/mirrors/pieces of art. The most expensive piece was the large oval mirror for $9.99. Go to thrift stores and you can find wonderful things!

Here are some close ups of the individual items in the collection:

I found this real butterfly in a frame at Value Village. The frame was plain wood and so was the background. I opened up the frame, removed the butterfly and added a paper backing. I then painted the frame gold and reassembled it. Total cost - $4.50

 This frame was a gift from my Mom from Home Sense. The picture is a cross stitched pheasant that my mother in law made and sent me from England.

 These two frames and prints were from Value Village as well. They were $2 each. I love how the prints inside are somewhat random and I really wonder the story behind them. I didn't have to do anything to them before hanging them. Bonus!

 This is a doily from my Mom and Dad's friend. His grandmother made this a long time ago. So much time and effort went into this piece I thought it would be a shame to fold it up and put it in a drawer, so I framed it! The frame was one that I purchased from Home Sense a while back. It was supposed to hold a bunch of smaller pictures, but I liked how this looked better. I painted the backing board a dark cranberry colour and put the doily in.