Sail Away With Me ~ Inexpensive Art

As I frequently mention, much of my life is spent in my car as it seems all of the important people in my life are spread out from DC up to New England and of course west to Pittsburgh.  So when a friend of mine found herself taking a temporary gig over the summer in the Tidewater region of Virginia, I finally had a friend ‘close’ by!

If you know anything about the Tidewater area though…. well, there isn’t much there to know.  Low lands, rivers, nice open space, and a police force that takes great joy in pulling over out-of-towners.  (You have been warned!)

Fortunately Richmond was a (relatively) short drive away, so we decided to check out all that the River City has to offer.  After a longer than expected drive to find parking, we spent most of our time in the Carytown section.  We dined at  Bonvenu and enjoyed some wine before strolling along and shopping at the various gift shops and thrift stores (one of the cleanest, most organized Goodwills I’ve ever been to!).  As the dollar movies were easily sold out before we even got to the line, we had some extra time on our hands to stop at Mongrel, which was by far my favorite as it had all kinds of ridiculously awesome things, like trinket boxes that looked good enough to eat!

I even ‘soaked up’ the idea of using antique punch glasses – especially mismatched ones – as votive holders.  They had some for sale and on display, though I actually went down the street and picked up a trio at Goodwill instead.  (Right now they’re just sitting on our kitchen’s open shelf, waiting to be used.)  But I did find inspiration in a greeting card that was laser cut with waves and a motif that read ‘Sail Away With Me’.  I thought with the right layering, it could be a cute little piece of nightstand art, so I plopped down the few dollars it cost and brought it home.

As you can see, the front of the card features the laser cutting with a cute little sailboat with the message, and it’s open to the back contrasted teal of the card.

In order to create a separation between the front and back of the card to show off the detailing more, I cut strips from an empty cereal box and secured them to the back of the laser cut side of the card with double-sided tape.

I also taped the back of the card to the mat that came with the IKEA frame I was going to use to give the card a little more stability.

Then it was just a matter of closing the card and placing it into the frame before picking my favorite spot to display it.

Bill has been working on the model ship next to it for some time now, but I thought it was a very fitting combination.

Just another way to preserve a memory and create a little beauty in your home.

~ Beth

Linking To: The Shabby Nest,  Craftionary,  Trendy Treehouse,  Fingerprints on the Fridge,  French Country Friday,  Hodge Podge Life,  Redoux,  My RePurposed Life,  Chic on a Shoestring,  Whipped Berry,  At The Picket Fence,  Doodles and Stitches, Petals to Picots,  Inspired Creations,  The 36th Avenue,  Made in a Day, A Pinch of Joy,  Mod Mix Monday, Sumo’s Sweet Stuff, Boogieboard Cottage, The Dedicated House, C.R.A.F.T., Be Colorful,