Framed Paris prints recall a memorable vacation
A Paper Series Post
Paper post cards and small prints in vacation spots all over the world make beautiful souvenirs. Wherever you travel, you can find breathtaking images of the sights in gift shops, in museum shops, and on street corner stands.
But, what do you do with those lovely souvenirs of your summer vacation? Do what I did with a set of small watercolor-style Paris bookmark prints found in a Paris tourist office.
Display them in a floating glass frame
to add a touch of French Country decor.
France is the country I love to visit, but you can do the same thing with images from the country you love to visit. Spain, Italy, Greece, Japan, China, Peru... wherever you love can come home with you as small postcards to help create that culture and style in your own home.
P A R I S P R I N T S I N F L O A T I N G F R A M E
V A C A T I O N M E M O R I E S
D I Y F L O A T I N G F R A M E // T R A V E L P R I N T S
M A T E R I A L S N E E D E D
- Small vacation paper prints - postcards, bookmarks, pictorial ticket stubs...
- Floating glass frame - Michaels, Hobby Lobby, Home Goods
- Glue dots - Michaels, Hobby Lobby
- Pencil
- Graph paper
P R I N T S
Watch for art-like small postcards, bookmarks, cards, and brochures when you are traveling. Buy small prints unframed to save both money and packing space.
Shops attached to museums often have small inexpensive prints on nice quality paper. Another unexpected source for beautiful paper prints can be the local tourist office. These iconic Parisian sights are bookmarks from the Paris Official Tourist Office several years ago. Often small towns' tourist offices offer informational brochures with beautiful images, and they are free.
Place de la Concorde
The details are exquisite. Lamp posts, fountain, building facades, birds... capture the essence of 19th-century Paris in the heart of old Paris.
l'Acadèmie française
Colors and images are soft like water color paintings. The houseboat in the right foreground is not an artistic addition. Occupied houseboats lie moored along the Seine River in Paris.
F L O A T I N G G L A S S F R A M E
Floating glass frames come in several sizes, shapes, and styles. The general design is a frame with two pieces of glass between which pictures can be inserted.
An advantage of a floating glass frame is both sides of the framed item is visible. Historical documents, letters, ticket stubs, playbills, and music scores are just some of the many beautiful two-sided items perfect for floating glass frames.
I used a 5x7 gold metal frame for my Paris bookmarks.
D I R E C T I O N S
✯ Lay one of the two pieces of glass atop a sheet of graph paper. Use the grid to determine where you want your prints. You can move the prints around until you find the arrangement you like best.
✯ With the glass lying on top of the prints, you can see exactly where the prints will be in the frame, how wide the margins are, and how far apart the prints are. There is no need to use a ruler to measure where to place the prints. The graph paper grid allows you to count the spaces to determine where to place the prints.
✯ Once you have the prints arranged, mark the four corners of the glass on the graph paper. Carefully lift the glass off the prints without disturbing their locations. Use the pencil to mark the four corners of each print on the graph paper.
✯ Remove the prints. Lay the piece of glass on the graph paper aligning the corners of the glass with the places you marked for the corners of the glass. You can see all of the marks where your prints should be through the clear glass.
This is the bottom piece of glass for your floating frame.
✯ Attach two glue dots to the back of each print. Place each print on the glass aligning the four corners of each print with where you marked the corners of the print on the graph paper.
✯ Gently press each print onto the glass to affix the prints to the glass using the glue dots on the back of the prints.
✯ Insert the bottom piece of glass with the attached prints into the frame. Gently slide the top piece of glass into the frame.
Floating glass frames allow the background to show through which can enhance prints. The white limestone wall at the end of my fireplace is reminiscent of old Paris architecture.
When I first assembled the Paris prints in the floating glass frame, I used two prints. Then I found a third complementary bookmark print in my collection and redid the arrangement.
Design tips I used for creating this vignette are...
- Use odd numbers of objects. The number of prints inside the frame is three (3), and the number of objects grouped together is three (3.)
- Vary the height of objects. No two of the three objects are the exact same height.
- Vary the depth of a grouping. The framed print sits in front of the other two items, but visually overlaps each of the other two which pulls them together. Spaces left between objects tend to give an appearance of disconnected items instead of a group of items.
- Create a focal point of the arrangement. Focal points are often at the center of a grouping. Here the framed prints take center stage as the star of the arrangement.
- Unify vignette items by using a theme. All three of these items are French Country. The plate has fleur de lis, and the flower vase has a French-style raised medallion design.
- Place the prints from the darkest to the lightest, bottom to top. The dark colors at the bottom give the framed prints a sense of a weighted foundation.
Each time I pass by the pine chest I am reminded of vacation memories spent with family and friends in France. The Paris prints in the floating frame also add French Country style to my decor for only a few dollars.
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Paper is often overlooked in decorating, but is a versatile medium with multiple uses from napkins to cards to prints. Texture and color are two of paper's major strengths. Paper is biodegradable, environmentally friendly, and inexpensive for one-time uses. For repeated use of paper signs, banners, placemats, prints... paper doesn't take up much room and is easy to store. From time to time, I will post additional ways to use paper as part of an on-going paper series.
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S O U R C E S
Friend Lives In Your Heart DIY Envelope - A paper series post
Desk and Paper Pinterest Board
