I found these beautiful bird images online. They are vintage prints from A History of British Birds, published in the 1850s by Rev. Francis Orpen Morris. I resized them and added borders before printing them on bond paper.
I used Yes! paste to affix the mini prints to thin sheets of balsa wood. (Note: I no longer recommend Yes paste – I use Wallpaper Mucilage instead.)
I cut the images out using the borders as cutting guides. I constructed frames from picture frame moulding from Hobby Builders Supply. The pieces were thin and tiny, so it was a bit tedious. Here the assembled frame is taped to a cardboard scrap for painting.
I originally cut a mat for the image but liked it better with only the frame. One down, eight more to go.
I had a fair amount of waste wood left over, even with the use of an Easy Cutter, because the frames had to be as close in size as possible since I wanted to hang them as a set.
Here they are above the sideboard in the kitchen’s dining area. The box is a silver and Swarovski crystal charm by Jolee’s Jewels and it opens. The shell is real, but this is the only side I can display since there are holes drilled through it to string on a necklace.
The sideboard is from a Mayberry Street dining set.
After new coat of paint (before painting the hardware silver), it becomes instantly more modern.
