Framed Venetian Mask

Are you ready to see what I did with that frame I painted, which I showed you last week? Sorry to keep you waiting, I had two long weeks. Busy at work, conference over the weekend, you know how it goes.

Without further ado, my framed Venetian mask:



I've had this Venetian mask for several years. It was a gift from my Aunt from when she went to Italy a number of years ago. It's really beautiful, and it hung in my bedroom in my parents' house until I moved out.



When I moved in to our current apartment, I brought it with me, to hang it up again. But with my dark purple walls in the bedroom, where I wanted to hang it, I knew something had to be done as it wouldn't really show much.

If you read my first post, you already know that I got this frame secondhand from my parents, and spray painted it white while trying my best to keep those bronze details (again- read the entire post here).



I thought the details in the frame would match well the mask, and would provide a nice white background to make the mask pop. And the goldish/bronze details in the frame match well with the golden ones in the mask. I thought it was a perfect fit!



I was a little afraid at first that the frame was too big for the mask. I tried to think of some way that I could fill the empty space, with jute/twine, or some felt flowers, or even paper flowers. But the more I thought about it, the more I thought it would look like too much. I often have to downplay my ideas like this, or else everything would look like a circus, haha!



I had also spray painted the poster board white with the same spray paint as I used on the frame, because there were some scratches on it, but it seemed too white and bright, especially against the dark wall. Painting it with some Antique White craft paint dulled the brightness just enough to make it good to go.



I had to change the orientation of the frame, since it was originally landscape and I wanted it portrait. I had to move the saw tooth frame hanger on the back.

It was easy enough, just popped out the nails with a small flat-head screwdriver...



...measured the middle of the frame in it's width...



... and just hammered them back into place.



As for the mask itself, the wire hanger in its back is not centered (as you can see below), so I centered it by eye as best I could, lifted it a little and marked where the wire touched the poster board.



Then I put a small nail on the mark. FYI, the smaller the better. At first my nail was too long and poked out the back too much, so I had to use a smaller one (it's one that is used to nail in those saw tooth hangers). That is why you see a hole above the nail there... small nail wouldn't fit the previous too big hole.



While I'm on this picture, question for you all. I wanted the paint on the poster board to be streak-free, and I had read a few times that using foam brushes diminished those a lot. Well, not for me, the lines that were left behind by that brush were so jarring (you can really see them in the above picture)! I went over with a normal brush afterwards, but it still showed through...

Are there such things as bad foam brushes?? I was so sad when that happened :( . Never using those again. Might also put a new painted poster board because those streaks might really annoy me in the long run. Any advice you can give me on this matter would be very welcome!!!

Anyway, back to the frame... I put a bit of tape on the back where the nail poked through so it wouldn't scratch the wall.



And I was done! Ready to hang in my bedroom.



Here are a few pictures all hung up. It's really hard to take pictures in there when the sun is not shining directly in because of the dark walls, and also because of where I hung up my framed Venetian mask.



From the opposite night stand:



And a view through the mirror, with the lamp on:



I love it! My boyfriend has mentioned a few times that it creeps him out. I ignore him ;)

So glad to have it back up, and it looks so stylish in its new frame, don't you think?










I party at these parties.