Fancy Filled Window Frames: Part 2

Last year I shared a project that involved old barn windows that I cleaned, painted, and filled with items to create a unique wall hanging. I made one for myself, one for a friend, and for my grandparents. Each window had its share of small challenges, but each turned out special and individual to the person who was receiving it.

Soon after posting those windows, I began work on two more. The first was another London-themed window, made for my cousin. Both of us love anything London-themed, and in 2012 we went to London to study abroad together. This window was different from the previous windows though because instead of six panes, it featured three long panes. I thought that this could potentially be quite cool, but would require a bit of though to make it work. After cleaning and painting the wood a cream color, I began plotting the layout. 

Since I was going with a London theme, my first thought with the long and tall panes was to do something with Big Ben. Similar to the previous windows, I used the app Waterlogue and used a photo of Big Ben I had taken and gave it a watercolor look. I sized it up as big as I could print it at home, and then cut it out of the paper. For the background, I found some blue tulle and twirled it around some patterned paper, almost representing the waters of the River Thames that Big Ben looks over. I placed the finished Big Ben into the middle pane.

The two side panes were then filled with other watercolor images that I had taken during our time in London. The backgrounds were made from burlap, and then a few red accents and blue buttons were added to finish it up, while also tying the colors together.

The second window was for an aunt of mine. This one initially was the most challenging to settle on a theme, but once I found a few items that worked, it was a lot of fun to make. I cleaned an painted the frame the same as the previous window. The theme was a bit more general, but focused on various things she likes and where she grew up. The middle was a blue plaid fabric, with two small wood frames featuring her dog and son on the photos. Her name initial was them put in the middle. I kept the wood as is to go with the more vintage and rustic look. The rest of the panes were filled with more photos, accents, and buttons. Finally, I painted three wood doorknobs navy blue, to match the fabric, and attached them at the bottom.

I think both of these turned out well, and it was a nice change to have a different type of window to use. I think I prefer the six paned windows more for this project because it is a littler easier to plan out and allows for more different layouts. It is fun to come up with ideas and search for items that can be used. I have had my window in my room for many months now, and it still makes me happy when I look at it!

I have another window to share in the future, as my mom and I have been planning out the designs to make one for her.