Like everyone else, I have been busyand the summer is flying by.  I long for slow, lazy days.  I ache to sit by the beach and take a swim.  But right now, that's not happening.  So I indulged in a short, crafty project that took about an hour, spread over 2 days.   The photo above shows a corner that is restful, serene,,,,and making me yawn.  I found this old frame while at SuZanna's Antiques in Raleigh:

I perused my many leftover cans of sample paint and chose Sherwin Williams' Gutsy Grape.

The next step was going to be to give it a top coat of black, then sand it lightly to let just a bit of the purple show through.  But then a wonderful client and friend, Lynn Alker of Lot 7, gave me this amazing bouquet of Lisianthus and a dahlia.  I propped the purple frame behind it to take a photo to Tweet for Lynn:

Once I saw all that decadent, royal, fabulous (not to mention gutsy) purple against my gray walls and next to my gray drapes, I knew the color had to stay.

I rehung the gorgeous birds, painted by Renee Treml (www.reneesartwork.com), so they fit inside the purple frame.  Am very pleased with myself.  $25 for the frame was the cost of this little diversion from my busy life.  The result makes me smile.

Here's the Before and After.  Love it!

Ciao,

Anne