new mat

if you read my "in her shoes" post for
effortless style

then you will remember my trip to the framers,

where i dropped off 
this $20 thrift store find:

i will eventually replace the frame as well, but for now 

i just replaced the old paper mat with a warmer, linen mat.

the old mat made the beautiful archival paper of the print 

look dingy, while the new mat not only makes the paper

look so much better, but also 

brings out the warmer tones in the print. 

(ugh---just noticed from this picture that the print is not

 centered! argh! this is going to drive me crazy now! 

when i take it back to the framers to replace the frame, 

i am going to have them fix that...)

i love the texture that a linen,

silk or burlap mat gives to a room. 

it's one of those subtle layers that

can take a room from boring to interesting.

framing an image can be really expensive,

but if you do it in stages,it can be more manageable. 

if you have an unframed image that you love,

you will be surprised at the difference a new mat

can make. mats can also be painted with spray paint,

for a quick and temporary change.