Cynthia Murray Design: Display Redo

I have events coming up in September that will require having inventory at a couple of locations over the same weekend. I've been working at producing enough work to adequately stock both shows, and then realized that I needed another display piece. I pulled out a display that I had assembled around 10 years ago and put into retirement around 4 years ago when I decided it no longer spoke to me.

I like to think that my work has evolved over the past 5 years and my displays have also evolved. Since much of my jewelry incorporates recycled materials, it is important that the displays do the same. I rescued this window frame from the curb. After removing the glass, I infilled the openings with pieces of wire grid backed with black fabric. I inserted some circular brass hooks along the outer part of the frame for hanging necklaces.

Overall.....the best I can say is that it's not horrible. It's too dark to properly highlight pieces of jewelry on display. This is a very sturdy window frame , and I thought it was worth the effort of making some revisions to make it useful once again.

I removed the wire grid and black fabric and then used my electric sander on the surface. I thought that the battleship gray paint was too flat and wanted to get more of a distressed look.

I like how the grain of the wood became visible in some areas. Also, the ghosts of hardware past could now been seen which adds to the character.

While I know this look will not appeal to everyone, I like haveing areas where the wood peeks through different layers of paint. As with the recycled materials that I use in my jewelry, this window frame has a story to tell.

I love the way many layers of paint create an intersting patina for this beautiful lock. I thought of removing the paint, but quickly dimissed the idea. I decided in favor of letting the window proudly show it's age.

I bought a few yards of cream colored burlap, attaching it to the back of each opening with a staple gun. One layer of burlap let too much light through, so I added a layer of polyester batting and then covered the back with another layer of burlap.