I actually bought this piece last year and it has been sitting in the basement until I decided what to do with it. I’m not really sure what to call it. Frame? Decorative thingy? For now, let’s just call it a painted wood wall hanging. Imaginative, I know.
It was dirty and cracked in several places, but I loved the carved details.
It was pieced together from about a dozen pieces of wood, all held together with tiny nails. The carved details appear to be plaster. I didn’t repair the cracks, but Richard glued some thin pieces of wood to the back to reinforce the loose joints.
To tie the colors in with our quilt, I painted the whole thing with white milk paint, then painted some of the carved areas with lavender.
For the lavender paint, I just mixed together some white craft paint and a little bit of the same purple I used for the stenciled area rug in our bedroom. I thinned it down quite a bit so I could get it into the cracks and crevices without obscuring the details. This took a couple of coats. I went back and highlighted a few of those areas with white. See that crack I didn’t repair? It’s called laziness character.
A light coat of wax and this painted wood wall hanging- frame- carved piece- thingy was done!
What would you call it? I just know you can come up with something more attractive sounding than painted wood wall hanging, something that makes its loose joints and cracked plaster pale in comparison….
Doodles,
Partying here:
DIY Showoff, Southern Hospitality, The Well Crafted Home
Hey, I'm Sheila, and I'm so glad you're here! Stick around for a doodle of fun, faith, and furniture. Want to learn more? 
Shelia, I love this piece! What a transformation too! I have never seen anything like this; it’s lovely! It makes such a statement over your bed!
Betsy(@coastal-colors) recently posted..Time To Batten Down The Hatches!
That is so pretty, Shelia, and I love it over your bed! I don’t know what you’d call it. I usually call things I don’t know “that wall thingy”. : )
Kathy @ Creative Home Expressions recently posted..Goodies In The Mail
Sheila, That is a beautaiful piece, a truly wonderful find. I owned something similar to it years ago, and it had mirrors in the open spaces. I believe it had been part of a fireplace, or perhaps the top to a buffet. Yours is a little different, but I think it would look awesome with mirrors glued behind the openings. I love the way you painted it.
It is truly lovely! My thoughts on what to call it are that since it looks like a door with openings hanging above a bed, I would call it a Dream Door. Has marketing possibilities, don’t you think?
I love the colors you painted it. I think it could be used as a picture frame. I love findings like this and painting them to suit me.
Thanks so much, Inez. It actually had a painting in the center opening, but wasn’t my style so I took it out. I’ve been wondering what I could put in there instead.
Sheila, I call it creative! Great job.
i Love your thingy!! Hugs, Penny
This is such a beautiful way to do a headboard!! I’m in love! I would love it if you linked this up at my link party – You can find it here:
http://thewellcraftedhome.blogspot.com/2012/09/well-crafted-wednesday-19-link-party.html
Lauren @ The Well Crafted Home recently posted..Well Crafted Wednesday #19! {Link Party}
LOVELY!
Monica Livas recently posted..Vintage Inspiration
This is GORGEOUS!!! I would have picked this up too!! Well done! I wonder if it was a door with a stained glass in the middle and clear on the bottom or something…anyways….I would love to have it!! Well done!
As soon as I layed my eyes on it I wanted it…mirrors would look great in it, at least in the center. Maybe some lavender floral wallpaper in the side panels. I love what you have done with it so far, can’t wait to see how you finish it out. Leaving it as it is looks great!
Those are great ideas, Deb. I hadn’t thought of using wallpaper. I haven’t been able to make up my mind about what to do, so I probably just won’t do anything else to it.