I know we were just here yesterday but I was so taken with the unique presentation of artwork and photography at Cuppies & Joe that I just had to follow up! Update: You can buy your very own pieces from the artist who made these (frames and all)! Go check out Samantha Lamb Photography!

First up is the book page matte. We know the photography makes this piece but I am drawn to the antiqued book page matte and the simple stock wood frame. Even when we have a beautiful, meaningful photo ready to go, the framing step often slows the finishing process down. This is a great looking cost effective solution. If you don’t have matte board, covering cardstock or poster board with pages and then antiquing to give the same affect is a good option. The frame looks like it might be simple, unfinished 1×3 material, easily found at your local hardware store or lumber yard. These pieces are so small that if you’re lucky and resourceful, you might be able to save from offcuts at a building site.

Second, we have a plywood board with the frame on top. This is a clever way to fill up space on the wall, give presence to the piece and draw the eye for more focus on the photo. If I were to attempt this, I would use some stock trim and create a frame by mounting it on the plywood. This would also be very easy if you just took the back off an old frame and mounted it onto a scrap board. If you do that, make sure the board and frame are in the same color family. I think the impact of these simple pieces is that the color is introduced in the artwork/photography.

This is my favorite I think! A collage of words and paint splashes fills in the edges of this piece and you are provided with a magnifying glass to more easily enjoy all the little bits. Genius! Think about all the fun versions of this, a child’s version, a conversation starter, a hallway alcove where there’s little room for anything else or maybe a thoughtful gift to your significant other filled with sentimental thoughts and momentos, I think I could go on and on.

Now if only I could find some slivers of tree like theirs…

Here’s a close-up, who doesn’t love all those little hearts? Pardon the graininess, I think I fixed that (previously unknown to me) camera setting a little later in the day.

Last but not least is this new take on a window frame. Just as windows frame our views of the outside world, this one frames the focus of the art piece. The combination of word collage following the wood grain and simple rope trim around the photos is interesting in itself. I feel like you get multiple art pieces in one with this treatment and it makes me feel loads better about all of the little wood trim bits and pieces I’ve saved over the years.

And here’s my obligatory shot of the spiced chai latte I enjoyed that day. The weather wasn’t unlike today’s, perhaps a little chillier, but I think I might go enjoy another this afternoon while I dream about all the new projects I now envision.

To be completely honest, I was planning on showing you my own finished version of artwork inspired by these, but all my scrap wood was affected by the latest basement flood and requires a bit of tender loving care before it can be ready. (But now I won’t have to, because I can just buy one of Samantha’s, really love “Hanging to Dry” and “Honey and Maple Syrup“) Gosh, I just love to make promises about projects to you guys, don’t I! Oh, and while I’m seeing the grain in that photo, I must tell you how fun it is to hang out with photographers and ask questions about ISO and white balancing like I might know what I’m talking about : )