“She’s swimming! Look, fishies!” Clara squealed when she woke up and spotted our newly hung piece in the kitchen. She was delighted, even though there aren’t any literal fish in the print—her imagination made the moment even sweeter. Hooray for imaginary fishies.
This print is our first real art purchase: a large archival print of an original oil painting by an amazing Etsy artist that we couldn’t stop thinking about. At $195 it felt like a splurge for us—normally we frame free prints we make, or hunt thrift stores and garage sales for inexpensive finds—but we’d already saved money in so many other areas of the kitchen (reusing cabinets, keeping the original sink and faucet, finding lighting and a hood secondhand, reselling old fixtures, installing tile and cork bought on sale, building open shelving and a fridge surround ourselves, and more) that we decided treating the space to something we truly loved was worth it.
After some rationalizing—“You’ve saved everywhere else, you love this art, and you don’t have any real art in the house yet—just do it”—we took the plunge. It feels great to have a piece that actually makes us smile every time we pass through the kitchen. In the words of Katy Perry: no regrets. Just love.
We’re calling it our Valentine’s present to each other (and to the kitchen). Clara’s excitement was the icing on the cake; Burger hasn’t reacted yet, but we’ll keep an eye out. The print looks cheerful beside two pink tulips we had left over from book shoots (yes, the book shoots are still happening—they wrap this Friday and today we’re shooting some cover stuff).
Rather than paying for professional framing right away, we chose a budget-friendly DIY approach that still looks polished. We bought a simple black frame from Target for $21 and a single sheet of archival-quality mat board from Michael’s for $4 in the framing department. With spray paint we already had on hand, the whole framing project cost about $25 for a finished 31″ x 25″ piece.
The work itself was straightforward: remove the glass and backing, spray-paint the frame white with Rust-Oleum Universal (with built-in primer), and cut the archival mat board to fit the frame. Instead of cutting a window in the mat, we centered the print in front of the mat so it “floats” with an even border around it. It’s not a museum bezel, but it gives a substantial look and keeps costs down while using archival materials that can be easily upgraded later.
The serendipity of the mat-board’s subtle gray undertone turned out to be a design win: the soft gray complements the penny tile and appliances, while the bright-white print and freshly painted frame tie into the glossy trim, counters, and dishware on the open shelves. The result feels balanced, fresh, and cohesive with the rest of the kitchen.
We like that using archival paper and mat gives us the flexibility to upgrade to a professional frame later without sacrificing quality now. This floating-mat DIY method is how we’ve framed plenty of pieces in the past (for example, the grouped frames in our hallway). It’s not the traditional approach, but it works well for our budget and aesthetic. Art is personal—do what suits you and your home, and fill your walls with things that make you smile.
Real art can be addictive. Our little swimmer proves that splurging on one wall can make you unexpectedly giddy, and we hope this isn’t a one-time thing. What have you been framing lately? Do you prefer professional framing or a DIY route? And does anyone else’s child see imaginary fish around the house? Let’s chat about framing, finding art you love, and making it fit your space.