IKEA Ribba Frames Upcycling Project (Part 2) : 27th March 23
Welcome / Busy / Ribba Frames Upcycling
Hello, how are you this Monday morning? Did you remember to put your clocks forward at the weekend? ( those of you in the UK).
A big hello to new readers this week – you may have found me via
Thank you for subscribing, I'm so glad you're here!It's spring at last - and I couldn't be any more excited about the new season! Not that the weather is great, but at least it’s not snowing and there are Daffodils, Hellebores, and Hyacinths flowering in the garden, and importantly the days are longer. Every year at this time it feels like reawakening from a deep deep sleep. I'm so thankful that winter is over for another year and mindful that I must make the most of the next few months when my energy levels are at their best.
Busy
It's been a somewhat hectic week. I've been dashing about on buses – on Thursday, there was a flying visit into bustling Edinburgh to collect 18 x A5 giclee prints. The printing company which was recommended to me and has done a superb job. The colours are strong and just as they should be – I was a little apprehensive since it took me a few days to prepare the print files. I'm self taught when it comes to digital design and was getting some strange results when I printed them out - but I needn't have worried, they look great. Somehow, packaging the prints took most of Friday. So, it was later than intended that I hopped aboard a bus to Edinburgh, then a train over the Forth Bridge to my sister’s, where I finally arrived after 10pm. On Saturday morning we both headed to Kirkcaldy to swap over my stock at the beautiful gallery and gift shop, My Cherry Pie.
On our day out we also found time for delicious lunch, perusing the local charity shops (where I found a new duffle coat, a bargain at just £3.99), and a visit to the local Museum and Art Gallery.
It was a great visit but by the end, I was weighed down with 2 large carrier bags full of paintings, a borrowed book, my new coat purchase, an A5 box file reduced to 50p, plus my heavy shoulder bag, which is always over-stuffed…. Being charitable my look could be described as Bag lady chic. When I finally got home after another 2 and a half hours of bus and train travel I was fit for nothing. Watched a bit of Michael Palin traveling Pole to Pole and realised there’s no way I’d be cut out for that kind of trip. I’m a homebody at heart.
Ribba frames upcycling continued
So where was I…? Yes, I'd found nine old IKEA Ribba frames to turn into an upcycled mood board / shelfie thing for my workroom. I arranged them into 3 rows of 3, glued them together using Locktight 60 Second superglue, and screwed them together on the back using wooden pieces I'd sawn out of 2:5 mm plywood. So far, so good.
I won't give a comprehensive tutorial here because I don't think there's a huge demand but read on for a brief run-through of how it was made.
I was lucky to find a piece of pine wooden batten exactly the right length so I sanded, painted, glued, and screwed it to the bottom of the frames to add Strength. After a lot of indecision, I decided to use two smaller picture frames for legs - I had wanted to make them from wood but couldn't find anything suitable in the garage or attic so it wasn't meant to be. Once the whole thing was joined together, I changed the position of the spacer strips in the box frames, so that they were towards the front and the glass was to the back. I had painted the MDF backboards white but there were some marks on them which wouldn't come out so inserted sheets of white cartridge paper before replacing the boards. The eagle-eyed amongst you will notice that there’s no glass in the middle frame. It broke, which wasn't part of the plan. If I'd had a cork tile that might have been good place to put it, so you could pin things there but I didn't so instead I painted it with Valspar Spa Blue, which matches the desk, the frames at the bottom and other shelves in the room. If you didn't know any better you might think it was intended…
When it was done, I lifted the new construction up off the table and was shocked by its weight. All that MDF and glass is very heavy. Attaching it to the wall was not as straightforward as it might have been... since I made an almighty mess of drilling holes in the wall. I've obviously not been keeping up with my power tool practice enough recently! Not to worry, the man of the house is good at that sort of thing so he helped me out.
Now it’s firmly secured to the wall above my desk, it's a place to arrange artists’ postcards and business cards, photos, little sketches and scraps of fabric, all the little bits and bobs I don't know where else to keep – anything that inspires me really. I've begun sticking a few things on but it will change over time, depending what I'm working on. You might be thinking that I could just have stuck everything straight onto the wall but it's much easier to add and remove cuttings to the glass and small 3D items can rest on the bottom of the frames.
Do you have a mood board or inspiration board? Let me know in the comments if you do, I'd love to see it.
I’m having a day off today, then adding my new prints to my Shop on Tuesday. After that my plans are to spend a quiet week with my sketchbook. I've missed it.
Wishing you a wonderful week!
Until next time, Julia x
Morning Julia, I really like this mood board - the little shelves appeals to me as I have lots of little things and love to make arrangements. My own mood board is a bit more straightforward - I took the glass out of a large frame, wrapped the backing board with felt and fabric. I pin and use Washi tape to add pictures. A rearrangement for spring will be happening this week. Now I am thinking how I can add a shelf! Have a good sketchbook week x