Saturday, December 18, 2010

a little silver

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Our finished dining room walls are filled with old family photos. We want the dining room to be the center of our house and all about family - so when we had an open wall that needed a little something I had to put my thinking cap on.

My sister has a set of silverware from my great aunt and the details on it are just amazing. I asked her if I could take one of the place settings (don't worry, we'll keep track of it in the family!) Right around the same time, my husband's parents offered us a set of silverware that had belonged to his grandparents. Again, gorgeous details.
Family china often gets displayed in china cabinets or on shelves but silver is always tucked away in the dark for a special occasion. We decided that finding a way to display this silverware would be a great tie into family history (and let's be honest - its silverware in the dining room - just a good match all around!)
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I found two black shadow boxes at a local store and wrapped the back mounting material in a scrap from our dining room curtains. Then I arranged the place setting and used dress pins to hold each piece in place. This was a balancing act, more than once I would gently pick up the frame only to have the knife slide out 2 seconds later. But with enough pins and finding the right pressure/locations - they stayed in place. I also taped a small piece of 3M's silver protective strips inside the frame to keep the silver from tarnishing.
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And voila, our wall is happily filled with a piece of our family history.

5 comments:

BonBon Rose Girls Kristin said...

I absolutely love that idea! It's a fabulous effect!

Secondhand Stella said...

That is a great idea!!!!!

Dianna said...

this is such a nice way to display beautiful patterns and family history. great idea!

Meri said...

Great idea! I love silver, it is so solid and traditional yet beautiful!
Meri

Meghan said...

This is SO COOL. What a fantastic idea!