Not sure when I started collecting the La Mode Illustree 1860’s fashion prints but I’ve really enjoyed finding them at antique stores all over Tennessee.  Something about the delicate nature of the prints and the sweet scenes of beautifully dressed women really appealed to me.

The best part about collecting these beautiful prints is the memories I made collecting them.  After having a child it’s been a little harder to get out of the house. So, when my husband and I get out of the house it’s a challenge and an adventure at the same time.

If you leave yourself open to a good time it’s never hard to find it!

We follow some simple rules when going out.

First,  we give ourselves extra time to find unique and different stores if we are visiting a new town.

 Second, we always ask a local what their favorite shop or restaurant is.

And third, we keep our eyes open for the cool, unusual, hole-in-the-wall places that usually have the best stuff/food/conversation.

Going back to the prints— I found one set at an antique store in a town in the middle of nowhere. The building looked like it had been constructed in the late 1800’s to early 1900’s.  It really had some special charm and character. Best of all is that this special antique store had an old-time ice cream shop in it.  My husband and I enjoyed some good ice cream, that I’m sure you can’t buy in any grocery store. The store was also full of special and unique finds.

It’s the memories that we carry with us forever.  Now every time I look at those prints I’ll think of the good times we had.  This is also the reason I want to restore and make these old pictures pretty again.

I honestly believe that 9 times out of 10 all you have to do to refresh an old picture is to paint the frame and clean up the glass.

When picking the colors of paint for the frames —I really thought through what colors would look good with the print. Then what colors would look good when I put all the prints together.  I went with blue, cream, and butter yellow and I really liked the way they turned out. Each print compliments each other and they look more refreshed and clean.

I did some before and after pictures to compare all the pictures together.

This is a before picture. The frames are pretty but a little worn out and they don’t match the look I’m going for.

I really wanted to match the blue in this pretty dress.

I think I found the right color.  The frames look fresher and cleaner.  The brown frame made it look old in a bad way.

The lighting is a bit different but you can tell that the pictures fit together better.

I think they look great on my kitchen table but they well be hung up here soon. More picture to come.