{"id":37512,"date":"2025-08-22T08:10:02","date_gmt":"2025-08-22T12:10:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thriftingwonderland.com\/?p=37512"},"modified":"2025-08-22T08:10:02","modified_gmt":"2025-08-22T12:10:02","slug":"super-thrift-store-find-and-how-it-was-restored","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thriftingwonderland.com\/?p=37512","title":{"rendered":"Super Thrift Store Find and How It Was Restored"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Welcome to the Blog today, Friends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Welcome, friends!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019ve visited the Blog before, you probably know how much I adore watercolor paintings. There\u2019s something about their soft, fluid brushstrokes and gentle colors that just speaks to me, and I\u2019m always on the lookout for a new piece to display around the house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Earlier this week, my husband and I made a trip to one of our local thrift stores. We don\u2019t stop there often\u2014the prices tend to run a little higher than most\u2014but they offer a 20% discount, which certainly helps. And sometimes, the right treasure is worth the splurge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As I made my usual circuit through the aisles, my eyes caught sight of a large painting resting on the floor. Even from a distance, the scene was soothing\u2014simple subject matter painted in calm, quiet tones. My heart did a little skip when I realized it was a watercolor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The closer I came, the more I appreciated it. The wooden frame was in excellent condition, the kind you know will polish up beautifully with just a little care. The glass was clean and clear. But as I studied it more closely, I saw that the painting had slipped inside the frame, giving it a rather \u201cwonky\u201d look. That\u2019s an easy fix, I thought.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When I turned it over, I found another surprise. The brown paper backing had been sliced open\u2014unfortunate, because that paper held the artist\u2019s signature, the title of the piece, and a gallery sticker noting it had been framed by the artist\u2019s own gallery. Such details make a piece all the more special, and I couldn\u2019t help but wish that part had been left untouched.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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This is always something you want to preserve, if you possibly can. The painting was also dated so we knew exactly when it was finished.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Another closer look at the watercolor convinced me\u2014it simply had to come home with us. That meant it was time to call in my expert fixer. After a little discussion, we decided the repairs were well within our reach (and by \u201cour,\u201d I really mean my talented husband\u2019s!).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The good news was that the double matting was still in excellent condition, so there\u2019d be no need to replace it. The frame and the glass were both sturdy and sound, too. All it needed was a careful hand to reposition the painting inside the frame and secure the backing. Definitely worth a try for such a lovely piece.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The next day, \u201coperation rescue\u201d began. My husband carefully disassembled the frame, working slowly to protect both the painting and the precious information on the back. The paper backing was gently lifted away, then the tiny framing points were coaxed out with a pair of pliers. That freed the cardboard backing, which slid out easily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Next, the old tape securing the backing was removed, followed by the tape that held the watercolor in place inside the mat. Once freed, the painting was carefully repositioned so it sat perfectly within its double matting. A bit of fresh masking tape secured it neatly in place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From there, the process moved in reverse\u2014the backing was reattached and taped down, the cardboard put back in and held with the framing point driver, and finally the paper backing, complete with the artist\u2019s signature and gallery label, was smoothed and taped back into place. Even the tear was mended.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The last touch was a sparkling clean for the glass and a quick polish for the frame. When all was said and done, the painting looked as though it had just come from the gallery. I couldn\u2019t have been more pleased\u2014it was like giving new life to a treasure that had been waiting patiently for someone to love it again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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We decided to hang it in the Morning Room where it would show well and could be seen from the kitchen and Great Room. The painting is entitled, “Shrimper’s Morning”. The artist is Douglas Grier, who spent the majority of his career painting scenes on Edisto Island. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The watercolor itself is a serene coastal scene\u2014wooden crates once used by shrimpers, now resting in quiet disarray on a sandy beach. A single gull drifts effortlessly across the sky, with the gentle shimmer of water just beyond the crates. There\u2019s a stillness to it, a simple beauty that draws you in, and I\u2019m so grateful to have it showcased in our home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thrifted treasures don\u2019t always arrive in perfect condition, but that\u2019s part of their charm. The key is knowing when a little care and creativity can bring them back to life and make them a perfect fit for your space. Thank you, friends, for joining me today to see how this lovely painting was restored to its former glory. Now it hangs proudly, carrying with it not just the artist\u2019s vision, but also the story of how it found a new life with us.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Welcome to the Blog today, Friends. Welcome, friends! If you\u2019ve visited the Blog before, you probably know how much I adore watercolor paintings. There\u2019s something about their soft, fluid brushstrokes and gentle colors that just speaks to me, and I\u2019m always on the lookout for a new piece to display around the house. Earlier this […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":70469586,"featured_media":37515,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_wpcom_ai_launchpad_first_post":false,"_jetpack_hide_featured_image":false,"_jetpack_featured_image_duplicate_dismissed":0,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"{title}\n\n{excerpt}\n\n{url}","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"dois","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[2932],"tags":[48669,81369,731331053,731331055],"class_list":["post-37512","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tutorial","tag-decor","tag-thrifting","tag-tutorial","tag-vignette"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p9ziaG-9L2","jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thriftingwonderland.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IMG_9980-rotated.jpeg?fit=4284%2C5712&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thriftingwonderland.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37512","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thriftingwonderland.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thriftingwonderland.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thriftingwonderland.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/70469586"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thriftingwonderland.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=37512"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/thriftingwonderland.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37512\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":37725,"href":"https:\/\/thriftingwonderland.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37512\/revisions\/37725"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thriftingwonderland.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/37515"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thriftingwonderland.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=37512"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thriftingwonderland.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=37512"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thriftingwonderland.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=37512"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}