Look what I found in a pile, hidden behind another pile, next to a basket of supplies, nicely stacked on top of some old watercolor paintings…an unfinished project of mine.

You know, the fun thing about touching everything when you are downsizing and getting rid of stuff… it’s the treasures we all have forgotten about. This old frame was one such item.

When I decorate for Christmas I store some of my art and non-Christmas items in our guest room to make room for trees and other holiday themed items. Finally I had a chance to tackle what I always called our junk room. Most people have a junk drawer? Well we have a whole junk room. This house of ours in the city did not come with a garage. I have since turned that room into a sewing/guest room.

At first I thought this was one of my frames I picked up at a neighborhood sale for…you guessed it, a dollar. I may be a little crazy but I do enjoy my little game of finding something for a dollar and fixing it up.

Turns out though that this was actually an old frame from my husband’s Aunt’s house when we helped her move. Aunt Carla is off living her own adventures now in the Canary islands fixing up a new place. I can’t wait to see what she comes up with in her designs.

Okay, so the frame was free, if it were a dollar I would have bought it so its the idea that counts. And bonus points, this frame is deep enough to be used as a shadow box. Since we are about spending dollars, I went to my dollar store in our neighborhood and picked up something pretty to put inside the frame.

These are the supplies I used:

Faux plastic 3-D butterflies (You can use card stock or cardboard too)

Scrap-booking paper

Mod page or water-down glue

Glue gun

Chalk paint or can of spray paint

Twine or ribbon (optional)

Scraps pieces of fabric in different colors.

I forgot to take a before shot of this frame. When I discovered it in that pile it was in pieces. I had started it at one time and got busy and put it way somewhere safe, so this is my before shot, a big pile of pieces. First step then would be to take your old frame apart to paint.

Spray paint or use any paint plus primer combination. Make sure if you spray paint to buy the paint that also includes a primer. Your life will be so much more easier if there is a primer in your paint, less painting on your end. I used chalk paint then wet distressed it for an aged look.

While your frame is drying, start working on some art to fill up your new frame. A lot of these old frames come with art from decades ago that are no longer trending. I think shadow boxes filled with family memories look pretty too. I am sticking with butterflies for this project.

My butterflies were all white so I decoupaged some fabric scraps to them to add some colors.

I have a whole selection of vintage fabrics I have collected over the years.

Plain white looks pretty as well and that color is trending right now so either way would have been fine. I tend to go for color in my home decor. Do what makes you happy, that’s what makes your house a home.

While my butterflies were drying I searched through my paper scraps to find a pretty background for the inside of the frame. I cut the size I needed and glued it to the backing of the frame.

I also used an old paper bag from the grocery store to line the inside. I crinkled it up to add a textured design.

Then I added my butterflies.

After everything was dry I arranged my butterflies and glued in place.

I wanted this frame to have a function as well, so I added hooks to hang keys from.

And now I have a pretty frame to hang keys, leashes or umbrellas by our front door.

Have fun everyone on your hunt for dollar items to recreate. Fill your homes with love and happiness. Happy crafting everyone. Oh and thank you Carla, the frame was the perfect project for our keys to hang on.

 

My “nailed it” moment

Sometimes everything looks really easy and put together simply but that isn’t always the case. Photos can be so deceptive and words although always positive, can also leave out the frustrations that come with art and crafting. I did run into some problems with this frame. I added all my decorative papers to the inside without testing the glass to see if it would fit. Well, it didn’t, so I had to tear everything apart and start over.

Then it turns out that even though we may think that we can put it back together the way we took it apart, that never really works out in some cases. All my added art, added more space and I had to glue, tape and tape some more in order to fit everything back in. It started to be a little unfun.

When I finally finished this project I was very happy it all came together. So never be discouraged… just keep going for it. There are many times I have felt like throwing in the towel when learning a new skill.We need to stay stubborn and finish that goal. If we think we can or can’t, we are right either way. Happy crafting everyone.