Making a Plastic Multi Frame Your Own Special Decor Accent Piece!

Good afternoon everyone. Sorry it has been a while-my health hasn't been at it's best but I miss blogging so I am hoping to slowly get back into it! Thank you for your patience and support-it really does mean a lot to me :)

We just decorated my bedroom so I have been making my own accents to make my room unique using the various techniques and skills I have learnt over the years from crafting. It has saved me a lot of money and hopefully you'll enjoy seeing the different makes I have created for my new room and it will inspire you too! :)

I had been looking for a multi frame for my wall. The wooden shabby chic ones I loved were a fortune I really didn't have so I bought a plastic multi frame for my new room and hoped for the best. However when it arrived the white was off white and looked dirty from transit so I really wasn't happy with the look. I really loved the designs of the frames and it was what I wanted so I decided that instead of returning it I should give it a new lease of life and make it something unique for my new room.

I cleaned the frame with a baby wipe and let the frame dry. I removed all the glass and backing and placed them somewhere safe.

Next I got out my Americana chalky finish paint. This is an acrylic paint that is really useful because it sticks to most surfaces without priming first! I also love the look it gives and the potential for a shabby chic look I was aiming for.

I used the dry brush technique to put two coats of each colour on each frame. I had baby wipes for when I made mistakes to quickly erase them or to use to achieve the shabby look I was looking for by brushing over corners where wear and tear would occur.

I left it to dry (with the dry brush technique it doesn't take long)

I then got out some Mica powder and mixed it with water to get the antique gold 'wash'. I painted with a brush on some frames with the molded patterns and roughly added so it looked antiqued. For the other frames without much pattern I used a make up sponge in the mica paint and rubbed over the surface giving a rough look. I tried to consider where there would be the most wear and tear and reflect that in my refurbishment of the frames.

I varnished them and then put the frame back together.

I have some messages written in a journal for me from singers I hugely admire and I wanted to display them. So I scanned the pages into my computer. I then made alterations in photoshop to crop out dark areas where the book scanned darker than elsewhere and saved them. I then went into serif software and used the digital program to mix the messages on a page so I could have multiple messages on one page and also added some vintage butterfly prints on some.

I printed them directly onto craft paper which complimented my new butterfly wall paper. I achieved this by using 4x6 photo paper as a template and cut the craft paper to size, then printed through my printer (making sure you remember which way up to insert the paper!)


I would like to enter this into the following challenges:
2 Creative Chicks: Anything Goes
A Bit More Time to Craft: Anything Goes
Sisters of Craft: Anything Goes
Crafting with an Attitude: Anything Goes
Craft Rocket Challenge: Anything Goes
Crafty Girls Creations: Anything Goes