{Thrift Frame Revamp}

This is my first post of 2012...Wow...2012.  Each year that passes starts to sound more and more like a year used for a Sci-Fi movie set in the future.  But I digress.  :)  Today I want to share with y'all how I took an old metal frame purchased from the thrift store for $1 and turned it into a beautiful piece of art.   This is part one of a three part series I'm doing... 

I have a bad/good (depending on who you ask) habit of stopping by the thrift store on the way home from work.  I always head straight to the home goods section of the store, and more often than not, I find a treasure that I can't leave without.  Sure, it may look crusty or old to most people, but I always see what it can become instead of what it is now.  (I guess that outlook helps me in my job as a teacher too!)  So I saw this frame (along with the other pieces that you will see in later posts), and I knew I had to buy it!

Yeah, it's gold, and yeah, it's kind of ugly, but it's nothing a coat of spray paint can't fix!  I decided to try out Krylon's Dual (a paint and primer in one) in white.

I decided before beginning the project that this was going to be a gift for a coworker's newborn.  The cutie's name starts with a K, so I bought a wooden K from Michael's and sprayed with with Krylon's watermelon spray paint and then Glitter Blast in pink.

 

While waiting on the paint to dry, I started working on the glass.  I cut scrapbook paper to the size of the glass and got out my Mod Podge.

I cleaned the glass really well and covered it with a layer of Mod Podge.  Then I applied the paper to the glass.  I wanted the paper to add a design element to the paper, so I used my Silhouette to cut a frame out of coordinating scrapbook paper.

I covered the scrapbook paper with Mod Podge and applied the frame.  When that was dry, I covered the whole thing with another coat of Mod Podge to seal it.  After the Mod Podge was dry, it was time to attach the letter to the paper-covered glass.

I used Gorilla Glue because Kimberly from Simply Living did a project a lot like this, and it's the glue she used.  But I have to be really careful when I use that stuff!  The bottle is not lying when it says that the glue expands when drying.  So I used a TINY bit and kept checking to make sure the glue wasn't leaking out from behind the letter.  When I saw any leakage, I removed it with a damp paper towel.  This is the almost finished product.

I distressed the paint on the frame a bit with sand paper.  I don't like anything to look too perfect.  The first time the frame gets knocked around, the paint will be chipping.  So why not make it look chippy to begin with?  Then it will never look messed up. ;)

After looking at the frame for a day, I decided it looked a bit too grown for a newborn.  I tied a bow with some pink satin ribbon and used Fray Check on the cut ends.

I attached the bow to the frame using hot glue.

The thrift store $1 frame started out a bit shabby, but now it is totally chic!

I think my coworker will love it, and it will look great in her new baby's nursery.

So on your way home from work today, maybe you should stop by the thrift store.... :)