Why I Hoard Old Frames {DIY Tutorial}

27 Sep Why I Hoard Old Frames {DIY Tutorial}

Okay, maybe not hoard.

But if I see an old frame I like at a consignment store or estate sale, I buy it.  And it is almost never because of the art inside.  Most of the time, the frame holds a print I would consider complete cheese, and I put it in my garage sale box.  If I am planning a simple project, or a non-uniform gallery wall, I find ready made frames to be expensive (at least $20 ) and custom framing is $$$.  Therefore, I have  a little stash of frames at my house.

One of the many projects I have going at my home right now is I am switching the guest room/my office into what will be the future girls room.  This has been a long process, and I am finally seeing a tiny ray of light at the end of the tunnel.  After peering into what seemed like a bottomless drawer of hair bows in my little girl’s dresser, I knew I needed to organize.  I marched myself to my frame stash.  Picked one.  Marched to the garage, pulled out my trusty “small item” spraypainting cardboard, and got to work.

Here is the original frame.  Pretty, but nothing special.

A couple of coats of Benjamin Moore’s High Gloss Spray paint in “Euro Blue”, and we were moving right along.  Benjamin Moore paint has a fast drying time typically so it is nice to use for these quick little projects.  Love the electric blue color, too.

Two coats took me all of five minutes, and I let it dry for about ten minutes.  It was still a bit tacky when I brought it inside, but not wet.

Some ivory satin ribbon, a staple gun, and some scissors were all I needed to finish the hair bow holder.

The bows were added, color coordinated, of course!

Note to self: take better photos of this project.  It was about 9:00 at night when I did this so the lighting was not the best.  Sigh…

Nevertheless, the entire project took me less than thirty minutes!  I was thinking, too, this project doesn’t just have to be for hair bows.  You could turn the ribbon horizontally and attach photos, notes to self, pretty invitations, or Christmas cards, using clothespins.  Experiment a little!

Jenny, from Little Green Notebook, made a frame from an old one in this DIY project.  I want to try it!

Do you have any old frames laying around?  How could you use this idea?