Okay…I’m a bad blogger. I forgot to take a before photo. But use your mind’s eye to see one of those really CHEAP oak frames from Wal-Mart…I think this 8 x 10 was about $2. At the time I really liked the oak. Sad? Yes, I know.
I was working on finishing another project when that frame caught my eye. I needed it for my tax certificate, but I just couldn’t stand the thought of looking at that frame next to my desk EVERY day. I already had my acrylic paints and brushes out. So I mixed some snow white and a teeny little bit of burnt umber… Then I took a dry brush and painted the frame with a light coat. Once that was dry I decided that it needed another light coat. The wood really pulled it in. After the second coat, just enough of the wood grain was still showing. Originally, I had planned on hitting the edges with a some sandpaper…but I didn’t need to. It already looked a bit shabby. I thought it did need a little something however… But what? Well, I happened to have some medium gray mixed with metallic silver sterling (about 50/50). I wasn’t sure about the metallic, but…..it is only a cheap frame. If it didn’t look so great, it would not be the end of the world. So I dipped a cotton cloth into the gray/silver and wiped it over the off-white. Then I wiped off the excess with a clean spot on the cloth.
What do you think?
While I was taking the “after” pictures, I thought…. “burlap…wonder what that would look like as the mat????”
So…
Much better than the oak finish! And the best part? Cost: practically FREE.
Have a great day!
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