Upcycling an old picture frame

One day I was driving along and a song came on the radio that really sums up how I feel about life. It is called 'I make my own Sunshine' by Chelsea Basham. I really strive to make my own sunshine both in my life and in my home. Lately I am really moving ahead with making fun pieces for my home, but why stop now? So using this song as inspiration I have upcycled an old picture frame into a bright fun artwork.

I bought this frame for $3 at an auction.

I pulled the back off and took the picture out and put the stuff aside to reuse later.

I then painted the frame with 2 coats of Canterbury Blue Chalk EZ2 Paint in teal. I think this colour makes a loves pretty frame colour. I then used fabric scraps and a piece of calico. I traced the letters onto an iron on adhesive paper, remembering to do the letters in mirror image so that they are facing the right way when complete. Then I ironed the template to fabric scraps, trimmed them, removed the backing of the adhesive paper then ironed the letters onto the calico. I then used the original picture board that was in the frame, put some quilting wadding in front and then the calico on top and put everything back in the frame. The frame doesn't have glass so I added the wadding to make the fabric pop out a little. As the fabric isn't going to washed, I didn't need to stitch the letters down and can just use the adhesive from the adhesive paper to hold them into place.

This project cost me a grand total of $3 which was for the price of the frame. I used leftover paint and fabric scraps. The plan is that it will join a wall of quirky artworks, all with fun bright frames.

Bedside table upcycle aka Teal delight

I am on a roll with the chalk paint and my technique is improving to where I am really happy with the quality of my work. I am so happy with how these turned out and can't wait to share pictures.

I had these old bedside tables that really looked cheap and weren't doing the room any favours.

Here is what I used
- Canterbury Blue Chalk paint in Teal
- Canterbury Blue Wax
- Paint brush
- Sanding pads
- cloths

What I did
- I gave the cabinets a wipe down to clean them
- Put a coat of chalk paint on, then waited for it to dry
- Put on a second coat of paint, allow to dry
- Placed a thin layer of wax over the paint and then buffed it off  (you can skip this step but I wanted to try it for this project)
- Sanded the cabinets. Even if you dont want to distress the piece a light sanding changes the paint feel from a rough chalky feel to a silky smooth finish.
- Wipe off the excess sanding dust.
- Apply the wax again and then buff off.

I did one at a time as I wasn't sure if this was the perfect colour but luckily it was. Check out the after photos.

They look awesome and it only took a small outlay in time. But I am now thinking that the bed frame needs some work. I better add that to the 'To Do' List.

Check out the awesome knitted blanket my Mum made me for my birthday. :)