It's a Date!

For several weeks now, I have tried to find a frame that would work perfectly for my dates print that is going in our office with no success. This morning, I woke up and it dawned on me.  I have a framed print that is several years old that doesn't match anything in my home. It is actually hanging in my daughter's playroom behind the door. So, I took it down, opened it up, and realized it would be perfect!

Here is the picture before all of my changes...

I unscrewed the back, popped out the glass, and went to work...

I laid out the frame on some bricks and lumber, then primed it using Krylon's white primer from Wal-Mart.

A closeup of the frame before primer and paint.

While I was waiting for the primer to dry, I decided to try to paint the matte inside the frame. If you notice, the matte was very faded. I wasn't sure if it would even work, but, I had nothing to lose, so I gave it a shot.

I used Apple Barrel black acrylic paint from Wal-Mart on the matte.

And, here is the before and after...

It worked and it actually looks brand new now. : ) 

The next step was to spray paint the frame. 

I used ColorPlace black gloss paint from Wal-Mart. 

I let the frame sit outside in the sun for around 6 hours to dry. I wanted to make sure it was completely dry before taking it in the house. While I waited, I got the picture ready for the frame.

I laid the print under the matte...

I measured each side to make sure that it was even all the way around...

And, then, I cut the excess paper from around the matte...

And, here is a look at the final product!!!

I am extremely happy with the outcome of this project. Overall, I saved around $60.00 on the entire process. The frame and matte alone would've cost around $40.00. My sister had a Shutterfly coupon to get a free 16x20 print that normally cost around $25.00. So, with shipping, that would've cost around $30.00. I only paid $6.00 to have it shipped and nothing for the actual picture. Not too shabby for this DIYer in training. ; )

Happy Creating,

P.S. I created the dates print in Photoshop CS5.

For several weeks now, I have tried to find a frame that would work perfectly for my dates print that is going in our office with no success. This morning, I woke up and it dawned on me.  I have a framed print that is several years old that doesn't match anything in my home. It is actually hanging in my daughter's playroom behind the door. So, I took it down, opened it up, and realized it would be perfect!

Here is the picture before all of my changes...

I unscrewed the back, popped out the glass, and went to work...

I laid out the frame on some bricks and lumber, then primed it using Krylon's white primer from Wal-Mart.

A closeup of the frame before primer and paint.

While I was waiting for the primer to dry, I decided to try to paint the matte inside the frame. If you notice, the matte was very faded. I wasn't sure if it would even work, but, I had nothing to lose, so I gave it a shot.

I used Apple Barrel black acrylic paint from Wal-Mart on the matte.

And, here is the before and after...

It worked and it actually looks brand new now. : ) 

The next step was to spray paint the frame. 

I used ColorPlace black gloss paint from Wal-Mart. 

I let the frame sit outside in the sun for around 6 hours to dry. I wanted to make sure it was completely dry before taking it in the house. While I waited, I got the picture ready for the frame.

I laid the print under the matte...

I measured each side to make sure that it was even all the way around...

And, then, I cut the excess paper from around the matte...

And, here is a look at the final product!!!

I am extremely happy with the outcome of this project. Overall, I saved around $60.00 on the entire process. The frame and matte alone would've cost around $40.00. My sister had a Shutterfly coupon to get a free 16x20 print that normally cost around $25.00. So, with shipping, that would've cost around $30.00. I only paid $6.00 to have it shipped and nothing for the actual picture. Not too shabby for this DIYer in training. ; )

Happy Creating,

P.S. I created the dates print in Photoshop CS5.